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Prosecco Cake {aka – Champagne Cake}

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Pop the bubbly and bake! Any day becomes a celebration when you serve a prosecco cake! Also known as a champagne cake, depending on the sparkling wine used, this tender white cake is simply effervescent.

prosecco cake from scratch on a white and pink cake plate

Darlings, it’s a good day to celebrate something. I firmly believe that each day has something worth celebrating and joy can be found in all situations. It’s especially easy to find joy when we break out the bubbly and bake a cake! And I couldn’t be more excited to share this lovely prosecco cake recipe with you today! Just editing the pictures had me thinking about making another. Isn’t it just fun to say “oh, I made a cake today, with bubbly!”? I’m here for this kind of fun.

I’m also pretty much always here when there’s cake too… just in case you hadn’t realized that, haha. Anyway, back to your next baking project.

If you’ve heard of a champagne cake, this recipe is pretty much the same thing. Because a champagne cake or prosecco cake, or sparkling wine cake are just cakes made with a sparkling wine. Nonalcoholic cider works too if you don’t drink at all. BUT, the alcohol totally bakes out in this recipe, so it’s not really an issue. Just putting that out there in case because it’s a question I’ve gotten with my strawberry champagne cupcakes.

What’s the difference between prosecco, champagne, and sparkling wine?

It’s literally just a regional distinction. Certain foods have this, and sparkling wine is one. Champagnes are sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France. Prosecco is a sparkling wine produced in northern Italy in a rather large growing area spanning 9 provinces. It can be made as a still wine, but it’s usually semi-sparkling or sparkling. You’ll definitely want the sparkling variety for this cake!

If you’d like to read a little more about the details for what qualifies as a “Prosecco”, this is a great article on Wine Spectator. It’s a quick read for my fellow food nerds.

Does it matter which wine I use in this prosecco cake?

The kind of sparkling wine used in this recipe doesn’t really matter. I’ve made this cake with leftover champagne, prosecco, a sparkling Moscato, non-alcoholic cider, and even just some generic sparkling wine we had on hand. As long as the wine you are using is slightly sweet and fruity, you’ll get the same result. Use what you have. Although I will suggest you save the best stuff for drinking and use a more budget-friendly option for baking.

That being said… this recipe won’t turn out the same with the artificial “champagne” flavor extract! To me, that has a bit of a bubble gum flavor, not champagne at all. Using an actual sparkling wine for flavor makes a better tasting cake. Trust me on this. I tried it out and the Godfather gave the recipe a hard pass.

What about cake frosting and filling?

I’ve included a recipe for a lovely champagne frosting. It’s great for piping and has a beautiful, balanced flavor. You can definitely use it as both frosting and filling. That being said, I love love love pairing fruit fillings with my champagne cake. You can see that in the strawberry champagne cupcake recipe, and in this prosecco cake.

I filled this cake with the champagne blackberry cake filling I posted recently. If you don’t feel like making filling, a jar of store-bought preserves will do the trick. A white chocolate ganache would also be lovely. Just avoid any heavy fillings like a dark chocolate ganache. They will overpower your beautiful cake, and the best cakes have balanced flavors.

I hope you enjoy this cake, darlings! Happy baking!

prosecco cake from scratch on a white and pink cake plate

Prosecco Cake Recipe

Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Prosecco cake, aka champagne cake, is a great way to celebrate! This tender layer cake recipe is easy to make, and delicious!

Ingredients

Cake Batter

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cups prosecco, champagne, or sparkling wine, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prosecco Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
  • pinch of salt
  • 6-7 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup sparkling wine

Optional - From Scratch Cake Filling

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease 2 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  3. Stir in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the sour cream. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  5. Combine the vanilla and prosecco in a measuring cup.
  6. Add 1/3 of the flour to the mixing bowl and stir until just combined. Add half the champagne. Repeat. Finish with the last 1/3 of the flour and stop mixing as soon as no dry flour remains.
  7. Divide the batter between your baking pans. If baking in three 6-inch rounds or as cupcakes, see notes for adjusted baking times.
  8. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Do not over-bake.
  9. Allow the cakes to rest in the pan 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven. Invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely or wrap in plastic wrap and chill.


To make the frosting:

  1. In a clean mixing bowl, place the softened butter, cut into cubes. Add your salt, and 6 cups of the powdered sugar. Pour the prosecco over top of the powdered sugar, and gently mix over just the very top of the sugar until the top layer is wet.
  2. Starting your stand mixer or hand mixer on low, beat until combined.
  3. Gradually increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
  4. Add additional powdered sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.
  5. Use to frost (and maybe also fill) your completely cooled cake.

Notes

  • This cake can be baked in either 3 6-inch round pans (pictured), 2 8-inch round pans, or as cupcakes. For the 6-inch pans, you will bake 30-35 minutes, and for cupcakes, bake 20-25 minutes.

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