Sweet Collaborations: Twisted Sisters and The Williamsburg Winery

What’s better than taking a bite out of a yummy homemade cupcake? Taking a bite out of a handcrafted cupcake infused with handcrafted wine from The Williamsburg Winery. 

Twisted Sisters Cupcakes and The Williamsburg Winery have joined forces to create a selection of wine-infused cupcakes now available at the Winery’s new Wine Bar located in La Promenade Distinctive Shoppes in Virginia Beach.

Putting it simply, Tracy Busching, owner of Twisted Sisters, said: “we love putting alcohol in our cupcakes!” 

Busching began collaborating with The Williamsburg Winery earlier this year when she was asked to create a special cupcake for the release of the new canned Dry Rosé. The end result was a beautifully-designed cupcake with custom sprinkles and an amazing flavor profile of strawberry, tangerine, and Rosé – of course!

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“We had a lot of fun with that one because we got to do so much with it,” said Busching. “It’s just a pretty cupcake.”

Busching’s Rosé cupcake was such a hit that she has since created three other cupcakes incorporating different Williamsburg wines, including the Governor’s White, a Petit Manseng and a Barrel-Aged Virginia Claret. All are available at the Virginia Beach Wine Bar and go perfectly with a glass of vino!

“It’s been so great working with The Williamsburg Winery on these cupcakes,” said Busching. “We have a lot of fun with these.”

Wine-Infused Cupcakes

When a customer at The Wine Bar bites into a wine-infused cupcake, Busching wants them to taste the wine everywhere. For that reason, wine has been infused in both the cake and the frosting.

“We all know the alcohol bakes off when cooked in the oven, but it stays in the frosting,” she said.

She’s also brainstorming ideas for a cupcake infused with the Winery’s Jamestown Cellars Settlers’ Spiced Wine.

Busching loves working with local businesses like The Williamsburg Winery because there is so much room for creativity – which is something Twisted Sisters is known for.

The Beginning

Busching started Twisted Sisters in 2010 out of her kitchen in Virginia Beach. It was meant to be a part-time, work-from-home, extra money-earning endeavor, but that changed quickly once word spread about the cupcakes’ deliciousness.

“I posted something like ‘hi’ on Facebook and then all of a sudden we had all these followers,” laughed Busching. 

In addition to being known for baking delectable cupcakes, Twisted Sisters also carved out a new niche in Hampton Roads. 

Instead of waiting for customers to come to then, Busching thought it would be better to bring the cupcakes to the customers; thus, the idea for a mobile cupcake truck was born. 

Not just any truck – it was a bright pink truck.

“People would be lined up waiting for us when we arrived,” said Busching. “It was really cool.”

Now, Twisted Sisters has a permanent storefront on Virginia Beach Boulevard not far from The Wine Bar and has expanded to include custom cakes, wedding cakes as well as catering services. 

Cooking with Wine

Not to be confused with drinking wine while cooking, cooking with wine is not an exact 

science and can be tricky. 

In fact, results can vary so much when cooking with alcohol that Busching no longer waits until the day of an event to bake a new recipe. She’ll complete a couple test-runs in advance to make sure the flavor profiles and consistencies are right.

“There’s definitely a learning curve for each recipe,” she said. “It would be nice if you could just substitute the liquid with wine, because you want to put as much wine in as possible, but sometimes if you put too much in it might not taste right.”

Though we highly recommend visiting the new Wine Bar location in Virginia Beach for a boozy cupcake, here are a few pro tips if you decide to try them out at home. 

• Only use wine you would like to drink. The flavor matters. 
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with flavors. Have fun playing with your food. 
• Some fun combinations are Chardonnay blueberry and lemon; Chardonnay lemon, honey and lavender; merlot with mixed berries and chocolate cake. 
• Start out with a small amount of alcohol added into your favorite cake or cupcake recipe and see how it affects it. You can increase it the next time. 
• If you don’t bake from scratch, use a box of cake mix and experiment with replacing some of the water with wine. 

Busching’s best tip?

“When I am doing my holiday baking, I love to have a nice glass of Williamsburg Winery Petit Verdot.”