At this point in the holiday rush, many of us are falling victim to fatigue. Too much shopping, too much baking, too much decorating.

And yet, obligations remain. Perhaps you owe a dessert to some function or another, and it has to be homemade, because that’s just how you roll.

Enter the commercial boxed cake mix. So easy, so quick, so cheap. If I could go back in time, I would shake the hand of the person who invented it.

(By the way, I asked the internet who that person was, and it appears to be John D. Duff, a Pennsylvania molasses magnate, who had the process for a Dehydrated Flour Mix patented in 1933. The mixes took off commercially years later, after mass producers such as Betty Crocker and Pillsbury joined the party.)

If you are a True Baker, you probably scoff at mixes. You are welcome to skip this whole piece. But if you are like me, a True Amateur, take advantage of this idea to make life easier in this busy week.

It comes from the aforementioned Crocker and is for Champagne Cupcakes, a festive idea just right for the season.

First, a little wine geekiness: You don’t want to use real Champagne, which is bubbly from the French region of Champagne. It is expensive and should be sipped from crystal and not baked into a cake. What you want is a lower-cost sparkling wine. But Sparkling Wine Cupcakes as a name lacks alliterative appeal, so we’ll make allowances.

I used prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, but feel free to go with something really cheap. Just keep in mind that you’ll have half a bottle left, so don’t buy something you won’t want to drink later. (Think mimosas on Christmas morning.)

The wine replaces water in the mix; egg whites replace whole eggs. Together they produce a lighter cupcake with a subtle flavor — not particularly boozy, but a cut above cake-box standard.

To take this idea further, try rum in a yellow cake mix or bourbon in chocolate; other ideas found at bettycrocker.com.

Champagne Cupcakes

Adapted from Betty Crocker

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1-1/4 cups sparkling wine
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 egg whites
• >> Frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup sparkling wine

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with paper baking cups (to make 24 cupcakes).

Combine cake mix and sparkling wine in mixing bowl; add oil and egg whites. Beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes.

Pour batter evenly into baking cups. Bake 17 to 22 minutes, until a pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Combine frosting ingredients in mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Makes 24.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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