Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

Remember my blog post about the 12 cupcakes of Christmas?  Well, this was one of the cupcakes that were included in each box.  The idea for this cupcake came from another Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcake recipe that I blogged last spring.

I never disliked the previous version of the cupcake but I still thought that there was room for improvement.  I decided to change the cake flavor from chocolate to a cherry studded almond white cake.  That one change made all the difference.  This cupcake went from good to outstanding just by swapping the cake flavor and you still get a big burst of rich chocolate from the ganache.  The chocolate dipped cherry on top makes an easy and elegant decoration too. 

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3 Tablespoons cherry juice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Finely chop dried cherries in cuisinart with 1/4 cup sugar.

Beat butter and remaining sugar in mixer.







Add oil and beat another 60 seconds. Beat in cherry mixture, salt, baking powder, baking soda, almond extract and cherry juice.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.














Gently beat in flour, alternating with milk.






 

Divide batter among cups.

Bake 16-18 minutes.

 Spread cooled cupcakes with a layer of chocolate ganache. 

Pipe cherry buttercream on top and finish with a chocolate dipped cherry.  To make my cherry buttercream, I added a tablespoon of the leftover maraschino cherry juice from the jar to my regular buttercream recipe. 

Two of the people who received the box of 12 Christmas cupcakes this year said that they ate this cupcake first.  Who could blame them really?  They look just as good as they taste.

Ciao!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad



Cherry Cupcakes
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3 Tablespoons cherry juice
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Finely chop dried cherries in cuisinart with 1/4 cup sugar. Beat butter and remaining sugar in mixer. Add oil and beat another 60 seconds. Beat in cherry mixture, salt, baking powder, baking soda, almond extract and cherry juice.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Gently beat in flour, alternating with milk. Divide batter among cups. Bake 16-18 minutes.