mini cherry cupcakes with chocolate cherry frosting

i wanted to make a dessert to take into work for valentine's day last week, so i decided to make mini cupcakes.  mini cupcakes are perfect for the office since they are practically bite sized.  plus, everything is just so much cuter in miniature format!

since it was valentine's day, i opted for a cupcake with a pink hue.  after debating what to make, i decided on mini cherry cupcakes with chocolate cherry frosting.

these cupcakes were a huge hit at the office.  one of my co-workers said: "wow, these little cupcakes sure pack a big punch of flavor!"  she was right.  the cupcake itself has a wonderful flavor thanks to chopped maraschino cherries and the juice from the maraschino cherries.  (the cherries not only give these cupcakes a great flavor, but a great pink color too!)  dark chocolate is a great compliment to cherries, so i topped these cupcakes with chocolate frosting that had a splash of maraschino cherry juice in it.  talk about a great combination!

for decoration, i added a few white nonpareils on top of the frosting.  the bright white nonpareils were so pretty against the dark color of the chocolate frosting.

these cupcakes were so good, and they didn't last long.  at one point throughout the day, i saw one of my co-workers break off the bottom of one of the cupcakes and place it on top of the frosting to make a cupcake sandwich.  i couldn't help but laugh.

no matter how you eat your cupcakes (regular or sandwich style), these cupcakes are delicioius!

mini cherry cupcakes with chocolate cherry frosting
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 20 minutes
yields: 24 mini cupcakes and 2 regular cupcakes

cupcake ingredients:
10 maraschino cherries
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup maraschino cherry liquid
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg white

frosting ingredients:
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3-4 tablespoons maraschino cherry liquid

directions:
to make the cupcakes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two mini muffin pans with 24 mini cupcake liners.  set aside.  finely chop approximately 10 maraschino cherries.  place the chopped cherries on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer until creamed together.  in a glass measuring cup, stir together the cherry liquid, milk, and almond extract.  in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.

beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter.  beat well after each addition.  in a separate bowl, beat the egg white with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  gently fold the beaten egg white into the batter.  fold in the chopped and drained cherries.  evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.  (note: this recipe makes enough batter for 24 mini cupcakes and 2 regular cupcakes.)  bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.    allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

to make the frosting, beat the softened butter with an electric hand mixer until smooth.  add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar along with the cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of the maraschino cherry liquid.  beat well to combine.  continue to add additional powdered sugar and maraschino cherry liquid as needed to reach desired frosting consistency.

enjoy!

love, laurie