Saturday, April 21, 2012

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

91 comments:

  1. Moscato is also my favorite wine. Thanks for posting. I can't wait to try these.

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  2. I wonder if u made a simple syrup with moscato instead of water and brushed the tops of the hot cupcakes generously if it would up the flavor profile if the moscato any. I may try that.

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  3. Would this work with a sparkling Moscato? We generally get the Moscato D'Asti sorts of wines, and they're bubbly like champagne.

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  4. That's a great idea for the simple syrup.. I will try it out next time I make these and report back! I would love it if they had more of the Moscato flavour.

    mirnavela it will work with the sparkling Moscato just fine! The one I used is pretty bubbly too.. it's the bubbles that gives the cupcakes such a nice crumb. Enjoy :)

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  5. In your recipe you forgot to state how much sugar to use and it's 1 1/4 cups sugar needed for the cake batter

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  6. Hi mommy monique. Thanks, but I checked and in the ingredients list it does say to use 1 and 1/4 cups white sugar. Sorry if there was any confusion

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  7. Any way to use boxed cupcake mix and just add moscato?

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  8. I haven't tried it with a box mix but I'm sure you could just substitute the milk/water required with Moscato and it would turn out just fine. Good luck!

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  9. Hi Brooke, I just made these tonight after seeing this recipe. The cupcakes taste great, but my icing was runny and it was curdling. Do you have any suggestions of what I can do differently or something I could use instead. I'm having a party tomorrow and need to get these frosted haha. Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

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  10. Hi Taylor!

    Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about the icing mishap! Did you use all butter or a mixture of butter and cream cheese? I used all butter when I made these, so maybe give that a try if you didn't the first time - the cream cheese might have been causing the curdling. Also, if you used margarine instead of butter then that might be a cause of the problem. Make sure you cream the butter until it is nice and smooth but not too much other wise the butter can get too melted and begin to separate. Once you add in the Moscato it will be a little runny and won't combine right away, but just keep on mixing with your electric mixer and it will all come together eventually. If this still doesn't work then try a basic vanilla buttercream or cream cheese icing recipe to frost them. I have recipes for both on the website.

    Good luck and I hope your cupcakes turn out great! :)

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  11. Just made these. OMG yummy!

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  12. I was wondering if i could make these with out the buttermilk.. I do not have any and can't make it to the store for it.

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  13. Hi Kalyn! Yes it is no problem if you don't have buttermilk, just substitute regular milk, or I would recommend making your own buttermilk at home. If you don't have any buttermilk you can make your own at home by combining 1 Tbsp. of vinegar with enough milk to make 1 cup and allowing it to sit for 5-10 minutes until it curdles. That will be a direct substitute for 1 cup of buttermilk. I do this all the time instead of buying buttermilk because it's expensive and I usually don't need a whole carton of it. Hope the cupcakes turn out great for you!

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  14. Kalyn, if you do not have buttermilk, you can make it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and then add enough milk to make 1 cup or use 1 cup of plain yogurt!

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  15. I just made these as a Bday gift...I Think LOL. Thanks for posting this recipe, my cousin and I love Moscato I hope she enjoys these...but if she doesn't I'll be happy to bring them back home :-)

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  16. Hehe that's awesome! Hope you both enjoy these :). Can't go wrong with Moscato right?

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  17. I finally tried these yesterday as a test run before making them for my 22 year old daughters birthday. They are amazing! Everyone who 'tested' one loved the texture and flavor. Thanks for posting! I know my daughter will love them!

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  18. I'm so happy to hear that you liked them! Happy birthday to your daughter, hope she enjoys the cupcakes :D.

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  19. Just made these and they are DELICIOUS! What a good idea! I added "glitter" to some of mine (sugar + food coloring = glitter) to glam them up a little bit!

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  20. Yay I'm so glad you liked them! I LOVE the glitter idea! :D

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  21. Hi there... I had to make cupcakes for a Book club meeting which also celebrate birthdays of two members who like "bare foot wines" - I stumpled on your recipe on Pinterest... My oh my, what a chance! My modification was after the cupcakes come out of the oven, poke holes all over the top, then drizzle EACH cupcake with 1/2 TBSP of Moscato - of course I have to refrigerate the cupcakes before frosting. This way you can really taste the moscato and the fragance is so fantadelish!!! THANKS FOR posting..

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  22. I'm so glad you stumbled upon the recipe :)! I love your modification, I will definitely try it out the next time I make these. I can imagine it made them taste extra delicious!

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  23. What is icing sugar? Powered sugar? I'm not much of a cook but I can't wait tO make these for a shower this week! Thanks!!

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  24. Yes icing sugar and powdered sugar are the same thing; it can also be called confectioner's sugar. Hope you enjoy them!

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  25. One of the best cupcakes I have ever had! However I must mention that I did have to make a few adjustment to the ingredients to meet my VEGAN lifestyle.
    Instead of using buttermilk I simply used 1/2 cup of WATER & 1/4 tsp of CORNSTARCH
    I replaced the eggs with 1/2 cup APPLESAUCE
    I also decided to use 2 tsp of vinegar to compensate for the lack of buttermilk. The cupcakes themselves were amazing.
    I had a really difficult time with the icing. To replace the butter I usually just use vegetable shortening but I didn't have any this time. So I thought I'd just make it without the butter altogether but it was awful!!! It tasted like perfume. Yuck! I was inspired by one of the above comments and ended up brushing some of my leftover moscato on the top of the cakes then sprinkling granulated sugar on the tops. DELICIOUS!!! They are so moist and I love the crunchy topping. (and less fat!)

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    1. I'm happy that you liked them! Great job on the vegan substitutions to the recipe, and I bet the sugar topping was great! The icing definitely would not work without the butter - but have you ever tried Earth Balance spread before? It's a vegan butter substitute that is amazing and can be used in baking and icing. Becel also has come out with a vegan margarine this year that you can also use for baking and icing. They are a lot healthier and more flavourful than shortening! :)

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  26. I had an interesting experience with my cupcakes...they have a green tint! I had red Moscato in the fridge, so that's what I used. They do taste good! :)

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  27. For white vinegar, did you mean regular distilled or white wine vinegar? Thanks!!

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  28. I made two batches of these- the first turned out very dense and biscuit like, i then cut the flour which seemed to be very over powering and all i could taste. I just cut it by a 1/4 cup, and the second batch turned out amazing! I also topped half with the simple syrup out of the mascato that another user suggested and it tastes great and really ups the flavor profile! Im about to start the frosting so hopefully all goes smoothly! For future reference if I dont have time to make the frosting from scratch could i use a premade frosting and mix mascato in to make it more like the original recipe? or would it ruin the texture of the frosting if i tried??

    Thanks for a wonderful recipe- i cant wait to take these to a dessert and wine themed party tonight!

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    1. I'm glad the second batch worked out good for you! I didn't have that problem, but it could also be the altitude that you are baking at is different than I am. Sometimes that has a big effect on how the finished product bakes. I'm not sure if the premade frosting would work or have the same effect. I haven't tried it out. But I would be wary about it cause there are all kinds of strange ingredients (stabilizers, preservatives, chemical flavourings) in premade frosting that might not blend well with the alcohol in the wine, so try it at your own risk!

      Thanks so much for the feedback and I hope you enjoyed them :)

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  29. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, for this recipe!! I had to make cupcakes for a version of cupcake wars we did as a fundraiser at the boutique I work at. One of my co-workers and I are known for our love of Moscato and I knew as soon as I saw this recipe it was the one. I came in third place out of eleven, so I would call that a victory. Everyone kept talking about how great the frosting was... Definitely my new favorite!!

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    1. That's so awesome, congrats! I'm so glad you liked them.. the frosting is my favourite part too! :)

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  30. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe! I made them, but with Pink Moscato since that was what I was drinking when I found your recipe on pinterest :) Here is my post about Pink Moscato Cupcakes: http://notevenclosetomartha.blogspot.com/2012/09/pink-moscato-cupcakes.html

    I made sure to credit you as the creator of such a wonderful recipe :)

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  31. O my goodness! I have to make these for my mother and send them! Barefoot moscato is all she drinks (thanks to me) lol! Do you think it is possible to send them from MN to CA without ruining them???

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    1. Haha aw that would be so sweet of you to do for your mom! Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend mailing iced cupcakes - they might not hold up so well in the mail. However, you could just mail the cupcakes without the icing and just make sure they are packed really tightly into the shipping box. Maybe express mail the icing in a separate container with ice packs so that it doesn't spoil and then she can frost them once they arrive! Enjoy :)

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  32. Is it possible to use butter instead of the canola/vegetable oi? If so, how much should I use?

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    1. Hi there, yes you should be able to substitute an equal amount of butter for the oil. Just make sure your 1 cup of butter is at room temperature and beat it with an electric mixer until smooth, then cream together the butter and sugar before adding the rest of the wet ingredients. I haven't tried this recipe using the butter so be warned that it might not be as moist or light of a cupcake - it should still turn out fine though!

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  33. Anyone have any sucess making this with box cake mix?

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  34. Can I just use Box mix instead ? I love your Recipe by the way ! =)

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    1. Thank you Torie :). I'm not sure how the cupcakes would turn out if you used a box mix, but you could definitely try it out! Maybe just substitute some of the water/milk for Moscato? Or just make the cupcakes without the Moscato and frost them with the Moscato icing? Good luck with them - hope you enjoy!

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  35. You are such a tease!!! I am 20 weeks pregnant, due March 12..I don't cook much with alcohol, besides a beer bread here and there but I know that cooks out with the temp and duration it bakes. Would the the alcohol bake out of the cupcakes? If not, guess what I am going to be making March 13!!!! Moscato is my favorite wines of all time!!! I actually have 4 bottles in reserve in my pantry for after baby because my favorite brand had a sale and I couldn't pass it up!!!!!!

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    1. I am sad...I just googled my question...Apparently to be safe, I better just wait to make these.:-( And make sure my then 5 year old doesn't get into them! Thanks for the recipe though! It looks mouth watering. As mine is!

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    2. Usually when alcohol is used in most cooking and baking the heat is high enough that the alcohol evaporates. However, I wouldn't risk anything if you are pregnant so maybe just wait until after you have the baby to make these! A glass of Moscato and one of these will be a great treat once your new little one is born :D

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  36. I love Moscato wine and thought these cupcakes would be perfect. The cakes themselves were delicious. Unfortunately, the icing curdles. I even made it three times. Once the way you say in the recipe with no cream cheese, once with the cream cheese and then once by making an Italian Buttercream and then adding moscato, I usually make Italian buttercream because its light and fluffy. All three times, the icing curdled! Every ingredient was the same temperature.

    So I ended up drizzling Blood Orange Infused Olive Oil and Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar. That enhanced the moscato flavor and turned out delish.

    But I am still disappointed in the way the icing turned out.

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that about your icing Melanie :(. I'm not sure what the exact cause would be for the curdling, as I didn't have that problem when I made these - but it could be the type of Moscato, or maybe the type of butter was different than the ones I used. I found that I had to mix it a lot before the Moscato wine got incorporated into the butter and icing sugar, but it became smooth eventually. Is it possible that the butter was too soft when you were mixing and just became too melted as a result of the mixing? Did you chill the frosting after mixing it initially and then try to mix it up again before frosting the cupcakes? That could also be the result of it curdling or separating.

      Your substitution for the frosting sounds like it would be absolutely delicious though.. so many great flavours coming together! I'm glad you liked the cupcakes themselves, and once again I'm sorry that the icing did not turn out well for you.

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    2. As I said that all the ingredients were the same temperature. It wasn't quite room temp, but not completely cold. So I don't think the butter melted when I mixed it. I added almost 1 lb, 12 oz of powdered sugar and it was overwhelming in the sweetness. I also used unsalted butter. I didn't chill it and then tried to mix it again. Once the moscato hit it, there was no saving it. Maybe it was the brand of moscato, because I don't drink Barefoot products.

      Next time I attempt the frosting, I think I should try to make an Italian buttercream, but put the moscato in the sugar when the sugar cooks, maybe that will not cause the curdling and give it a strong moscato flavor

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    3. I'm sorry Melanie but I really am not sure what caused the curdling problem if you followed the exact recipe. I haven't heard of this happening from anyone else who has tried this recipe so I'm not sure what happened with your batch. The recipe did only call for 2 cups of icing sugar, which I didn't find too sweet at all for my tastes. Let me know how it goes if you attempt to make it into an Italian buttercream.

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  37. I got white wine vinegar instead of distilled at the store- will that make a difference?? Can't wait to make these today!!

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    1. No worries, the white wine vinegar won't make a difference! In fact, it might even bring out the flavour of the Moscato wine even more. Enjoy the cupcakes! :)

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  38. Wow - these look fabulous. I love how you respond to every post. that takes time. what a great thing.

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    1. Thank you so much Hilary! I am so thankful for all the feedback I get from blog readers :)

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  39. hi brooke i am bout to try this, and give them to my adult student, im an instructor for wilton i teach at a.c. moore ill let you know later how they came out

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  40. i am making these tonight for new years. I am hoping they turn out as good as everyone else's I will keep you posted. Thanks for sharing

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  41. I made these yesterday for my anniversary. While they still taste good (similar to funnel cake), they do not taste like the wine. And they were HUGE. Easily could have made 24 cupcakes had I not followed the "fill cupcake papers 3/4 full" direction. Ended up need to bake for closer to 20 minutes for the inside to be cooked, which made the outside a little crunchy, but that goes well with the funnel cake flavor. Also, I had no luck with the icing... it's currently sitting in my fridge since I didn't have time to frost the cupcakes yesterday. Checked on it this morning and it's gritty. :-/

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    1. Hi, I'm sorry that there were some difficulties with the recipe for you! I know what you mean about the flavour of the cupcakes - they don't really taste like the wine, as I mentioned in my little blurb before the recipe, but Moscato is so sweet I think it just lends itself more to the sweetness of the cake and giving it an airy texture, rather than giving it a "wine" flavour. The size of the cupcakes might have something to do with a difference in the sizes of the cupcake pans that we used, but I believe a got more than just 12 cupcakes out of this recipe, by filling the cupcakes 3/4 full and baking 2 batches. I apologize that the recipe wasn't explicit on that point! Oven temperatures can vary and baking times may vary by altitude, so that might be a reason for why you had to bake them longer. The icing seems to have given some commenters the same trouble, but others have found it to be fine.. I'm sorry it didn't turn out for you. I think the trick is to make sure your butter isn't too soft, and add the Moscato bit by bit, really beating it to get it all mixed in. Thank you for all your feedback. The next time I make these I will try to do some troubleshooting and report back!

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  42. i only have medium eggs..should i use three then since the recipee calls for 2 large eggs??!!!

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    1. Hm, it should be okay to just stick with 2 medium eggs.. you shouldn't notice a huge difference. I'd love it if you would comment back and let me know how they turned out!

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  43. I used Pinot Grigio instead of the «moscato because thats what I had on hand and they were AMAZING!!!! I wonder what other wines would work. Ure will be fun finding out!

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    1. Thanks great, I'm so glad to hear they turned out well for you! I bet Pinot Grigio was yummy. I really want to try these using other wines as well - if you end up trying other varieties then I would love to hear how they turned out. I think making a savoury "cupcake" using a less sweet white wine and some different herbs would be interesting!

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  44. Any idea if this would work in a cake form too? Wouldn't see why not but just curious if anyone has tried it.

    Thanks!

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    1. Hi,

      Sorry for the late response on this! It should work in cake form, just be sure to adjust the baking time (you may have to lower it for 2 8" cake pans or raise it if you're baking in a 9x13" pan. It will be lightly golden, the sides of the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan slightly, and the top will feel lightly springy to the touch when it's cooked, so just keep an eye on it while it's baking using your oven light! Hope that helps :)

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  45. I made these and carefully followed the directions. The cakes taste awful but the frosting came out really good. I only used 1 1/2 cup of sugar though because I thought the frosting was too sweet.

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    1. Hi,

      I'm sorry to hear that your cake didn't turn out well, but at least the frosting was good! The sweetness of frostings is really a personal preference so glad you were able to adjust to what suits your tastes. It seems to be that most people are having trouble the other way around - good cake but difficulties with the frosting. Was the Moscato you used fresh? It might have just been a problem with the wine that affected the flavour of the cake.

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  46. Does the wine need to be at room temp or cold?

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    1. All ingredients should be at room temperature before baking for the best results!

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  47. Made these for Easter and everyone loved them. Moscato is my favorite wine and when I seen this recipe I knew I had to make them and of course serve more Moscato wine with them. Thank you so much for the recipe.

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  48. Would it make a difference if you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? Just curious

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    1. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour so the cupcakes would definitely be lighter and fluffier if you used cake flour instead. I haven't tried it with this recipe but I'm sure it would work out fine! Let me know if you try it with cake flour.

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  49. Can you make the icing with Vanilla frosting instead of Butter? If so, how?

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    1. Do you mean just pre-made vanilla frosting? I'm not sure how good that would be or if it would work out, but I would try just adding a Tablespoon or two of the Moscato to the frosting and mixing it until incorporated. Taste as you go until it's flavourful enough for you.

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  50. Just made these and they turned out perfectly! Icing and all! :) I do have a question, though. I made them for my girls Bacelorette finale watch party tomorrow night, and I was wondering if I should chill them in the fridge overnight? I wasn't sure how they'll hold up for almost 24 hours....

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    1. That's fantastic! I'm happy to hear they turned out well for you :). If you have iced them already I would cover them either in a cupcake carrier, large airtight container, or put them on a plate and cover in plastic (so they don't dry out) and they should be fine at room temperature. If you're worried then they should also hold up well in the fridge too, just take them out a couple hours before serving so they can come to room temperature. But maybe they would also be good served chilled like the wine? Haha ;)
      Hope you and the girls enjoy them!

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  51. This looks amazing, but the question is do they get you tipsy??!

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    1. Thank you! Haha no, unfortunately you can't have your cake and get tipsy too ;). The alcohol evaporates during baking so there won't be any alcohol content in the final cupcakes. And there probably isn't enough in the icing!

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  52. I'm wondering how these would be with a different wine.

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    1. I think they would work fine with another wine! It's the acidity in the wine that helps make them rise. You might not get as high of a rise or as fluffy if you use another wine though because I think the bubbles in sparkling wines really work the best. Let me know how it works if you give it a try!

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  53. Yum! I made a simple syrup as suggested and brushed the cakes with it, I also used that in the frosting instead of just wine. I didn't have a problem with curdling, and the flavor came through really well. I did a half cream cheese frosting, because I don't like it too sweet. I also made some subs in the cake recipe for health reasons (which you can read about on my blog). Anyway, they came out really well and were very popular!

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    1. I'm so glad they turned out so well for you and that you tried the simple syrup! I'll definitely be heading over to your blog to check it out :)

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  54. Replace the liquid with moscotto

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  55. Making them tomorrow with pink moscato and I'm gonna infuse the strawberries with the moscato too mash em and make frosting with them and use the others for garnish with tiny mint sprigs

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  56. So. Good. Thanks for sharing! I did two things differently... First, I used coarse Medeterranean sea salt that came through really great. Second, I let the strawberries soak in the wine for a couple of hours. The wine was used for drizzle and the strawberries used as a garnish as suggested in your recipe. No problems at all with curdling :-) Thanks, again!

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  57. I love these cupcakes! My absolute favorite recipe ever! Thank you so so much for sharing this!

    I made my own with a little twist on my own blog! ---> http://readingbythemoon.blogspot.com/2015/10/bloody-moscato-cupcakes.html

    Please check it out and tell me what you think! It would mean the world to me!!!

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  58. Could I use a blush Moscato wine instead of white?

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  59. Could I use a blush Moscato wine instead of white?

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    1. Absolutely! That would be delicious. Let me know how they turn out :)

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  60. I’ve made 100’s of these. All of a sudden trying to do 1 batch for a birthday and they are not rising. They are running all out of the cupcake holder. I have no clue what is going wrong. I absolutely love these too. Only thing I can think of is maybe the bread flour and AP flour got mixed

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