Today we are excited to share a uniquely light and flavorful recipe with you for Pink Champagne Cake.
This elegant dessert, with it’s moist champagne infused layers & delicious buttercream is perfect for weddings, engagement parties, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, or any occasion that calls for something special.
Why Pink Champagne Cake? A Quick History!
Southern bakers have been flavoring their cakes with sweet beverages for decades (cocoa cola cake, 7 up cake, etc.)…but Pink Champagne cake takes that practice to a whole new level of delicious sophistication.
It is believed that Pink Champagne Cake first originated on the west coast in the ’50s and ’60s, and was a hugely popular to choice for bridal showers, weddings, and bachelorette parties.
There’s just something a bit glamorous about a dessert flavored with Pink Champagne, don’t you think? The Los Angeles Times printed a Pink Champagne Cake decades ago and to this day it remains one of it’s most requested.
If you like Pink Champagne, you are going to fall in love with this recipe. While the pink champagne isn’t overpowering, the flavor is unmistakable.
We love to fill it with our Pink Champagne Buttercream Frosting, but traditionally pink champagne cakes have often been paired with bavarian cream or coconut fillings.
We hope that you enjoy this fantastic recipe. Make sure to check out our other Pink Champagne Cake (doctored cake mix version) linked below, as well as our Strawberries and Champagne Cake!
More champagne cake recipes!
If you are looking for an easy doctored cake mix version of Pink Champagne Cake, we love this DELICIOUS recipe!: Pink Champagne Cake (doctored cake mix) Recipe.
Also, don’t miss our Champagne and Strawberries cake recipe!
This amazing recipe consists of Champagne & Strawberry cake layers, a whipped strawberry cream cheese filling, and Champagne & Strawberry Buttercream Frosting!
Find the recipe here: Champagne and Strawberries Cake
More Cake Tutorials and Recipes
Don’t miss our other favorite tried and true cake recipes in our Cake Recipes Section! If you are interested in learning more about cake decorating, we have lots of fun cake tutorials to share in our Free Tutorials section, including a Free Cake Videos section!
If you would like to have full access to the hundreds of cake decorating video tutorials that we’ve made over the years, we would love to have you as a member of My Cake School!
We have tons of cake tutorials for all skill levels. You can find all of the details here!: Joining information for MyCakeSchool.com.
Thanks so much for stopping by! We hope that you enjoy this champagne cake as much as we have!
Pink Champagne Cake {Scratch Recipe}
This flavorful Pink Champagne Cake will make any occasion feel more special!
Ingredients
For the Pink Champagne Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour 3 (8 inch) pans
- 3 cups (342 g) cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon (15 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) salt
- 6 egg whites (194g)
- 1 cup (242g) pink champagne, I used Andre Blush Champagne
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (18 g)
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) (226 g) unsalted butter
- Small amount of pink food color, I used AmeriColor Deep Pink but any pink would be fine. I added the color with a toothpick, just a small amount will give you blush pink
For the Pink Champagne Buttercream
- 4 sticks (452g) unsalted butter, softened
- 12 cups (1380g) powdered sugar (depending on the desired consistency, more sugar = more crusting) If you prefer a frosting that crusts less, see the note at the bottom of the recipe.
- 4 teaspoons ( 16g) vanilla
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 1/2 cup (122g) pink champagne
- Pink Coloring Gel of Choice (We used a touch of Americolor Deep Pink)
Instructions
For the Cake
- In a medium size bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
- In another bowl combine the egg whites, champagne, vanilla and vegetable oil. Whisk until blended and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and sugar 3 to 5 minutes. When it is light and fluffy add approximately 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Then add 1/2 of the liquid ingredients mixing until blended. Continue alternating dry and wet ingredients. Begin and end with dry ingredients (3 additions of dry and 2 wet). Add the pink color at any time during the mixing of the dry and wet ingredients. *Makes 7 1/2 cups of batter.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean. Cool in baking pans 10 min. then turn out.
For the Pink Champagne Buttercream
- Cream the softened butter until smooth and lightened in color
- Blend in the salt and vanilla
- Gradually add the powdered sugar with the champagne until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Beat at medium speed 3 to 4 minutes. The texture will become very smooth. If you are tinting the entire batch of buttercream light pink, you can add a very small amount of coloring gel while it is mixing.
- This recipe makes approximately 8 cups of frosting.
Notes
A Note about the Buttercream...
*For a softer buttercream with a much lighter crust, cut the amount of powdered sugar from 12 to 9 or 10 cups and cut the amount of champagne form 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon. Also, cut the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. This lighter consistency works well for cupcakes or cakes that don't require the Viva method of smoothing.
Hi Darcy, I have not made the recipe using flat champagne but I think it would be fine. You will still be getting the champagne flavor.
What is your recommenced Max advance time for both the vale and icing? Birthday party is Saturday but we will be traveling there on Friday. Could I do one Wednesday and one Thursday then assemble cake there Saturday morning?
This is a delicious recipe, I added some champagne flavor from Amoretti because it needed it to me. My issue is the cake making a “well” in the middle. Is it cooking too fast or slow? I would like everyone’s best guess and I’ll experiment from there. Thanks!
Hi Melissa and Bebe,
I am just wondering if you think this recipe will work in a 26cm spring cake pan? I made this cake twice but in the 3 round 8 in pans and also as mini-cupcakes and they worked wonderfully. A have a client who wants 3 pink sparking cakes but in the 26 spring cake pan. I would love to hear from you!
Thanks in advance!
Hi Marcela, Baking in a deep pan, such as a springform can cause bakers problems unless they have experience and know what works for them. The cake will need to be baked at a lower temperature 300 or 325 degrees. The cake bakes from the outside in so without reducing the temperature the center will be under baked. Baking strips around the outside will help with more even baking, also using a baking core in the center of the pan. We decided we did not need to deal with deep pans so we don’t have a lot of experience with them. If you do not feel comfortable with the clients order, decline and eliminate the stress. I am sorry I don’t have more first hand experience on this for you.
So I have solved the problem with this cake using the reverse creaming method. The pan makes NO difference! Liz Marek explains it well on Sugar geek show but basically…all dry ingredients in the kitchen aid bowl..chunk in butter until course sand…add.8 oz of champagne, oil, flavors , colorAnd mix 2 minutes, very important or it won’t rise. Then add the egg whites and rest of champagne in three additions so it doesn’t break the mixture, then done. No well in the center and it bakes up great! I increased the oil a bit. Do not over bake it! Good luck.
Hi Bebe,
Thanks for the quick reply! I appreciate it! It is okay that you do not have more first-hand experience with this! I will follow the instructions gave by Jennifer White and see how it goes. I will come back to tell you about my experience! Thanks a lot for your attention!
Dear Jennifer White,
I wanna say THANK YOU so much for helping me by giving this wonderful solution!=) I have enough time to do some test run and see how it goes. So I am definitely accepting your suggestions!=) You said that Liz Marek gives an explanation about that on Sugar Geek Show, so I am gonna try to find it, but I guess maybe this is just something for members, although I do know she has a lot of free videos because I follow her on FB and Instagram. You said also that you increased the oil a bit…can I think of double the amount …maybe? Thanks again for sharing your experience! BTW, I was looking at your website and it is a lovely one!
The technic Liz talks about is in a free recipe or video. When I make this, I triple the recipe for my 7 qt kitchen aid bowl so I can use the entire bottle of champagne. In the triple recipe I use 3/4 cup of oil. Spend the outrageous money and buy the Amoretti champagne extract or compound. It makeS a big difference and is great in plain buttercream. Good luck!
Hi Jenniffer, thanks for all the valuable information! I’ll give it a try and I’ll come back to share my experience! Thanks again!
P.S.: I am following you on Instagram now to see more of your beautiful creations! 🙃
I made the champagne cake (doctored cake mix recipe) for my daughter’s wedding. The recipe made for a wonderful cake. It was so successful that my daughter volunteered me to make a cake for her maid of honor’s wedding. The only difference is she does not want champagne. What should I use to substitute the champagne? Or is there another recipe for a white cake that would have the same texture and doesn’t crumble. It was the best. JudyK
Hi Judy, We have not tried using a substitution, but I did find some online. Scroll up to entry #24 on February 24, 2015. Hope this helps.
Hello there!
As I promised, I came back to share my experience in making the champagne cake in a 26-cm springform. Results? The cake worked perfectly by using the reverse creaming method suggested by Jennifer White. Thanks Jennifer! It was really really delicious! I was so happy that it turned out incredibly delicious! I didn’t use champagne but a French Sparkling Wine, and the cake was served with the same wine I made it, and it was A-MAZ-ING!! I was over the moon with the results! I got so many compliments, that I blushed!I also did not use the champagne buttercream, but a white chocolate buttercream, the recipe from Liz Marek(Sugar Geek Show). I’m attaching some pictures, so you can see a bit. This was a test, and I took the cake for the birthday party of my best friend here in The Netherlands. It was a success! I’ll made it again in August, but this time for a wedding. Once again, thanks a bunch for the recipe and all the valuable tips. BTW, I tagged mycakeschool and @cupadee on Instagram.
Hi Marcela, I’m glad that it all worked out for you and I love the photo! It’s good to know how to adjust cakes to your liking using the creaming method that you prefer. We are probably evenly split on the recipes on our site that use reverse creaming and those that use traditional creaming because some of our readers like the fluffiness and familiarity of the traditional while others like the ease and tighter crumb of reverse. Glad to hear your feedback, this has been a really popular recipe of ours over the years and is still one of my favorites!! ;0)