Best Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes With Fennel Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Strain maraschino cherries over a large measuring cup. Count out 24 cherries with their stems intact and set aside on paper towels. Remove stems from the remaining cherries and place one in the bottom of each lined muffin cup.
• Stir cherry-flavored brandy into the cherry juice. Add more brandy or water to total 1 1/4 cups liquid. Pour liquid into a bowl.
• Add eggs and oil; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Evenly divide batter among the muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool in the tins for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. Combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Add vanilla extract and salt; beat for 1 minute more. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin.
• Frost each cupcake and garnish with the reserved cherries.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Bring cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove 2 tablespoons of cherry juice from the pot and place in a small bowl. Stir in cornstarch until thoroughly combined. Add cornstarch mixture to the pot and simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes more.
• Remove compote from heat and cool completely. Measure out 1 cup for the cupcake batter. Reserve remaining compote, about 6 tablespoons, for the frosting.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line or grease two standard 12-cup muffin tins.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat brown sugar, butter, and white sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour in 1/2 of the sour cream and cooled coffee; mix until just combined.
• Continue alternating additions of the flour mixture with sour cream and coffee, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, until batter is smooth. Do not overmix. Gently fold in 1 cup cherry compote. Fill each prepared muffin cup 2/3 full of batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the cupcakes spring back lightly when touched, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the tins for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Prepare cherry buttercream while the cupcakes are cooling. Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of cherry compote and beat on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined. Repeat twice more with remaining cherry compote, beating well after each addition. Add heavy cream and beat until frosting is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Spread or pipe frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, butter, eggs, and cranberry-cherry juice with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down side of bowl. Beat for 2 minutes on medium. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each prepared muffin cup. Spoon 1 teaspoon cherry pie filling on batter in each cup and top with another 1 tablespoon cupcake batter.
• Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups and cool completely on wire rack.
• For frosting: Place the white baking chips in a medium bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup over medium heat until nearly boiling. Pour the hot mixture over the white baking chips; stir until completely smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir the cream mixture into the white frosting until well mixed; set aside.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the semisweet chocolate chips on medium for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Place the maraschino cherries on paper towels to dry. Dip each dry cherry into melted semisweet chocolate and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet until chocolate hardens.
• Frost each cupcake with white chocolate frosting and top with a chocolate-covered cherry.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. , Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls into paper-lined muffin cups. Place a rounded teaspoonful of pie filling in the center of each cupcake. Set remaining pie filling aside. , Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , Frost cupcakes; top each with one cherry from pie filling. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Refrigerate remaining pie filling for another use.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Line 12 regular-size (2 1/2-in. diameter) muffin cups with paper or foil liners.
• Whisk flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl until blended; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a mixer on high speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
• Add egg and vanilla; beat 2 minutes or until fluffy.
• Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in milk (batter will look curdled), then the flour mixture just until blended.
• Spoon evenly into lined muffin cups Place a square of chocolate in center of each cupcake.
• Top with a cherry and another square of chocolate.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a pick inserted off center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool com-pletely (cupcakes will sink in center).
• Frosting: Beat cream cheese, but-ter and cherry juice in a medium bowl with mixer on high speed until blend-ed and smooth.
• Reduce speed to low; beat in confectioners' sugar.
• Refriger-ate 15 minutes or until firm enough to spread.
• Frost cupcakes.
• To garnish: Top each cupcake with 1 or 2 cherries.
• Melt chocolate bar and scrape into a ziptop bag.
• Cut a tip off a corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over half or all the cupcakes.
• Cover and refrigerate until serving or up to 1 day.

CHERRY CHEESE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. , Spoon into foil-lined muffin cups. Bake at 300° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine sour cream and the remaining sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spoon onto cupcakes. Return to the oven for 6-8 minutes or until set. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Top with pie filling; garnish with mint if desired. Store in the refrigerator.