Moscato Cupcakes

Every year for our Christmas party I vow to try out a new dessert recipe. Since the majority of our gang is crazy about Moscato wine, I decided to create a cupcake from Cupcake's Moscato wine (haha). To fit the festive season I decorated them with strawberries and added whipped cream for the Santa hats.

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup Moscato wine
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. white vinegar

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put cupcake liners in two cupcake pans. This recipe should make 12-18 cupcakes depending on the size of your pan.

2.In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar, and whisk together. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, Moscato, buttermilk, eggs, and vinegar. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into dry and mix until it is just blended.

3.Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting with Moscato vanilla icing.

Moscato Icing

8 oz. (1 cup) butter, room temperature - You could also use a mixture of half butter and half cream cheese for the icing if desired, but I used all butter and it was delicious!
2 Tbsp. Moscato
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar

*I always fold the top of my icing bag over and place it in a cup when you scoop the frosting in. It's way more manageable than trying to hold it yourself.

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until it is smooth and fluffy. Add in the Moscato and vanilla and continue mixing until combined. Add the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until smooth and light. Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with a fresh sliced strawberry half and/or sprinkles.

Optional: fresh strawberries or sprinkles for garnish

If you like Moscato you will definitely love the floral, fruity notes of these sophisticated cakes. They are definitely not your average super sweet cupcake but are just as delicious.