Description
A delightful and elegant Pink Champagne Cake featuring moist layers infused with pink champagne and a smooth champagne buttercream frosting. This celebratory cake pairs a tender crumb with a subtle, fruity champagne flavor, perfect for special occasions or festive gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Layers
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup neutral cooking oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup pink champagne
- 6 large egg whites (room temperature preferred)
- Pink food coloring (optional)
Pink Champagne Reduction
- 2 ¼ cups pink champagne
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups salted butter (softened)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- Cooled pink champagne reduction (from above)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour. Line the bottoms with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Cream butter: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth.
- Add sugar, oil, and vanilla: Stir in the granulated sugar, neutral cooking oil, and vanilla extract, mixing well until combined and creamy.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to combine evenly.
- Add flour and buttermilk alternately: With the mixer on low speed, add about half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Follow by adding half of the buttermilk. Repeat this step with the remaining flour and buttermilk, mixing gently and avoiding overmixing.
- Add flour and pink champagne alternately: Continue on low speed to add another portion of flour, then half the pink champagne, another portion of flour, the remainder of the pink champagne, and finally the rest of the flour, mixing just until combined after each addition.
- Add food coloring: If desired, add pink food coloring to the batter and gently stir to evenly distribute the color.
- Whip egg whites: In a separate, clean, dry bowl, beat the large egg whites with an electric mixer starting on low speed until foamy. Gradually increase to high speed and continue beating until stiff peaks form—egg whites should be thick, opaque, and hold their shape.
- Fold egg whites into batter: Carefully fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter using a spatula until the mixture is uniform and no streaks remain. Do not use the mixer for this step to maintain the airiness.
- Divide and bake: Evenly divide the batter (about 470 grams each) into the prepared cake pans. Place on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool cake layers: Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife along the edges to loosen the cakes, then invert them onto cooling racks. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- Make pink champagne reduction: In a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat, simmer 2 ¼ cups of pink champagne until reduced to 6 tablespoons (about 10 minutes). Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool completely, placing in the refrigerator to speed cooling if needed.
- Prepare frosting: In a large bowl, beat softened salted butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping bowl sides thoroughly. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add champagne reduction to frosting: Slowly mix in the cooled pink champagne reduction one tablespoon at a time, stirring until smooth and fully combined.
- Assemble the cake: If needed, level the cooled cake layers by trimming domed tops. Place the first layer on a serving platter and spread an even layer of frosting over the top. Repeat for remaining layers. Cover the entire cake with a smooth layer of frosting.
- Decorate and serve: Optionally, pipe decorative swirls with remaining frosting using a small closed-star tip, and add sprinkles if desired. Serve and enjoy your elegant Pink Champagne Cake!
Notes
- Use room temperature egg whites to achieve maximum volume when whipping.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute with milk plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, let sit for 5 minutes.
- Pink food coloring is optional and used to enhance the cake’s pink hue but does not affect flavor.
- Ensure all mixing bowls and beaters for egg whites are completely grease-free to help achieve stiff peaks.
- Be gentle when folding egg whites into batter to retain airiness and a light texture.
- This cake is best stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Let refrigerated cake come to room temperature before serving for best flavor and texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pink Champagne Cake, Champagne Cake, Celebration Cake, Festive Cake, Layer Cake, Buttercream Frosting
