Moscato Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday because she loves Moscato wine. They are definitely the perfect cupcake for a girl's night or special occasion! Moscato is very light, sweet, and fruity so it pairs perfectly with desserts. The cupcakes and icing taste more like vanilla than they do the wine, but these are probably one of the best vanilla cupcakes I have tried. They are best enjoyed with a glass of chilled Moscato of course!

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 and 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

1/3 cup Moscato wine

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 tsp. white vinegar

Optional: fresh strawberries or sprinkles for garnish

The secret ingredient

Directions:

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.

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. 

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 Vanilla 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!

3 Tbsp. Moscato

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups icing sugar

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.

*Recipe adapted from Sutter Home Blog