Easy Lemon Cupcakes & Prosecco for Your Next Girl’s Night

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Y’all know that I have my girlfriends over about once a month to catch up and have a good time. We alternate houses each month, but for the month of August, it was my turn! We decided our wine of the evening would be a Prosecco. Come to find out, it’s National Prosecco Day on August 13! From there, I got to work on finding the perfect pairing. Which I decided would be my easy lemon cupcake recipe.

My favorite Prosecco is Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore. You may have heard of Santa Margherita before. They’re a premium Italian wine brand and super-premium in white and sparkling wine categories. They also have a Pinot Grigio, Sparkling Rosé, and a Chianti Classico Riserva.

As I said, their Prosecco Superiore is my favorite. It’s made from Glera grapes grown in the hills of Valdobbiadene and has DOCG status (which is the highest and most distinctive classification possible in the category). As a bonus, Santa Margherita is committed to preserving the environment and its products are sustainable, eco-friendly, vegan-friendly, and energy-efficient.

The rich quality winemaking makes it feel so elegant and superior. It’s perfect for a girl’s night or a special occasion! I’ve also given Santa Margherita as a housewarming gift and it’s a hit at parties.

I grab my Santa Margherita wines at my local Kroger while I get all of my ingredients and snacks for a girl’s night, but you can also find it at your local grocery, drug, or supercenter stores.

Like I mentioned above, I was looking through a cookbook for something to complement the Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore when I found a recipe for lemon cupcakes. This sounded like the perfect pairing and I got to baking. Check out the ingredients, recipe, and finished product below!

Easy Lemon Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

CUPCAKE

• 3 cups of self-rising flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of lemon zest (I bought a zester for this, very proud of myself for zesting)
• 1 cup of whole milk (divided)
• 2 ½ tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (divided)

ICING

• 2 cups of heavy chilled cream
• ¾ cup of confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS: (48 minutes of prep, 17 minutes baking)

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
• Line cupcake pan with paper cup liners.
• Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl (bowl can be small or medium).
• In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (use a large bowl).
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Beat each egg until incorporated with the mix.
• Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Grab another medium-sized bowl and put it in the freezer, you need a chilled bowl for your icing!

Now, back to the cupcake mix. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time.

• Alternate ½ cup of milk and 1 ¼ tablespoon of lemon juice after the first 2 additions of flour.
• Beat until combined (don’t over mix).
• Fill the cupcake liners with batter, about ¾ full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 17 minutes.
• Let the cupcakes cool in a pan for 10 minutes.

Now, onto the icing, while the cupcakes are baking.

• Take the medium bowl out of the freezer.
• Beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer on low until the cream thickens.
• Add the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice a little at a time until fully incorporated.
• Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the icing forms soft peaks.

My icing wasn’t great if I’m being honest. It actually turned out a little runny. But I kept adding sugar until it thickened some!

• Spread icing on cooled cupcakes and refrigerate the leftovers.

I sliced up some lemon and put on the cupcakes to add a little flair, but they were so yummy. They paired perfectly with the Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore and, I might have had six cupcakes, no shame!

Try this for your next Girls Night and let me know how you liked this fun pairing!

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