This champagne cake with champagne buttercream is a great dessert to celebrate any special occasion. I made this after New Year’s with some leftover champagne.
Do you still have some champagne left over from New Year’s? Sadly, I did. You see, I’m not a big drinker anymore, so we had a bunch of leftover champagne from the holiday. Rather than sip on flat champagne, I decided to bake a champagne cake with champagne buttercream. Champagne is more fun when it’s shared with friends, so I made this cake to share with others.
What surprised me about this cake is that it actually baked up pretty flat. Normally, my cakes rise in the middle so that when I’m stacking them, I have to shave off the bump. This champagne cake did not require any surgery. Each layer turned out nice and flat so I could easily stack it.
I also thought that the frosting was a little thin so would recommend that you use 2 full cups (4 sticks) of butter. You’ll need about 5-6 cups of powdered sugar for that plus a little extra champagne to thin it out. More champagne? I know, you’re so disappointed, right? 😉
If you want, you can also add in some lemon extract (or even lemon juice and some lemon zest) into the cake to give a bit of citrus flavor. This champagne cake was awesome, and I loved it even more with the champagne buttercream.
Have fun celebrating with this cake!
Champagne cake with champagne buttercream
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 whole eggs separated
- 4 egg whites
- 1 and ½ cups (3 sticks) butter softened
- 2 and½ cups sugar
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup champagne
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Champagne buttercream
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 Tablespoons champagne
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line three 8" or 9" round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the 8 egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer). Mix on high speed until you achieve stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped egg whites to a large bowl and set aside.
- Wash the bowl of the stand mixer and dry.
- In the same bowl of the stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large measuring cup, mix together the champagne, buttermilk and vanilla and set aside.
- Turn the stand mixer to low and add in the 4 egg yolks, one at a time. Mix until well incorporated.
- Alternatively add the dry ingredients and champagne, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until everything just comes together.
- Stop the mixer and gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Do not over mix. Evenly distribute the batter among the 3 cake pans.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Make the buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and add in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time.
- Add the champagne and mix until you achieve the consistency you want. You can add more powdered sugar if it's too runny or more champagne if it's too stiff. Finally, add in the vanilla extract.
Assemble the cake
- Place one cake layer (flat side down) on a cake plate. Top with about 1/2 cup of buttercream. Add sliced fruit on top if desired. Top with another cake layer, then with another layer of frosting and fruit. Put the last cake layer on top, flat side UP (so the top of the cake is smooth).
- Frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
Notes