“I only drink champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.” ~Coco Chanel
Valentine’s Day
I love Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite colors is pink and I have a massive sweet tooth. I love seeing flowers in the grocery stores and celebrating over a nice charcuterie board with my closest girl friends and a glass of wine.
Although it can be easy to get caught up in the idea of Valentine’s Day as being a day for celebrating solely romantic love, I believe it can also be a great time to reflect on what it means to genuinely love.
Love is…
One of the most familiar passages in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It’s frequently dubbed as “the love passage” and even if you don’t consider yourself a Christian, I’m guessing chances are good that you may have heard part of this passage before. It reads as follows:
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
In all honesty, I was determined I wasn’t going to write about this passage since it seemed so cliché. However, as I sat here with massive writer’s block, my mind just kept coming back to this passage.
Many people read this passage and interpret it as a list of characteristics you need to possess to consider yourself a loving person. However, I would argue that it works in the opposite way. The passage reads “love is…”. In other words, if you have genuine love, the natural byproduct is that you will be patient, kind, etc. However, how many of us can read through this list and honestly say that our love meets all of these qualifications using just our strength alone? I know I can’t. I’m not always kind or patient and I definitely struggle with arrogance.
Perfect Love
So how do we love fiercely with this type of love? I would argue that the only way to truly give this kind of love is to know the perfect love of God. 1 John 4 says:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” (v.7)
“This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for us.” (v.10)
“If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (v.12)
“We love because He first loved us.” (v.19)
1 John 4
God’s presence in us gives us the strength and ability to love others in the way He’s loved us. As a result, we can share that love freely with others, having received and known perfect love from Him.
Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes
A couple days ago, I signed up to bring a dessert to a Galentine’s Day party. However, although I love chocolate, I couldn’t help but feel it was a little cliché. It also didn’t help that I have been slowly plowing my way through a bag of dark chocolate this week. As a result, I decided on these cupcakes. They’re very light and not overly sweet and champagne is always festive. You can use a strawberry champagne or another type of wine such as a sparkling moscato with strawberry in the tasting notes.
Whether you’re single or in a relationship, I invite you to embrace God’s perfect love for you and that you would freely extend this love to everyone you encounter in return.
Blessings on your home and table,
~Natalie
Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
- ¾ cups strawberry champagne*
- 1 pint strawberries sliced; optional
Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 5 egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups unsalted butter cubed and room temperature
- 1 ounce freeze-dried strawberries crushed into a powder with a rolling pin
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Using a handheld or a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar at medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg whites and the additional whole egg and mix until well combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Mix in the champagne until well incorporated, then mix in the final half of the flour mixture.
- Fill cupcake liners ~¾ full with the cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack of your oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Whisk together the 5 egg whites and sugar in your mixing bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Be careful your bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Whisk frequently and cook until the mixture reaches 165°F on a candy thermometer.
- Using a whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed until the mixing bowl is no longer warm to the touch (this usually takes me around 20 minutes).
- Switch to a paddle attachment and add in the butter on low speed until just combined. If your mixture is too soupy, place it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes then gently mix again for a couple seconds on low speed.
- Mix in the crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
- Fill a piping bag with the frosting and frost the cupcakes to your desired style. Add a sliced strawberry on top for a garnish.
Notes
For other Valentine’s Day recipes, check out my chocolate red wine cupcakes or lava cake!
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