These cranberry mimosa cupcakes have a moist cupcake that's filled with orange and champagne flavours, then topped with a cranberry frosting that's flavoured with a bit more champagne. Perfect for the holidays!
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🧁A cupcake for celebrations
I love a good mimosa, and what better way to make festive cupcakes, then to make them after the famous cocktail! Orange juice and champagne are in the cupcake, and to amp up the holiday feel, I paired it with a cranberry frosting that also has champagne in it! Apparently I like baking with alcohol. I used champagne in this recipe and this one too!
Top the cupcakes with some sugared cranberries and slices of orange to make them look even more fancy! These cupcakes are perfect for New Year's, a bridal shower, or anything worth celebrating.
Looking for more cupcake recipes!?! Try apple crisp cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, or Guinness chocolate cupcakes!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Cranberries - I suggest using fresh for this recipe. Frozen would work in the frosting, but they would be too soft once thawed for making sparkling cranberries.
- Unsalted butter - You can use salted butter. Leave out the extra salt in the recipe.
- Sparkling wine - I used pink sparkling wine because that's what I had on hand. White can be used just as well.
- Whole milk - 2% milk can be used instead. I don't recommend any lighter milk for taste.
- Vegetable shortening - You can use all butter in the frosting if you want to. I prefer using half butter, half shortening for taste.
🔪Instructions
Sparkling Cranberries
Place water and 1½ cups granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat once sugar has dissolved. Pour the simple syrup mixture into a medium sized bowl. Add cranberries, stir to coat, and cool in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, drain cranberries and roll in remaining 1 cup granulated sugar until well coated. Let them dry for a few hours on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Mimosa Cupcakes
Measure out water, orange juice, and sparking wine in a measuring cup. Stir to combine and set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Stir together sugar, milk, vegetable oil, egg, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add measuring cup ingredients and mix until just combined.
Fill cupcake liners just over half full. This will make 12-15 cupcakes. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature before frosting.
Cranberry Frosting
Combine water, sugar, and cranberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until you start to hear the cranberries pop, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Transfer cranberry mixture into a food processor and puree. Strain puree into a small bowl with a fine mesh sieve.
Beat butter and shortening together in a large bowl until smooth. Add half powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add cranberry puree and mix, then add remaining powdered sugar and mix until combined.
Add 1-3 tablespoons sparkling wine until frosting is pipeable. Pipe or smooth frosting onto cupcakes. I used Wilton 1M piping tip.
For more step-by-step photos and instructions, see the web story for cranberry mimosa cupcakes!
✔️Expert tips
- I suggest using fresh cranberries for this recipe, unless you don't want to make sparking cranberries. Frozen berries can be used in the frosting. Don't thaw before using them in the recipe.
- Use whichever kind of sparkling wine you like, pink or white. Use non alcoholic sparkling wine if you don't want to use alcohol.
- You can use 2% milk instead of whole milk. I don't recommend anything lighter than that though.
- You can easily make the cupcakes the day before and frost the next day. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
💭FAQs
You can make the cupcakes the day before and make the frosting the next day to finish them up. Store the undecorated cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
Undecorated cupcakes can be frozen in an airtight container that is freezer safe for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
You can make the frosting with frozen cranberries -don't thaw before using them. You only need fresh cranberries if you want to decorate the cupcakes with sparkling cranberries.
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📋 Recipe
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Cranberry Mimosa Cupcakes
Ingredients
Sparkling Cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 2½ cups granulated sugar divided
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Mimosa Cupcakes
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 3 tablespoons sparkling wine or Champagne
- 1 cup all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cranberry Frosting
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 1-3 tablespoons sparkling wine or Champagne
- orange slices
Instructions
Sparkling Cranberries
- Place water and 1½ cups granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Remove from heat once sugar has dissolved. Pour the simple syrup mixture into a medium sized bowl. Add cranberries, stir to coat, and cool in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, drain cranberries and roll in remaining 1 cup granulated sugar until well coated. Let them dry for a few hours on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Mimosa Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Measure out water, orange juice, and sparking wine in a measuring cup. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Stir together sugar, milk, vegetable oil, egg, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add measuring cup ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fill cupcake liners just over half full. This will make 12-15 cupcakes. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature before frosting.
Cranberry Frosting
- Combine water, sugar, and cranberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until you start to hear the cranberries pop, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Transfer cranberry mixture into a food processor and puree. Strain puree into a small bowl with a fine mesh sieve.
- Beat butter and shortening together in a large bowl until smooth. Add half powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add cranberry puree and mix, then add remaining powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add 1-3 tablespoons sparkling wine until frosting is pipeable. Pipe or smooth frosting onto cupcakes. I used Wilton 1M piping tip.
- Store cupcakes at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I suggest using fresh cranberries for this recipe, unless you don't want to make sparking cranberries. Frozen berries can be used in the frosting. Don't thaw before using them in the recipe.
- Use whichever kind of sparkling wine you like, pink or white. Use non alcoholic sparkling wine if you don't want to use alcohol.
- You can use 2% milk instead of whole milk. I don't recommend anything lighter than that though.
- You can easily make the cupcakes the day before and frost the next day. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️