Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes With Fennel Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and 1/2 teaspoon salt until combined. Fold in chocolate chips; set aside., In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and remaining sugar and salt. In another bowl, whisk the water, oil and vinegar; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. , Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full with batter. Drop filling by heaping tablespoonfuls into the center of each. Bake at 350° for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, cocoa, butter, milk and vanilla; beat until blended. Frost cupcakes; sprinkle with pecans. Store in the refrigerator.

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.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH FENNEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• 1. Chop cherries and transfer to a small bowl. Cover in brandy and set aside to plump overnight. 2. Melt chocolate and butter over a water bath 3. add sugar and stir, let mixture cool for 10 minutes 4. Beat in an electric mixer for 3 minutes 5. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 30 seconds between each 6. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into the mixture and mix until blended 7. Fold in cherries drained of the brandy 8. Scoop into cupcake cups and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean Frosting 1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours 2. Heat sugar and water in a small pan under medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved 3. Crush fennel seeds slightly with a mortar and pestle or with the back of a heavy pan on a cutting board 4. Add seeds to the sugar and let boil over medium-low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is syrupy. Set aside to cool. 5. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment 6. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy 7. Add half of the sugar and the fennel syrup. Beat until combined 8. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like

CHERRY-FILLED CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350º F.
• Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Spoon 2 Tbsp. batter into each of 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Top each with 1 cherry; cover with remaining batter.
• Bake 20 to 23 min. or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove from pan to wire racks. Cool completely.
• Microwave chocolate in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until almost melted, stirring every 30 sec.; stir until completely melted. Cool 5 min. Add sugar, cream cheese and vanilla; beat with mixer until blended. Gradually add milk, beating until blended. Spread onto cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE-OREO®-BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two 12-cup muffin tins or line cups with paper liners.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk in white sugar and brown sugar.
• Beat eggs, water, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl. Add sour cream and oil and beat well. Add egg mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture and mix well until no dry spots remain. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place cream cheese and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add confectioners' sugar and mix on medium-low speed; whip into a firm consistency, 2 to 5 minutes. Frosting will thicken as you whip. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to thin if necessary.
• Crush whole cookies into crumbs in a food processor. Mix cookie crumbs into frosting using a rubber spatula. Chill frosting in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before piping onto cooled cupcakes.