Asti Tortine Rose ~ Pink Asti Cupcakes

I love champagne.  I do.  It's wonderful and bubbly and delightful.  It's my favorite thing at any wedding, apart from the newlyweds.  I adore sparkling wine too.  "Only champagne from Champagne, France is champagne.  Everything else is sparkling wine."  Thanks killer!  It's true though.

Four years ago we went to San Diego for my brother's wedding.  

April is California is gorgeous!  I still have know idea why my California born parents moved us to Arizona when I was four.  At least I can dream of moving to a beach city some day.  For now I visit my aunt in Newport Beach.  

At the wedding reception there was this totally delicious almond flavored sparkling wine.  It was fantastic!  And it was being served with a raspberry, double yum.  Needless to say, Mike was voluntold to be DD.  :)

My absolute favorite glass of bubbly is Martini & Rossi Asti.  It's sweet and just rubs my taste buds the right way.  Mike got me a 1.5 liter bottle of Asti as a graduation present.  I graduated from Arizona State in May 2011.  I had taken three years off after high school and gone back to school in 2005.  Six years of part-time and full-time classes and two kids later, I finally have my degree.  It's the most expensive piece of paper I own.  

Since Asti is my favorite I am using it to put a spin on your usual Champagne Cupcake!  Asti is considerably sweeter than a Brut or Extra Dry champagne.  I think Asti lends itself very well to cupcakes.  Not to mention that the bouquet is wonderful.

Asti Tortine Rose (Pink Asti Cupcakes)
Adapted from Baking Junkie

Ingredients:
Pink Asti Cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 egg whites
3 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 drops red food coloring
1 cup Martini & Rossi Asti

Pink Asti Buttercream  (Adapted from Savory Sweet Life)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but not melted
3 to 4 cups confectioner's sugar, SIFTED
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
2-3 drops red food coloring
1 tablespoon Martini & Rossi Asti

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla; mix to combine.  Beat in egg whites one at a time.  Add  few drops of food coloring until the batter is the color of your preference.
4. Add in flour mixture and Asti in three alternating additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  
5. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean.  Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
6. While cupcakes are cooling, make your buttercream: Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.  Add 3 cups of confectioner's sugar and turn your mixture on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn't blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
7. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, food coloring, milk, and Asti.  Beat for 3 to 5 minutes so frosting is well combined and fluffy.  If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar.  If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
8. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with buttercream.  Add sprinkles, dragees or leave your cupcakes just as they are...simple and lovely.

These cupcakes have the frosting from Baking Junkie's recipe.

It tastes good, but the sugar to liquid ratio didn't work out and the frosting just oozed.

But, I was really happy with the pictures and couldn't leave them out.