Pink Champagne Cake Recipe

This pink champagne cake is incredibly moist and fluffy thanks to real champagne mixed right into the batter! And just because I like to be extra, I included some sugar bubbles and a gravity-defying champagne bottle! Happy New Year! 

Pink champagne cake is a great cake to use for any celebration. There is just something about those pink layers of cake that scream celebration! I made this pink champagne cake for New Year's Eve but it's really a great flavor of cake for any time. Paired with my easy buttercream frosting with a touch of molasses to warm up the flavor.

Tools & Supplies

Just in case you want to be extra like me, here is a list of all the tools and materials I used to make my gravity defying champagne cake. 

• Gold Drip
• Sphere Molds
• ⅛" Armature Wire
• Acrylic Cake Riser
• Ready To Melt Isomalt
• ¼" Wooden Dowel
• Milkshake Straw
• Aluminum Foil Tape

Champagne Cake Ingredients

I've adapted this recipe from my famous pink velvet cake but reduced the sugar a bit and added some wine flavoring and of course, champagne to the recipe. I made my champagne cake pink but you can totally skip it if you want. The color doesn't affect the flavor.

What's The Best Champagne For Champagne Cake?

Did you know that not all champagnes are the same? They vary a lot from not very sweet (brut nature) to very sweet (demi sec). For this champagne cake, anything in the middle of the road is going to work for the recipe. Look for the word "brut" on the bottle. If you use sweeter a champagne like demi-sec, reduce the sugar in the recipe by 1 Tablespoon to account for that added sweetness. 

What does pink champagne cake taste like?

Well, funny you should ask. Pink champagne cake tastes like... Champagne! While to many it doesn't taste exactly like picking up and drinking a glass of fancy champagne, it does have a distinct taste that has notes of sweet vanilla flavor with a bit of tangy-ness mixed in.

What filling should I use with a pink champagne cake?

Pink champagne cake is pretty versatile as far as fillings go but it does traditionally pair best with fruit fillings like strawberry buttercream and a light buttercream like my brown sugar buttercream frosting. It also pairs well with white chocolate buttercream. 

Does a pink champagne cake have alcohol in it?

Without getting into the science of it all, the answer is yes. When you are baking 6" or 8" layers, the cake will retain about 10% of the alcohol content. 10" cakes or larger the alcohol will bake out. If you are concerned about having any alcohol remain in your cake, you can use champagne flavoring instead of real champagne. I use Lorann Oils Sparkling Wine Flavoring.

Pink Champagne Cake Step-By-Step

Step 1 - Make the cakes. Preheat the oven to 335ºF and prepare three 6"x2" cake pans with cake goop or any kind of pan release that you like. 

Step 2 - Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 

Step 3 - Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix 10 seconds to combine. 

Step 4 - Combine the milk and the oil together and set aside. 

Step 5 - Combine the egg whites, wine flavoring, champagne, and vanilla together, whisk to break up the eggs, and set aside. Add in the pink food coloring now if you want your cake to be pink. Set aside.

Step 6 - Add your softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse sand (about 30 seconds).

Step 7 - Add in your milk/oil mixture and let it mix until dry ingredients are moistened and then bump up to med (setting 4 on my Kitchenaid, setting one on the bosch) and let it mix for 2 full minutes to develop the cake's structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake could collapse

Step 8 - Scrape your bowl and then reduce speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions. 

Step 9 - Divide into your cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center cleanly. Some shrinking is normal.

Step 10 - IMMEDIATELY TAP THE CAKE PAN FIRMLY on the countertop once to release the steam from the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking too much. Place the cakes into the freezer unwrapped for 30 minutes to flash cool them if you want to decorate right away or wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze until you need them. 

Brown Sugar Easy Buttercream

Step 1 - Place egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment attached and whip on high for 5 minutes. 

Step 2 - Start adding in your butter (softened) in chunks while it's whipping until all the butter is added. Add in your salt, molasses, and vanilla.

Step 3 - Continue whipping until buttercream does not appear curdled and is fluffy and white. This can take up to 15-20 minutes depending on your mixer. If it tastes buttery, keep mixing.

Step 4 - (OPTIONAL) switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 10-15 minutes to remove bubbles from the frosting. Frosting will be soft and this is normal.

Pro-Tip: If your buttercream is too cold and is clinging to the bowl, take out one cup and microwave it for 30 seconds. Pour the warm buttercream back into the mixing bowl and it will help the buttercream whip up and become lighter and fluffier. 

How To Decorate A Champagne Cake

Step 1 - Frost your cake. Layer your cakes with about ¼" of buttercream and apply a crumb coat (thin layer of buttercream). Chill your cake for 15 minutes then apply your final coat of buttercream and smooth it with your offset spatula and bench scraper.

If you need more information on how to frost a cake check out my how to make your first cake video. 

Step 2 - Make your bubbles. Melt about 6 ounces of simi cakes clear isomalt in a heatproof container. I added in about ¼ teaspoon of gold luster dust to give the isomalt a champagne color. 

Step 3 - Seal your sphere molds together. Pour the melted isomalt into the mold in a thin stream. Then turn the mold over and empty the excess isomalt. Let the mold drain completely then set it aside to cool fully. If you don't have a 3D sphere mold, you can use the half-sphere molds and just stick them together by very gently warming the edge on a hot plate and pushing the two sides together. 

For the smaller spheres, I just left them solid. You can also hand-roll spheres or use small candies in place of spheres. 

Cut the nubs off the sphere with a hot knife (heat with a kitchen torch) or just hide the nubs when you place them on to the cake. I also poured some isomalt into a half-sphere mold. 

Step 4 - Add your drip. I'm using easy drip but you can also use water ganache and paint it gold. I melted the drip in the microwave for 30 seconds then 15-second increments until it was liquid. Let the drip cool down so that it thickens a bit but is still liquid. You can do a test drip on your chilled cake to make sure it's the right consistency. 

Step 5 - Insert a straw into your chilled cake until it rests against the bottom board and cut it off so it's level with the top of the cake. Place a ¼" wooden dowel into the straw and trim it off about 3" from the top of the cake. 

Step 6 - Tape a piece of armature wire to the dowel that is about 8" long using aluminum foil tape. 

Step 7 - Add some more drips down the foil until it's covered or you can brush it on with a paintbrush. 

Step 8 - Add the empty champagne bottle to the top.

Step 9 - Attach your bubbles to the cake with a little buttercream. Attach bubbles to each other using a little melted isomalt. I used a silicone tool to dab on the isomalt. You only need a tiny amount. 

Is that not the most gorgeous pink champagne cake that you've ever seen! I feel like photos just do not do it justice. I love how the bubbles look and the drip is so cute!

Let me know in the comments if you make this cake and don't forget to tag me in your posts! Happy New Year!

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