Chocolate Strawberry and Champagne Cupcakes
Tim Tam biscuits have been a much-loved treat in New Zealand homes for many years, so when Shannon from Be My Light Blog and Instagram asked whether I would like to collaborate on a baking project, it was an easy yes. The idea was fun, creative, and full of flavour: turn the new Strawberry Champagne Tim Tam into a cupcake.
Shannon was involved in a media push for new Tim Tam flavours recently released by Arnott’s. The brief was to interpret the Strawberry Champagne flavour in cupcake form, and the direction felt instantly clear. A rich chocolate base, a sweet strawberry centre, and a smooth champagne buttercream came together to create a dessert inspired by the biscuit while still standing proudly on its own.
This Chocolate Strawberry and Champagne Cupcake recipe is built around a moist chocolate malt cupcake. The cocoa, dark chocolate, malt powder, coffee, and buttermilk create a soft, flavourful crumb with plenty of depth. Each cupcake is then filled with strawberry goo for a bright, fruity centre that balances the richness of the chocolate. On top, a pale pink champagne buttercream adds a light, celebratory finish.
If you do not usually keep champagne at home, or if you prefer not to open a bottle just for baking, you can substitute the champagne in the buttercream with your favourite white wine. The flavour will be slightly different, but it will still give the icing a gentle, grown-up note that works beautifully with chocolate and strawberry.
For the filling, this recipe uses Strawberry Goo. If you need the method, you can find the Strawberry Goo recipe in my Fruit Goo guide. It is ideal for cupcake centres because it adds flavour without making the cake heavy. Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, simply core the middle, spoon in the strawberry filling, and cover everything with a generous swirl of buttercream.
To finish, the cupcakes are decorated with pieces of Strawberry Champagne Tim Tam biscuits and fresh strawberries. If you want a more dramatic finish, add a little extra strawberry goo over the top before serving. These cupcakes are rich, fruity, playful, and perfect for anyone who loves chocolate cupcakes with a special twist.
- Cupcakes
- 175g plain flour
- 30g cocoa powder
- 10g malt powder
- 185g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 75g dark chocolate
- 2 eggs
- 120ml cooled coffee
- 120ml buttermilk
- 105ml oil
- Filling
- Strawberry Goo, using the recipe linked above
- Topping
- 150g butter, softened
- 360g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons champagne
- Pink food colouring
- 1 pack Strawberry Champagne Tim Tam biscuits
- Fresh strawberries
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees bake and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.
- Place the dark chocolate in a food processor and chop until fine. Add it to a large mixing bowl with the sifted plain flour, cocoa powder, malt powder, caster sugar, and baking soda.
- In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, cooled coffee, buttermilk, and oil until well combined.
- With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
- Pour the cupcake batter into a small jug, then divide it between the paper cases, filling each case about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool completely before filling.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, core out the centre of each cupcake and fill with Strawberry Goo.
- To make the champagne buttercream, add the softened butter to a stand mixer and beat for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add it to the butter in two stages, beating for about 3 minutes after each addition until light and smooth.
- Reduce the mixer speed and add the champagne with a small drop of pink food colouring. Aim for a very pale pink tint, as a little colour goes a long way. Increase the speed and beat for another minute until fluffy.
- Pipe a swirl of champagne buttercream on top of each filled cupcake. Decorate with pieces of Strawberry Champagne Tim Tam biscuits and a fresh strawberry. For an extra finish, drizzle a little more strawberry goo over the top before serving.
These chocolate strawberry champagne cupcakes are a beautiful way to turn a favourite biscuit flavour into a homemade dessert. The chocolate malt cupcake gives a rich base, the strawberry filling adds a sweet surprise, and the champagne buttercream makes the finished cupcake feel special without being complicated. Serve them for celebrations, afternoon tea, or whenever you want a fun cupcake recipe with a little extra sparkle.