Hello Lil’ Luna readers! It’s me Natalie, from Life Made Simple. Today I’m sharing some super sweet cupcakes with you all! They’re packed full of maraschino cherries which gives them that pretty pink tint. Don’t you think they’d be perfect for Valentines Day?!
Cherry-almond is one of my husband’s favorite flavor combos. So I thought it would be fun to come up with a cupcake version for him! I started with a vanilla almond base and chopped up a handful of maraschino cherries for color & flavor. They baked up beautifully!
As soon as they were cool, I whipped up a batch of my favorite buttercream recipe and added a bit of almond extract to it. It turned out light, fluffy and really tasty!
All that was left to do was place a cherry on top of each cupcake. They were so yummy I can’t wait to make them again. I hope you’ll give these cupcakes a try- they’re the perfect treat for all of the sweethearts in your life!
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- ⅔ c. cake flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ¾ c. + 2 tbsp. buttermilk
- 3 tbsp. maraschino cherry juice
- 8 finely chopped maraschino cherries
- 3 egg whites
- 16 tbsp. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp. heavy cream
- 3½ – 4 c. powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard cupcake pan with 16 liners, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the almond extract.
- In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup mix together the buttermilk, cherry juice and chopped cherries. With mixing speed on low, alternate dry and wet ingredients, mix until batter is smooth and homogeneous (being careful not to over mix).
- In a medium size mixing bowl (using a hand mixer), beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each ¾ of the way full. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (about 25 minutes).
- While cupcakes are cooling, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Beat until fluffy (2-3 minutes). With mixing speed on low, add heavy cream, then gradually add ½ c. powdered sugar at a time until the mixture becomes soft but firm enough to hold it’s shape. Beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes until light and fluffy.If the consistency is too thick, add a little more cream and beat for 30 seconds more. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes, decorate with crushed almonds or cherries if desired.
Thanks again Kristyn for having me!
You can find more recipes & craft ideas here:
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I’m a HUGE fan of almond extract.. And these cupcakes look amazing.
Such a perfect Valentine’s Day treat!! Thanks for sharing Natalie!
For more recipes from her, go visit her at Life Made Simple.
For more recipes perfect for Valentine’s, check out these posts here on the site:
Valentine’s Dirt Cake Parfaits
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ENJOY!
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Yum – thank you.
Well if these are the prettiest cupcakes I ever did see!
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I love cherry and almond together. Almond extract is my favorite thing! These cupcakes look adorable!
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That is the most perfect swirl on those cupcakes!
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That pink color is so cute, and the cherry almond flavor is spot on!
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Great looking cupcakes. They almost look to cute to eat 🙂
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Um, yes please! These look incredible! XO
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I made these today. These were my 1st attempt at “from scratch” cupcakes – I like watching the “cupcake wars” show!! They definitely make it look easier on tv! Mine didn’t turn out as pretty as yours. I may have baked them a bit too long as they were slightly dry but not too bad. Mine are not as pink as yours. I like the cherries cut up inside and I think I would addmore of them the next time. I love the buttercream. Thx for sharing
You are so welcome!! Sounds like you did great! You’ll get the hang of it 🙂 Thank you!