Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Buttercream 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 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.

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.

CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy, about 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowls as necessary.
• Add vanilla and increase mixer speed to medium. Blend until frosting is fluffy, about 1 minute.