Chocolate Cherry Cupcake Recipe Yield: 14 cupcakes 2 C all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 C cocoa powder 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 C brown sugar 2 large eggs 2/3 C sour cream 2 tsp vanilla extract 2/3 C liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries (I used a jar from Whole Foods with no high-fructose corn syrup) 8 oz dark chocolate chips In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder. In another medium-sized bowl, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Mix eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and cherry liquid into the wet ingredients. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide evenly between 14 cupcake liners. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Your Frosting ChoicesMaraschino Cherry Buttercream Frosting Note: Double this recipe if you prefer lots of frosting. 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature 2 C powdered sugar (If you prefer a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar.) 5 tbsp liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (you can use vanilla extract instead, but vanilla bean paste is so much better - read my post on vanilla bean paste for more details) 2 tbsp milk Mix butter and powdered sugar until the mixture looks like frosting. Mix in the cherry liquid, vanilla bean paste, and milk.  Pipe or spread on cupcakes. Black Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting Note: Double this recipe if you prefer lots of frosting. 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature 3 C powdered sugar 6 tbsp black cherry jam 2 tsp chocolate extract (You can use vanilla extract if you don’t want to buy something special, but the chocolate extract adds a subtle chocolate flavor while allowing the frosting to remain pink.) Mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until the mixture looks like frosting. Mix in jam and chocolate extract until combined. Spread or pipe on cupcakes. (via Cupcake Project)
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Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frostingcake from Martha Stewart, frosting inspired by Milk and Honey Cafemakes ~1 dozenINGREDIENTS:1/3 cup strawberry puree1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon coarse salt1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature1 cup sugar1 large egg, room temperature2 large egg whites, room temperatureDIRECTIONS: To make strawberry puree, start with approximately 2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed strawberries (I used frozen). Heat berries and a tablespoon or two of sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, mashing them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Cook the berries until they are very soft. Remove from heat and let cool. Blend the strawberries until smooth and strain to remove any large pieces.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and 1/3 cup of the strawberry puree; set aside.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes (mine only took about 15 minutes). Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.For the frosting8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature1 tsp. vanilla extract3-4 cups powdered sugar1/4 cup strawberry pureeIn the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. Sift in 3 cups of powdered sugar until well incorporated and fluffy. Add strawberry puree and beat to combine. Taste frosting and check for consistency, if a sweeter flavor or thicker texture is desired, sift in an additional cup or more of powdered sugar, to taste.Frost cooled cupcakes and store in the refrigerator until 15 minutes or so before serving.**Once my frosting had came together, it was still a bit runny to hold up well to piping. I chilled my frosting in the mixing bowl for about an hour, then beat it again briefly before frosting. If you aren’t going to pipe your frosting, you could skip this extra chill without any problem.
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Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcakesyields ~30 cupcakes1 (18.25 oz.) package Devil’s Food cake mix1 (5.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix1 cup sour cream1 cup vegetable oil4 large eggs1/2 cup warm water2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chipsPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper baking cups.In a large bowl, sift together the cake and pudding mixes. Mix in sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and water until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared cupcake pans. (I filled each cupcake with 3 tablespoons of batter.)Bake for 20-24 minutes, until tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cook in pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooking rack to cool completely.Cookies and Cream Buttercream Frosting2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup shortening, at room temperature1/8 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract2 lbs. powdered sugar4-6 tablespoons very cold milk8 crushed Oreo cookies (cream filling removed before crushing)Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the salt and vanilla extract; combine well. Begin sifting in the powdered sugar in three or four parts, mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all the sugar has been added and mixed in, begin adding the milk slowly, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved (you may not use all of the milk). Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.*I had just enough frosting for the 30 cupcakes.
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 Janet’s Black Bottom Cupcakes Recipe Ingredients  1 8-oz pkg cream cheese1 large egg1 1/3 cups granulated sugar3/4 tsp kosher salt1 cup mini–chocolate chips1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa1 tsp baking soda1/2 cup canola oil1 tsp white vinegar1 tsp pure vanilla extract Preparation 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line mini-muffin tins with paper liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup of the sugar and 1/4 tsp of the salt in a large bowl until creamy; stir in the chocolate chips.2. In a second large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, remaining cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Add the oil, vinegar, vanilla and 1 cup water, and mix until fully incorporated.3. Spoon enough of the chocolate batter into each cup so that they are filled halfway (about 2 level tsp each). Top each with a rounded tsp of the cream cheese mixture, gently spreading it over the chocolate.4. Bake until the cupcakes are puffed and barely golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
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Banana Split Cupcakes(Makes about 30 cupcakes) INGREDIENTS:1 (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix, divided1 cup water1 cup mashed ripe bananas3 eggs1 cup chopped drained maraschino cherries1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided1 1/2 cups prepared vanilla frosting*1 cup marshmallow Fluff (Fluff works the best and doesn’t make the frosting runny)30 whole maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry*I’m not in the frosting tub fan club, so if you have time I would highly suggest substituting your favorite vanilla frosting here. Cook’s Country has a great frosting recipe that mykitchencafe describes wonderfully here.DIRECTIONS:1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 30 regular-size (2 1/2 inch) muffin cups with paper muffin cup liners.2. Reserve 2 T cake mix in a small bowl. Combine remaining cake mix, water, bananas and eggs in a large bowl. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pat chopped cherries dry with a paper towel (I try to squeeze a lot of moisture out here) and combine with reserved cake mix in small bowl. Stir chopped cherry mixture and 1 cup chocolate chips into batter.3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.4. Combine frosting and marshmallow fluff in medium bowl until well blended. Frost each cupcake with frosting mixture.Recipe source: Adapted from 100 Best Bake Sale Recipes
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Rainbow Cupcakes 1 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter) 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla extract red, yellow, green and blue food colorings Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 10 cups from a 12 cup muffin tin (or line with paper cups). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Pour in dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Divide batter evenly into 5 small bowls; each should have a little more than 1/3 cup batter (approx 6 tbsp or so for each). Add about 1/2 tsp food coloring to each bowl to make red, orange, yellow, green and blue batters. Stir well, so no streaks of plain batter remain. Add additional food coloring if necessary. Starting with the blue batter, add a small spoonful to each of the 10 grease muffin cups (just over 1/2 tbsp in each). Repeat with all remaining colors, working from green to yellow to orange to red, adding each subsequent spoonful on top of the previous color. Do not attempt to spread the layers of color out (as it can cause layers to combined), but allow them to spread on their own. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting. Makes 10 Quick Buttercream Frosting 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 3 tbsp milk 1 tsp vanilla extract approx 3 cups confectioners’ sugar In a large bowl, beat together butter, milk and vanilla. Gradually add in the confectioners sugar until frosting reaches a thick, spreadable consistency. You will probably use 2 1/2-3 cups. Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
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Almond Amaretto Cupcake Recipe (gluten-free!) Yield: 12 cupcakes 1 C unsalted butter  2 C almond meal pinch of salt 1 1/3 C caster sugar (I used C&H Baker’s Sugar, which can be found more easily in U.S. grocery stores.  It’s a very fine granulated sugar.) 4 large eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 3 tbsp Amaretto liqueur Melt the butter in a saucepan (or the microwave) and set aside to cool. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the almond meal, salt, and sugar until well combined.  In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and Amaretto until combined. Add the cooled melted butter to the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between 12 cupcake liners. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned and bounce back when lightly touched. Amaretto Whipped Cream Recipe 1 C heavy whipping cream 1 tbsp powered sugar 5 tbsp Amaretto liqueur sliced almonds (optional) Whip heavy whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream. Mix in powdered sugar and Amaretto until just combined. Pipe or spread on cooled cupcakes. Optionally, top cupcakes with almond slices. (via Cupcake Project)
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Coconut Milk Cupcakes with Coconut FrostingMakes 20 – 22 cupcakes For the cupcakes 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs 3 cups sifted cake flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup coconut milk 1 teaspoon coconut extract 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract For the frosting 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon coconut extract Shredded, sweetened coconut Unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°. Line standard sized muffin tins with cupcake liners. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until batter is well combined. Sift together the already sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter alternately with the coconut milk until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Stir in coconut and vanilla extract. Pour batter into cupcake liners no more than two-thirds of the way full. Bake for 25 - 28 minutes, until light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting. For the frosting, cream together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and coconut extract. Add more coconut extract, if desired. Slather cupcakes with a dallop of frosting and spread evenly. Generously top each frosted cupcake with shredded, sweetened coconut or unsweetened toasted coconut flakes. (via the kitchn)
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Cupcake Ingredients3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour1 and 1/2 cups of white sugar1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda3/4 teaspoon of baking powder3/4 teaspoon of salt2 large eggs3/4 cup of warm water3/4 cup of buttermilk1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract Frosting Ingredients 1-8 oz package of cream cheese2 cups of cold whipping cream5 tablespoons of seedless strawberry jam1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract1 cup of icing sugarDIRECTIONS:1. Preheat oven to 350°.Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  2. Sift cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth with an electric mixer (about 3 minutes). 3. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks, and let cool. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days. 4. Make the whipped cream. Whip 2 cups of whipping cream (35% M.F) on high until you achieve soft peaks. I used my stand mixer and it took about 4 minutes to get to the soft peak stage. 5. To make the frosting, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes at medium to high speed). Add the vanilla and whip thoroughly. Add the strawberry jam (make sure it is seedless!) and whip until well combined. While the mixer is on low, add the icing sugar gradually. Once icing sugar is well combined, fold in the whipped cream by hand. 6. Frost cupcakes as desired. Decorate the top of the cupcakes with bittersweet chocolate curls and sliced fresh strawberries. Note: if you want frosting that is a bit more vibrant, feel free to add some gel paste icing tint.  (via The Fig Tree: Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting)
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Lemon-licious CupcakesINGREDIENTS: Cake-1 package yellow cake mix1 3.5oz package instant lemon pudding mix3/4 cup vegetable oil4 large eggs Glaze- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar1/3 cup fresh lemon juicegrated zest of 1/2-1 lemon1 tbsp butter (vegetable oil can be substituted)2-3 tbsp milk DIRECTIONS: Combine cake mix, pudding mix, and oil in an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, making sure to incoperate completely each time.  Pour batter into lined muffin tin, half way up each cup.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until bouncy to the touch.  Let them cool for a minute or 2, and while they are still hot turn onto a tea towel. To make the glaze, in a medium bowl add sugar, lemon juice, zest and oil, combine well. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time until reaching the desired consistency for dipping. With your fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they are still warm, covering the entire top of cupcake. Place on wire racks with wax paper underneath to catch any glaze that may drip. Let the glaze set (for about an hour) before storing in air-tight containers. (via Pretty in Pink Sweets: lemon)
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Chocolate-Cherry Layered Cupcakes Recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 box devil’s food cake mixWater, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box1/2 teaspoon almond extract, if desired1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling2 containers (4 oz each) vanilla pudding1 container (1 lb) creamy chocolate frosting DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes, using water, oil, eggs and almond extract. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.2. Just before serving, remove paper baking cups. Cut cupcake in half horizontally with serrated knife. On bottom half of cupcake, spoon 1 tablespoon cherry pie filling; top with 2 teaspoons vanilla pudding. Replace top of cupcake.3. Remove lid and foil cover from frosting container. Microwave frosting on High 30 seconds. Stir thoroughly until very soft and smooth, microwaving an additional 5 to 15 seconds if necessary. Spoon 1 tablespoon frosting over top of cupcake. Top with 1 cherry from pie filling.4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with remaining cupcakes. Serve immediately. Just the two of you? Bake and cool cupcakes as directed. Make desired number of layered cupcakes. Wrap remaining cupcakes tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 2 months.
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