Wine Recipes (it's not just for drinking!)

http://www.rachaelraymag.com

Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes 

Ingredients

• 1/2cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 ounces chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2cup boiling water
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4cups flour
• 1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2cup medium- to full-bodied red wine, such as cannonau
• 2 8 ounce containers mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• Red grapes, halved, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Line 2 muffin pans with baking liners.
2. In a medium, heatproof bowl, combine the cocoa powder and chocolate pieces. Whisk in the boiling water until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Alternating, add the chocolate mixture and wine in batches, mixing well between each addition, until the batter is smooth. Divide among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
4. Lightly beat the mascarpone, then add the confectioners' sugar and beat until creamy. Remove the cooled cupcakes from the pan, spread each with icing and top with a grape half.

Champagne Cupcakes


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http://www.ambrosiabaking.com

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup champagne/sparkling wine

For the Frosting

1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon champagne/sparkling wine

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1.To make the cupcakes, begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 16 cupcake wells with paper liners. 

2.Cream together the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together in the bowl of a standard electric mixer, beating together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition, and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla extract and beat in well.

3.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine together the Greek yogurt and champagne, and whisk well (the mixture may fizz initially). Alternately add the flour mixture and champagne mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (I did 3 and 2 additions). Mix only until just incorporated, taking care not to overmix.

4.Divide the cupcake batter evenly among the prepared cupcake tins (the batter will be thick!) using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Tap the cupcake tins against your counter or other hard surface to get rid of air bubbles. 
5.Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly in the tins, and then remove to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

For the frosting:While the cupcakes are baking, begin to prepare the frosting. In a small saucepan, bring to a simmer 1 cup of champagne over medium-high heat. Simmer the champagne until it has reduced to 2 tablespoons (this took me between 20-25 minutes). Allow this to cool completely. In the bowl of a standard electric mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar, and beat together until completely light and fluffy. Add in the cooled 2 tablespoons of the reduced champagne, and the remaining 1 tablespoon champagne (straight from the bottle), and mix in completely