One of my favorite things about an ice cream sundae is eating the maraschino cherry. I have met some people who don’t like these cherries and, I have to admit, I find that a bit odd. How can you not like a sugary because it’s candied fruit?
These cupcakes from Your Cup of Cake are pretty easy to make since a box mix is used to make the cake portion. Add a little almond extract and some maraschino cherries and you have a very special cupcake.
Almond Cherry Cupcakes
makes 20-24 cupcakes
Almond Cherry Cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 C. oil
3/4 C. milk or buttermilk
1/2 C. sour cream or plain yogurt
2 tsp. almond extract
1 C. Maraschino cherries, roughly chopped
Almond Buttercream:
1 C. butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
3-4 C. powdered sugar
milk, if needed
20-24 Maraschino cherries with stems for decoration
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with cupcakes liners.
2. Sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lumps and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine eggs, oil, milk, sour cream and almond extract until smooth.
4. Stir in cake mix.
5. Fold in chopped maraschino cherries.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-22 minutes.
7. Almond Buttercream: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add almond extract and slowly add in powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, add a little milk.
8. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles and more Maraschino cherries.