When life is crazy, I bake! If you’ve got a million things going on in your life and want to de-stress, turn up some music in your kitchen, fire up the oven and bake! I highly recommend it! Some people find baking tedious, but it gives me the ability to concentrate all of my thoughts and efforts in one area and gets my mind off anything else that might be going on. It is very relaxing…and tasty in the end!
I recently made Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes from a recipe I found in “Cupcakes,” one of the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications. Yes, I shared some cupcakes…but the best part of a batch of 24 cupcakes is that even if you share some, you still get to keep a lot for yourself! (I saved a few for my breakfast for the next three days, hahaha).
Here is the delicious recipe for Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes with Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting! (Thanks Better Homes & Gardens!!)
Ingredients for the Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 egg whites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (which I had to go to two different stores to even find!!)
- 1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Total of 36 maraschino cherries (12 to cut in half to place inside the cupcakes and 24 whole cherries to top off the cupcakes!)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- About 7 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- Let the butter and egg whites to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line muffin pans with 24 paper baking cups.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
- In another dish, combine your 3/4 cup buttermilk with 1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice and also set aside.
- Beat your 1/2 cup butter in a mixer on high speed for 30 seconds.
- Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until combined.
- Add in the egg whites, one at a time. Be sure to beat well after each one.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and your buttermilk mixture, continually beating.
- Scoop your batter evenly into your 24 muffin cups.
- Cut 12 cherries in half, and then press a half cherry into each one of your cupcake batters.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
- Let the 1/2 cup butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Beat your butter in a mixer until smooth.
- Slowly add in 1 cup powdered sugar.
- Beat in 3 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice.
- Gradually beat in the 3 additional cups of powdered sugar.
- Add in approximately 4 more tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice to make the frosting a good consistency.
- Decorate your cupcakes with your frosting and then top with a whole maraschino cherry!
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