Cupcakes!

A year and a half ago I met Kyra Bussanich on Mt. Hood. We quickly became acquainted and I quickly became a huge fan of her baking talents. Kyra is a gifted pastry chef, who happens to bake 100% gluten free and she has an amazing talent for dreaming up desserts and flavors. Shortly after we met, she began her business, Crave Bake Shop. In the first week in December she appeared on the season premiere of Food Network's Cupcake Wars where her gluten-free cupcakes went head-to-head with conventional and nearly won.

Kyra has been working around the clock to keep up with all the business that the media buzz has created. Lucky for us she took the time to appear on a local news show AND give us one of her amazing recipes for Champagne Cupcakes! Here it is, just in time for New Year's Eve!

Cake:
8 oz (1 C) butter at room temperature
16 oz (about 2 C) sugar
4 large eggs
2 ¾ C all purpose gluten-free flour mix*
1 ½ C champagne or sparkling wine

Champagne French Buttercream
3 oz egg yolks
8 oz (about 1 cup) sugar
2 oz water
10 oz (1 cup + 4 TBSP) butter, at room temperature
1/3 C champagne

Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit.
Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue creaming until the color of the butter mixture is several shades lighter.
Add the eggs one at a time, stopping the mixer in between each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Once the eggs have been combined and the batter is a uniform texture, add the flour mix in 3 additions, alternating with the champagne. Make sure to stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl so the batter is evenly incorporated.
Evenly fill the cupcake cavities 2/3 of the way full (using a large ice cream scoop is the best way to make sure the cupcake batter is evenly dispersed).

Bake until the cupcakes are done and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 14-18 minutes.

Remove from oven and place each cupcake on a cooling rack until completely cool.

In the meantime, make the Champagne French Butter Cream:
Put the sugar and water in a small sauce pot and boil until a candy thermometer registers 248˚.
Meanwhile, in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, beat the egg yolks on high until light, fluffy and tripled in volume.
Slow down the mixer to medium and slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the whipping egg yolks.
Once all the sugar is in, turn the mixer speed back up to high and whip until the yolk mixture is no longer warm to the touch.
Add the room temperature butter in chunks and mix until fully incorporated, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.
Add the champagne slowly and mix until combined. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with your choice of garnish. Enjoy!