Champagne Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream

...So, could it GET any better?  Champagne cake from Nugget Market has been a family favorite of mine for well over 30 years.  Yup, I'm old enough to have favorites for that long a time.  I think I had my first taste in my teens, not long after we came back to California.  My grandmother, Bambi, probably picked it up on her way through "town" (AKA Woodland) on her way from Esparto to Davis.  I remember the pink whipped cream frosting and the custard middle.  Light, not too sweet, and lovely.  No problem eating 2 pieces.  Great memories! 

A few years ago, Nugget Market came to my town.  When they opened their doors, I finally felt at home.  I lived near a Nugget Market for years in Davis, and that's where Bambi shopped in Woodland for meats and fancy desserts.  Love those days.  Anyway, as good fortune would have it, I live, literally, down the street and around the corner from "The Nug" or "Nug" for short.  Not only was I now able to get amazing meats and stone oven bread (we NEED real bread here!), finally Champagne Cake whenever I wanted it!  Amazing!!