Cocktail to Cupcake: Gluten Free Champagne Cupcakes

cupcake-cocktail-strawberry-champagne-white-bubbly-dessert

Pop. Fizz. Clink. Bake.

Yes, you read that right – we added the word bake at the end of Pop. Fizz. Clink.

We can do that because we had some bubbly action in our kitchen as we participated in the Wayfair Cocktail to Cupcake Campaign. The fun challenge was to make a yummy cupcake with our favorite cocktail on the ingredient list. We love our Italian bubbly, and we wanted to make it gluten free so we could actually eat it. The result is a delicious Gluten Free Champagne Cupcake.

Sip and bake – now that’s something we can get use to.

cupcake-cocktail-strawberry-champagne-white-bubbly-dessert

Gluten Free Champagne Cupcakes
servings: about 16
recipe adapted from DC Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Champagne Cupcakes

  • 1.5 cups gluten free flour
  • 1 cup gluten free oat flour
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon Champagne

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

  • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3.5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp half and half
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup champagne
  • 1 cup strawberries, diced

Directions:
Champagne Cupcakes

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Set cupcake liners in the cupcake baking pan.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and slowly add the sugar. Blend with an electric mixer until combined.

Add the eggs, and blend.

Pour the vanilla, champagne and milk in a separate measuring cup.

Combine the flours, baking powder and sugar in a separate medium bowl.

Pour 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue this process until all the flour and milk is fully combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the cupcake liners {fill 1/2-3/4 of each liner}.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool.

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and add the sugar slowly. Beat with an electric mixer until well mixed.

Add the vanilla, milk, salt and champagne, and beat until the mixture is fluffy.

Then, place in piping bag and decorate your cupcakes.

Top the cupcakes with your diced strawberries, then place a safe, indoor mini sparkler on top.

cupcake-cocktail-strawberry-champagne-white-bubbly-dessert

Enjoy! And remember, you don’t always have to drink your cocktail. You can eat it, too.

cupcake-cocktail-strawberry-champagne-white-bubbly-dessert

cupcake-cocktail-strawberry-champagne-white-bubbly-dessert

This #Cocktail2Cupcake post is sponsored by Wayfair, but we would love them and their products even if it wasn’t. Thanks for supporting the wonderful companies that support us. 

CocktailtoCupcake

Make & Mingle: A Macaron Workshop

make-mingle-macaron-workshop-flowers-pastry-kitchen

Macarons are a trendy dessert sweeping the blogging and sweet tooth nation. They are not just pretty, dainty desserts lining the pastry shops in Paris. They are everywhere! The idea of making the macarons can be daunting, so along with Kaitlin of The Every Hostess, we created a hands-on opportunity for women in Colorado to bake macarons in a real pastry kitchen…and sip champagne while doing it.

It was the inaugural event for our new Make & Mingle Workshops, a series of workshops where the creative and social community of Colorado have an opportunity to gather together to make and mingle with one another.

make-and-mingle-macaron-event-flowers-colorado-workshop

Twenty fellow creatives, local entrepreneurs and just overall fabulous women gathered together to get their hands dirty in almond flour and sugar at a favorite Denver, Colorado pastry shop, Glaze Baum Cakes.

glaze-make-and-mingle-macaron-workshop

glaze-make-and-mingle-macaron-workshop

Two amazing {and patient} pastry chefs shared their recipes, top secrets and tips behind the delectable dessert.

make-and-mingle-workshop-glaze-denver-pastry-kitchen

make-and-mingle-workshop-glaze-denver-pastry-kitchen

make-and-mingle-macaron-workshop-pasty-chef-kitchen

make-and-mingle-macaron-workshop-pastry-frosting-filling

MakeMingleMay_2015-56_Fotor_Collage1

make-and-mingle-macaron-workshop-pastry-frosting-filling

macaron-denver-workshop-salted-caramel

Each guest who purchased a ticket was treated to a cocktail of their choice, a box of a dozen macarons, a lovely print from The First Snow, a macaron baking sheet from Wayfair and additional swag items from Fleur de Lis and The Every Hostess. Thanks to all the amazing sponsors!

make-and-mingle-brown-bag-thank-you

make-and-mingle-flowers-art-print-cup-straw-macarons

The space was beautifully decorated with bright blooms from Prema, along with gold polka dot placemats, pens, recipe cards and personalized Make & Mingle aprons for each guest.

make-and-mingle-flowers-light

make-mingle-gold-polka-dot-recipe-card-place-setting

make-mingle-gold-polka-dot-recipe-card-place-setting

make-and-mingle-diy-custom-apron-pink-blue-ribbon

Keep your social media attention on us and The Every Hostess for our next Make & Mingle event. Lots of love and gratitude to all the amazing people who attended, and companies who helped us make it happen!

Vendor Love
Macaron Baking Sheet, Wayfair
Art Print, The First Snow
Floral, Prema Style
Venue, Glaze Baum Cakes
Photography, Meredith Moran Photography
Printed Materials, Fleur de Lis, a paperie

Make & Mingle Instagram Accounts to Follow 
@jsorelle3
@theeveryhostess
@meredithmoranphoto
@wayfair
@firstsnowgirl
@fdlpaperie
@premastyle
@glaze_baumcakes

 

 

A Pop of Color with Wayfair

front-porch-pop-of-color-wayfair-red-yellow-sunflower

When we see sunflowers, we think about Tuscany. When we think about Tuscany, we think happy thoughts. When we think happy thoughts, we want to celebrate it with a glass of vino. When we have a glass of vino, we want a pretty space to sip it in. When we need a pretty space to sip it in, Wayfair comes to the rescue with their #PopOfColor campaign.

Jessica’s favorite place to sip wine in the summer is her front porch, so she chose to add a much-needed pop of color and sunflowers to her front entry space. It looked pretty sad and dull before the pop of vibrant red and yellow splashed the rustic space.

front-porch-rocking-chair-makeover

Now thanks to Wayfair, it’s an inviting space to welcome guests, watch the kids play, sit and read a book {let’s get serious – she will be reading O Magazine} and sip water {or vino}.

sunflower-red-table-front-porch-yellow-pillow-wayfair

sunflower-red-table-front-porch-yellow-pillow-wayfair

The new, bright green Hello Doormat is hard to miss, plus it’s direct and to-the-point. Hello, friends!

sunflower-red-table-front-porch-yellow-pillow-wayfair-hello-welcome-mat

The red Franklin Butler Accent Table caught Jessica’s eye immediately. She has always had a weakness for red, and lately a fondness for the mountain modern look. The table is indoor/outdoor, so when the warm summer months are over, the table will make its way inside.

sunflower-red-table-front-porch-yellow-pillow-wayfair

She couldn’t resist a touch of glam with the Global Views Nugget Bud Vase because, well, everyone needs a touch of metallic glam.

sunflower-red-table-front-porch-yellow-pillow-wayfair

The rocking chair is from Jessica’s in-laws. Though a DIY paint job was in the original plan for a big pop of yellow color on the porch, a yellow pillow does the job in less than 1/4 the time, and makes for a much happier husband. With so many yellow pillows to choose from at Wayfair, all you have to do is pick your yellow. 1. Sunbrella Vibrant Yellow. 2. Forget the Tuscany vibe for a minute, this African giraffe pillow makes us smile. 3. Blazing Needle gets the yellow just right.

Here’s the official before and after shot.

front-porch-makeover-red-yellow-pop-of-color-wayfair-sunflower_Fotor

If you are anything like us, once a #PopOfColor happens in one space, it tends to have a domino effect into other areas of the home. Look out Wayfair, our homes are neutral in color and in need of a serious POP. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the front porch.

 j. sorelle received a gift card to purchase a #PopOfColor for this post, however we love Wayfair, even if they didn’t send us any form of payment, and all opinions are ours, we promise.

Cocktails and Canvas + Wayfair Wish List and {GIVEAWAY}

cocktails and canvas holiday party with way fair

The holiday season is here, and along with the joy and cheer, comes a lot of stress too. We get it…seriously, a dinner party for 4 can stress us out. So, before you fret about your guests’ arrival and how you are going to entertain them, we have a fabulous party idea and tips that will help you stand out as Hostess with the Mostess.

And, we have an AMAZING giveaway for you to enter today. You have a chance to win $500 from our favorite new shopping spot for zillion things home, Wayfair. Keep reading.

Our dear family friends own a gorgeous home, and one of our favorite rooms in their home is an art room. When they host guests, a night of cocktail and canvas is always a highlight of the trip. So, their room served as the source of inspiration for today’s Cocktail & Canvas Holiday Party.

Wouldn’t you love to gather with friends and family adorned in ugly Christmas sweaters, in a room draped with colorful holiday lights, and enjoy a night filled with cocktails, paint, creativity, laughter and cheer? Sign us up.

cocktail and canvas holiday entertaining with way fair

10 Tips to Host a Cocktails & Canvas Holiday Party

  • First, ask guests to wear their finest ugly Christmas Sweaters, or take it upon yourself to buy them at local thrift stores. The memories of ugly Christmas sweaters are priceless.
  • Create a dynamic playlist. Just like bad music can ruin a wedding reception, poor music selection during a holiday celebration can be a Debbie-downer. You should have the classics like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, and throw some Josh Groban, Kelly Clarkson and Michael Bublé in the mix too.
  • Have a bar cart easily accessible…and stocked. We lust after the beautiful images of bar carts like this. A more practical cart like below would totally work too. Either way, stock it with essentials such as, Vodka, Whiskey, Soda Water, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, lemons and limes, ice, Champagne, Red and White wine and beer. Don’t forget the bar cart tools and glassware.
  • Provide every artist with art supplies. Buy a rainbow of paint colors for your artists’ palette. It is best to use plastic plates instead of paper so the paint doesn’t bleed through. And, give each artist at least 5 brushes in a range of sizes. Don’t forget the canvas and easels too.

cocktails and canvas holiday entertaining with wayfair

  • Ask guests to paint a holiday scene. It can be their favorite memory of Christmas, humorous Christmas with the Griswold’s-inspired, antler art, Christmas trees, lights, bows or even Santa.
  • Have a guest room ready for those who need to crash. Here’s a quick rundown of our favorite guest room essentials: Keep extra pillows and blankets in the closet. Keep a basket of toiletries next to the sink. Essentials include a toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash and lotion, wash cloths and body towels. To really impress, add some pain relievers in case a hangover is imminent. Keep bottled water and a glass on the nightstand. And finally, have a pile of magazines and books close by for those who want to read.
  • Make it a tradition to remember. Just like our friends do with each guest, take a photo of everyone holding their artwork, and hang the photos in the room or for a memory book. Then, ask each guest to add his or her thumbprint on a large canvas among fellow artists in the gallery. Their thumbprints would be great ornaments on a tree or bulbs on a string of lights.

cocktails and canvas

cocktails and canvas holiday entertaining with way fair

  • Provide heavy appetizers for your guests and a signature cocktail like this. An artist needs his/her energy and a good flow of creativity. And, stock the fridge with eggs, bread, butter, bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt and granola because in the morning, it will be a crowd pleaser, especially for those feeling the effects of good cheer the night before.
  • Send your guests home with their art. After they take their mug shot and provide prints, the canvas is their favor for the evening…a piece of art for their home, and wonderful memories.
  • Shop our Wayfair Wish List for everything you need to host a fabulous Cocktail & Canvas Holiday Celebration.

cocktails and canvas holiday party with wayfair

  1. PVIFS Aluminum I Frame Utility Table
  2. Buffalo Tools Amerihome 30″ Bar Stool (Set of 4)
  3. Altra Marshall 29.92″ 3-Shelf Rolling Utility Cart
  4. Cheungs 3 Piece Metal Bucket Set with Handles
  5. Fredrix Red Label Stretched Canvas (Set of 6)
  6. Chenille Kraft Paint Brushes
  7. Quartet Tabletop Instant Easel
  8. Wintergreen Lighting 70 Light String LED Lights
  9. Crayola Portfolio Series Acrylic Paints

Don’t forget about the giveaway so you can throw your own Cocktails & Canvas Holiday Party.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 j. sorelle received a gift card for this post, however we love Wayfair, even if they didn’t send us any form of payment, and all opinions are ours, we promise.

{images via friend and Wayfair}