Champagne cake is a soft and tender pound cake with the essence of champagne. It’s perfect for a simple brunch or a special occasion.
This post has been updated from 2015 to improve reader experience.
Champagne cake is a great way to celebrate any event. This Champagne Pound Cake recipe is delicious and exactly what’s needed to turn a casual event into something special.
This recipe for Champagne Cake is more of a pound cake, meaning that it’s a little denser than a traditional layer cake.
That makes it perfect for soaking up all that champagne. You’ll get the essence of champagne. It’s not super boozy, just enough for a great celebration.
You’ll love how easy this cake is to make. While I love dressing up some of our desserts, that’s not always the case, such as with this champagne pound cake. It’s delicious simplicity.
Ingredients and variables
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter – we use real unsalted butter but a substitute would work too. If you use salted butter cut the salt in the recipe in half.
- Sugar
- Buttermilk
- Eggs – we use large eggs
- Almond extract – substitute with vanilla or lemon.
- Fresh raspberries
- Champagne – Prosecco or Cava can be substituted.
- Powdered sugar
How to make this Champagne Pound Cake Recipe
One of the things that we love about this Champagne Dessert is that it’s soft, tender, moist, and there are 2 opportunities to infuse it with Champagne!
Tip: We recommend mixing this cake and the glaze by hand versus an electric mixer. You don’t want to over-mix this cake or it will get tough.
Does the Alcohol Bake off?
The alcohol does not totally bake out. A percentage does and it’s dependent on how long it cooks. According to the USDA it takes 2 1/2 hours to cook all of the alcohol out of food.
For this reason, this cake shouldn’t be consumed by anyone that shouldn’t consume alcohol.
Mix up the Champagne Cake
- Combine the dry ingredients – Flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl add the melted and cooled butter, sugar, and buttermilk. Cream these ingredients together. Add eggs one at a time blending after each addition.
- Add the champagne and almond extract and blend until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and pour into a prepared pan.
- Bake
Champagne Cake Glaze
Whisk the powdered sugar, almond extract, and Champagne together until smooth. Add a little more champagne if the glaze is too thick or add powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin.
The consistency should allow a thick pour.
Items you may need
It sure doesn’t take much to put this cake together. We used a larger loaf pan for this recipe and our favorite spatulas.
Sweet cakes for any occasion!
Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!
More recipes perfect for entertaining
- Boozy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Lamb Bites
- Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms with Crab
- Italian Empanadas
Champagne Cake with Champagne Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup champagne still bubbly
Champagne Glaze Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons champagne
- ¼ tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with a nonstick cooking spray containing flour, or grease and flour the pan. Set aside
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the melted and cooled butter, sugar, and buttermilk, together. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Add the almond extract and champagne and stir to combine. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes watching it closely the last 10 minutes. Cover the cake if it starts to get too brown. The cake is done when a cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Champagne Glaze
- Remove the cooled cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.
- To make the Champagne glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, almond extract, and champagne, 1 tablespoon at a time, together until you have the right consistency. Drizzle over the cake. Chill to set.
- Store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Kathleen Pope
Wednesday 24th of November 2021
Made this cake as a trial run for a party and my family gobbled it up! Can't wait to make it for a girls party I'm having next week.
Julie Menghini
Thursday 25th of November 2021
I've made for several years in a row for New Year's Eve. It's so festive. Thank you, Kathleen!
marion
Thursday 18th of March 2021
s lovely tecipe,, but i sm confused because my German Grandma (in the 1940-50’s) always had champaine cake on every party table, iced pink,,, but it was made with layers of pastry with the fluffy icing between !!!! so ?? maybe because there was never any alcohol in the house, mmmhh. ?? all these recipes for it are made with cake,, so I wonder which was original,, ??
Julie Menghini
Friday 19th of March 2021
Hi Marion! I bet the pink iced cakes were so pretty. I've found that almost every country has its version of a particular recipe or they have the name of a recipe that's made totally different. I've had so much fun learning the history of recipes in their different cultures/countries. One thing I've also learned is not to say something originated somewhere. That always comes back to bite.
Michelle
Tuesday 22nd of December 2020
You had me with the champagne! What a delicious cake...I'll make it again for the holiday!
Julie Menghini
Wednesday 23rd of December 2020
Thank you, Michelle!
Nart at Cooking with Nart
Saturday 19th of December 2020
Champagne cake with a champagne glaze - You had me at the first champagne, lol. This is such a unique recipe. I've never had anything like it before. Will definitely give this a try!
Julie Menghini
Saturday 19th of December 2020
Thank you! We really enjoy this one.
Linda
Saturday 19th of December 2020
You know how you make a few cocktails with champagne and then wonder what to do with the rest before it loses all its fizz? Well, this was the perfect, most delicious way to use it up. Don't tell anyone, but we had it for breakfast too. :-)
Julie Menghini
Saturday 19th of December 2020
I love the way you roll, Linda! Thank you!