Vineyard Celebration Vanilla Cake with Champagne Frosting

VINEYARD CELEBRATION VANILLA CAKE with CHAMPAGNE FROSTING

9/27/2021

Vineyard Celebration Cake with Champagne Frosting

Not only is this Vineyard Celebration Cake dazzling to look at, but it tastes divine! Light and fluffy homemade Vanilla Cake is buttery and moist, and has a soft and light crumb – the best vanilla cake you have ever had! A Raspberry Filling keeps this cake super moist and adds a burst of flavor and color. Topped with a silky, delightfully spiked and sparkly Champagne Frosting, it’s classy enough for a wedding celebration. Fresh miniature champagne grapes are the perfect decoration - and so fun to eat!

For a special birthday cake, it’s also perfect with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. This is my go-to recipe for homemade vanilla cake - perfect every time!

Vineyard Celebration Vanilla Cake with Champagne Frosting

HOW DO I MAKE THE BEST HOMEMADE VANILLA CAKE?

Follow the recipe closely. Use each ingredient listed.
Use room temperature ingredients. The batter mixes together evenly when all the cake ingredients are roughly the same temperature. This also reduces the risk of over-mixing and over-baking. For best results, set out your ingredients 1 hour before beginning.
Line your cake pans with parchment paper. Place your cake pans on a large sheet of parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the cake pan with a pencil. Cut parchment paper into rounds. Grease the pan and the parchment paper. Parchment paper rounds guarantee seamless removal from the pan because the cake slides right out.
Cool cake layers completely. I’ve tried taking shortcuts by assembling a layer cake with semi-warm cake layers, and it never works out well. On a warm cake, the frosting completely melts and causes the entire cake to collapse. Make sure each layer is cool– refrigerate or freeze the layers if you need to!
Refrigerate decorated cake. After frosting the cake, place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This is optional, but it sets the frosting and cake layers. You’ll get beautifully clean slices because the crumbs are cool and tight.

WHICH IS BETTER - PURE VANILLA EXTRACT OR CLEAR VANILLA EXTRACT?

Pure vanilla extract has better flavor, but clear vanilla is better for preserving pristine white colors in icing, glazes or white cakes. The choice is ultimately up to you!
Also, be aware that clear vanilla extract is not a pure vanilla extract.

Vineyard Celebration Cake

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS:

CAN I MAKE OTHER CAKE SIZES? This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake pans or conversions.
WHAT MAKES THIS CHAMPAGNE FROSTING SO FLAVORFUL? For this recipe we’re going to start with a very simple and straightforward American style buttercream, beginning with a basic vanilla buttercream base (butter + confectioners’ sugar). To that, we’ll add a champagne reduction and vanilla extract. Reducing the champagne packs an intense amount of flavor into a smaller amount of liquid. Excess liquid would ruin the frosting and make it too thin.
WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF CHAMPAGNE TO USE IN FROSTING? Use your favorite! Any kind of champagne or sparkling wine will work in this frosting, but If you like how it tastes out of the bottle, you’ll like how it tastes in this champagne buttercream frosting. I’ve tried the recipe with many different sparkling wines, including prosecco, and each has been fantastic!
MAKE AHEAD & FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: To prepare cake 1 day in advance, keep baked cakes covered at room temperature; refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container. Bring frosting to room temperature before spreading. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
CAN I USE THIS RECIPE FOR CUPCAKES? Absolutely! This recipe can be made into about 24 cupcakes. Simply layer a spoonful of each batter into the cupcake wrappers, filling each about halfway. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.
BEST BEATER ATTACHMENT TO USE FOR THE FROSTING? For most buttercream mixing, it is recommended to use the paddle attachment so that you don’t incorporate too much air into the frosting.
CAN I PIPE THIS FROSTING? Absolutely! I recommend chilling for a bit so it can firm up, and then let sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before trying to pipe, or it will be too firm to push through the decorating tip. I usually make the frosting early in the day and chill it while I work on the crumb coat for my cake, and then let it sit out while I add the outer frosting layer. I recommend keeping it refrigerated when you aren’t working with it.

Vineyard Vanilla Celebration Cake with Champagne Buttercream Frosting

WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO LEVEL A CAKE?

It’s really easy – and so important for a great looking layer cake!
Even if you don’t have a fancy cake leveler, you can a large serrated bread knife. Carefully slice off the domed top of the cooled cake layers, creating a flat surface. Leveling cakes doesn’t require a ruler, talent, or any mathematical equations. Instead, just use your eyes, hands, and a knife.
Leveling the cake layers promises a straight and sturdy layer cake.

HOW MUCH FROSTING SHOULD I USE BETWEEN CAKE LAYERS?

I always eyeball the amount of frosting between cake layers, but I measured when I decorated the pictured cake. The Champagne Frosting and Vanilla Buttercream recipe below each yield about 6 cups of frosting. I recommend you use about 1 heaping cup of buttercream between each cake layer and reserve the last 4 cups for the outside and top of the cake.
For special cakes, I usually whip up an extra half-batch of frosting for piping around bottom edge and top of cake, or for adding swirls, twirls or flowers.

Vineyard Celebration Vanilla Cake with Champagne Frosting

VINEYARD CELEBRATION CAKE DECORATING INSPIRATION:

For a simple look, stick with Champagne Frosting or Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, and garnish with fresh miniature champagne grapes. You can also decorate with smears of colorful frosting on the sides, or colorful buttercream flowers or fresh flowers – just make sure they are edible or food safe. Fresh berries and colorful sprinkles are also lovely!

Vineyard Celebration Cake with Champagne Buttercream Frosting

VINEYARD CELEBRATION VANILLA CAKE with CHAMPAGNE FROSTING

Not only is this Vineyard Celebration Cake dazzling to look at, but it tastes divine! Light and fluffy homemade Vanilla Cake is buttery and moist, and has a soft and light crumb – the best vanilla cake you have ever had! A Raspberry Filling keeps this cake super moist and adds a burst of flavor and color. Topped with a silky, delightfully spiked and sparkly Champagne Frosting, it’s classy enough for a wedding celebration. Fresh miniature champagne grapes are the perfect decoration - and so fun to eat! For a special birthday cake, it’s also perfect with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. This is my go-to recipe for homemade vanilla cake - perfect every time!

Vineyard Celebration Vanilla Cake with Champagne Frosting

INGREDIENTS:
VANILLA CAKE:
3 and 2/3 cups (433g) cake flour (I prefer to weigh, but you can also spoon & level)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups (345g) unsalted butter (soften to room temperature)
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs + 2 additional large egg whites (room temperature)
1-1/2 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk (room temperature)

RASPBERRY FILLING:
1-1/2 cups Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam or Black Raspberry Jam

CHAMPAGNE FROSTING:
3/4 cup (180ml) champagne or sparkling wine
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
4 cups (480ml) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch salt

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
1 and 1/2 cups (345g) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt

GARNISH:
Garnish with fresh miniature champagne grapes.

HOW I MAKE THIS:

Make sure you read through the recipe and recipe notes before beginning. Straying from the written recipe and instructions will yield different results, so I recommend reading thru and following the recipe exactly as directed for the precision and ratio of specific ingredients and mixing techniques.
Remove butter, eggs and buttermilk from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans, line bottom of each with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides of each pan. Parchment paper will help the cakes release easily from the pans – don’t skip this step!
PREPARE CAKE: Sift cake flour into a medium bowl, add baking powder and salt and whisk together until well blended; set aside.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined after each addition. Add egg whites and vanilla extract and beat on medium high speed until well combined.
Add 1/2 of the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined; add the remaining flour mixture and blend just until combined.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. The mixture will look curdled because of the butter and eggs combining, but no worries! Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps on the bottom. The batter will be slightly thick.
Divide batter between prepared cake pans. For uniform cakes and baking, I recommend weighing each pan for accuracy and then smooth the tops with a spatula so that they are even.
Bake in preheated oven for about 23-26 minutes or until the tops are golden and spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean (test each cake individually before removing it from the oven).
Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The parchment paper will allow for easy removal once the cakes have cooled. Cool cakes completely before continuing.
FOR CHAMPAGNE FROSTING: In a small saucepan, bring the champagne to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and allow to simmer until reduced down to 1/4 cup, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. The champagne reduction must be at least room temperature or colder before using in the frosting.
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, beating on low at first then increasing to high speed. Once incorporated, add the next cup. Once creamy and combined, beat in 3 Tablespoons of the reduced champagne, the vanilla extract and the salt. Taste. Add the remaining reduced champagne if needed.
Champagne Frosting can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use – bring to room temperature before using.
FOR BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. (A whisk attachment will beat too much air into your frosting, which makes it harder to pipe evenly.)
Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until well blended.
Add vanilla extract, almond extract, a pinch of salt, and then hot water. Increase speed to medium-high and best well until light and fluffy – about 10 minutes. Frosting should be extra fluffy.
At this point, you can add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin or a splash of heavy cream if it’s too thick. Taste now – a pinch of salt is usually enough to offset the sweetness and bring out the flavor.
Buttercream frosting can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use – bring to room temperature before using.
LEVEL CAKE: Use a cake leveler or sharp knife to cut the dome off of each cake and level so that they are each the same height. (I usually pop the cakes in the freezer for 10 minutes before doing this – they will slice better if you do!)
FROST & DECORATE CAKE: To keep the cake filling from oozing out, begin by piping ½-inch of frosting around outside top of bottom cake layer; spoon ¾ cup jam filling into center and carefully smooth up to frosting border. Add second layer cake and do the same – pipe frosting edge and add jam filling. Top with third layer. Lightly frost the sides and top of the entire cake (this is called a “crumb coat”) and place entire cake in freezer or fridge for 10 minutes, or until frosting is set.
Remove from freezer and frost and smooth outside edge of cake, and finally frost the cake top. If desired, pipe additional frosting around the bottom of cake and the top edge of cake (see Recipe Notes).
Store covered in a cool location until ready to serve. If you have refrigerated the cake, remove from fridge 10 minutes before you want to serve. The cake will slice up much cleaner this way.
Garnish with fresh miniature champagne grapes immediately before serving.
Cover any leftover cake and store at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

YIELD: 10-12 servings. Champagne Frosting or Buttercream Frosting makes enough to fill, crumb coat and frost a three-layer 9-inch round cake. For thicker frosting or if you will be piping extra decorations, flowers or borders, you may need another half batch of frosting. Because of the quantity of powdered sugar, this frosting recipe is best made in a 6-quarter mixer bowl, so it is better to NOT double the recipe – you don’t want powdered sugar flying all over the place!
RECIPE NOTES:

CAN I MAKE OTHER CAKE SIZES? This recipe yields approximately 8 cups of batter which is helpful if you need this batter for different cake pans or conversions.
WHICH IS BETTER – PURE VANILLA EXTRACT OR CLEAR VANILLA EXTRACT? Pure vanilla extract has better flavor, but clear vanilla is better for preserving pristine white colors in icing, glazes or white cakes. The choice is ultimately up to you!
WHAT MAKES THIS CHAMPAGNE FROSTING SO FLAVORFUL? For this recipe we’re going to start with a very simple and straightforward American style buttercream, beginning with a basic vanilla buttercream base (butter + confectioners’ sugar). To that, we’ll add a champagne reduction and vanilla extract. Reducing the champagne packs an intense amount of flavor into a smaller amount of liquid. Excess liquid would ruin the frosting and make it too thin.
WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF CHAMPAGNE TO USE IN FROSTING? Use your favorite! Any kind of champagne or sparkling wine will work in this frosting, but If you like how it tastes out of the bottle, you’ll like how it tastes in this champagne buttercream frosting. I’ve tried the recipe with many different sparkling wines, including prosecco, and each has been fantastic!
MAKE AHEAD & FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: To prepare cake 1 day in advance, keep baked cakes covered at room temperature; refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container. Bring frosting to room temperature before spreading. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
CAN I USE THIS RECIPE FOR CUPCAKES? Absolutely! This recipe can be made into about 24 cupcakes. Simply layer a spoonful of each batter into the cupcake wrappers, filling each about halfway. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.
BEST BEATER ATTACHMENT TO USE FOR THE FROSTING? For most buttercream mixing, it is recommended to use the paddle attachment so that you don’t incorporate too much air into the frosting.
CAN I PIPE THIS FROSTING? Absolutely! I recommend chilling for a bit so it can firm up, and then let sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before trying to pipe, or it will be too firm to push through the decorating tip. I usually make the frosting early in the day and chill it while I work on the crumb coat for my cake, and then let it sit out while I add the outer frosting layer. I recommend keeping it refrigerated when you aren’t working with it.
FOR EXTRA FROSTING PIPING OR DECORATING: For special cakes, I usually whip up an extra half-batch of frosting for piping around bottom edge and top of cake, or for adding swirls, twirls or flowers.
WHAT IS THE BEST DECORATING TIP TO USE? These are my favorites:

Wilton 1M (classic rose tip) – a classic piping tip and the standard used to create roses.
Wilton 8B – one of my all-time favorites – another large decorating star tip.
Ateco 849 – has a pretty wide piping tip. You can make a rose, a soft-serve swirl, or a super easy ruffled look.
Ateco 808 large round – has a large a round open tip, and pipes frosting like a big fluffy cloud!

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