CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY CUPCAKES

Chocolate-covered Cherry Cupcakes image

Provided by RecipeNut

Categories Dessert

Time 40m

Yield 12 cupcakes, 12 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 18

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter, softened (5 Tbsp plus 1 tsp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 (1 5/8 ounce) hershey milk chocolate candy bars, each broken in 12 squares
12 maraschino cherries, without stems,patted dry with paper towels
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine, softened
2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 hershey milk chocolate candy bar, melted
stemmed maraschino cherry, patted dry

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.