Eeks. I’m super behind on posting this week. But so excited to share these adorable little cherry cupcakes with you!
Now while I adore fresh cherries, I have to admit that these little cupcakes feature one of my secretly favorite ingredients: maraschino cherries! I know, I know. They’re soaked in sugar, not in the fresh produce section, yada yada yada….but I admit I still get a pretty excited when they pop up in a drink or some fun dessert. Hey, all things in moderation, right? :)
The other fun thing about treating yourself to baking with maraschino cherries is that they’re of course available year-round. So if I’m craving cherry cupcakes in March??? Voila. And this cupcake recipe is doubly delicious. The cake is sweet and light, but the cherry almond frosting is lick-your-lips cherrylicious. I took these to my small group for some “taste-testing”, and they happily devoured them. Definitely a winner of a recipe.
So grab a jar of this sweet little indulgence, and enjoy!!!
Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 4 egg whites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla, store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- maraschino cherries with stems (optional garnish)
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
To Make The Cupcakes:
- Allow butter and egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line twenty-four baking cups with paper bake cups (or coat with cooking spray). In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk and cherry juice until combined; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
- Spoon (or use a cookie scoop to transfer) batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in baking cups on wire racks until completely cooled.
- Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag (with a star tip), or spread the frosting on with a knife. If desired, top with cherries.
To Make The Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in maraschino cherry juice and almond extract. Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in additional juice or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Makes 4 cups frosting.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
These are fabulous! I have to admit that I’m not a ‘from scratch’ kind of baker, but these were fairly easy and SO tasty! My only problem is that I’m not a pro with the pastry bag, so my frosting didn’t turn out as well. Any advice ladies? I think I didn’t have the right tip for my pastry bag? The frosting on these has almost a ribbon look to it. Luckily, the cupcakes are so delicious, I don’t think anyone is going to complain about the look of the frosting!
Hi Jenny!
I’m a Baker& find Amazon very helpful for locating suppliers of plastic disposable bags (I’d begin with @ least 16-18 inches), and buy the large tips. I could find good sales on a variety of 4 tips (5 day sale) for $5.00. I would recommend You learn a lot from the King Arthur Flour Website. They’ll show how to measure ingredients, etc. time will pass quickly in KAF I ❤️ there. If You need help I’m on fb Patricia Welch shows I’m retired, just Friend me. Joy!
i made these cupcakes, only i used cake flour and some self-rising flour.. they turned out really dense, like a pound cake, but delicious, nonetheless. i chopped up some of the cherries and threw them in the batter, too. loved the recipe.
This looks amazing!!
I made these tonight and they were amazing!! They were really easy to make and came out tasting delicious. They were a definite crowd-pleaser and I will be making them again soon! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
You always have the tastiest cupcake recipes. I’m always here for some of the others so I’m sure this one will become another go-to recipe as soon as I can figure out what to do with four egg yolks! Any suggestions? These look great!
These cupcakes are absolutely adorable! While I’m not normally a maraschino cherry fan, these look too tasty to resist!
I have made these cupcakes and they were absolutely fabulous!! Pain in the ass but fabulous….
gorgeous photos! these look absolutely beautiful :)
So pretty! I love these – they look so delicious! :)
These look great! I have to admit that I love maraschino cherries too :)