Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! My boyfriend and I had a New Years Eve party this year, complete with a champagne bar, dessert bar, and a DIY photo booth!
Minted sent me the banner and signs as well as paper cups, plates, and napkins to really snazz up our party. Aren’t those signs so cute? The theme shown in the photos is “Sparkle Everywhere”
Their party decor is really great; Minted has decor for any party you can imagine! You can build your own package or choose from three suites: unique party, perfect party, or dream party. Minted has you covered from the napkins to the table confetti to even adorable paper straws and cake plates. You can also order invitations that match your theme!
The Champagne Bar was a huge hit. I included suggested champagne cocktails but creativity was encouraged. My favorite combination was St. Germaine filled with sparkling wine and topped with some cranberry juice.
We had a blast in the photo booth and people had fun with all of the props!
The dessert bar turned out great too! I will be sharing recipes that I made for it over the coming days but I wanted to start with a particularly appropriate New Years Eve cupcake, although these are so good you will want to make them all year round 🙂
(The Nutella Cupcakes are a recipe from Gimme Some Oven and they are fantastic. Head over to her blog for the recipe! I have made the Lemon Earl Grey Squares before and posted the recipe on this blog. Check out the recipe for Lemon Earl Grey Squares here)
This recipe for Champagne Cupcakes was sent to me by Golden Blossom Honey. Golden Blossom’s honey is composed of honey from three flowers — extra-white clover, sage buckwheat, and orange blossom so the flavor profile is unique and really tasty!
These cupcakes highlight the taste of the honey with the addition of orange and dry champagne, making for a really moist and flavorful cupcake.
Ingredients:
- CUPCAKES
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup Golden Blossom Honey
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cups champagne
- the zest of one orange
- FROSTING
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons champagne
- 6 tablespoons pulp free orange juice
- the zest of one orange
Preheat your oven to 350°. First zest your oranges into two separate bowls (you need them at separate times).
To make the cupcakes, add flour, baking power, and salt to a medium sized bowl and mix to combine.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar and beat to combine.
Add the eggs one at a time, stirring before adding the next egg. Add the Golden Blossom Honey, orange juice, and champagne and mix to combine.
Add the mixed dry ingredients in two batches, mixing carefully after each batch. Fold in the orange zest from one of the bowls.
Add the batter to 24 lined cupcake tins (these don’t expand nearly as much as I thought they would so fill up around 2/3 full). Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted into a center cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.
When the cupcakes have cooled, make the frosting. Add the softened butter to a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the champagne, orange juice, and orange zest and beat on medium speed. Carefully add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, mixing on low until combined before adding more (powdered sugar does a great job of exploding all over the place so be sure to mix on low). Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with sprinkles if desired.
Very festive, no? These are great for any kind of celebration: engagement party, bridal shower, you name it!
- CUPCAKES
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup Golden Blossom Honey
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cups champagne
- the zest of one orange
- FROSTING
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons champagne
- 6 tablespoons pulp free orange juice
- the zest of one orange
- Preheat your oven to 350°. First zest your oranges into two separate bowls (you need them at separate times).
- To make the cupcakes, add flour, baking power, and salt to a medium sized bowl and mix to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugar and beat to combine.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring before adding the next egg. Add the Golden Blossom Honey, orange juice, and champagne and mix to combine.
- Add the mixed dry ingredients in two batches, mixing carefully after each batch. Fold in the orange zest from one of the bowls.
- Add the batter to 24 lined cupcake tins (these don’t expand nearly as much as I thought they would so fill up around 2/3 full). Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted into a center cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.
- When the cupcakes have cooled, make the frosting. Add the softened butter to a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the champagne, orange juice, and orange zest and beat on medium speed. Carefully add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, mixing on low until combined before adding more (powdered sugar does a great job of exploding all over the place so be sure to mix on low). Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with sprinkles if desired.
