Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes

Are you still looking for that special treat to make for your Valentine?  I have 3 little words: Cherry Vanilla Cupcakes. 

These cupcakes are easy to make - they're beautifully pink color makes them the perfect Valentine AND they are amazingly delicious.  What could be more perfect?

I will walk you through the baking process step by step.  What could possibly go wrong?  :)

Cherry Vanilla Cupcake

• 3-1/3 cups (370 g) sifted cake flour
• 1-1/2 tablespoons (20 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (7 g) salt
• 1-3/4 cups (415 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) cherry juice (from the jar of cherries)
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.75 ml) almond extract
• 2-1/4 cups (450 g) vanilla sugar (or regular sugar)
• 1-1/2 sticks (173 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (178 ml) finely chopped maraschino cherries

Cherry Buttercream
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
16 whole cherries for decoration

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

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Combine milk, egg whites, cherry juice and almond extract in a separate bowl.

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Cream butter and sugar in bowl of standing mixer.

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Add dry ingredients in 3 separate batches, alternating with wet ingredients.

Chop cherries and fold into batter.

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Scoop batter into muffin pan and bake 23 minutes at 350.

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Cool on a wire rack.

To make cherry buttercream, make a batch of vanilla buttercream and add cherry juice and a drop of pink food coloring.

Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

There you go ... easy as pie ... uummmm ... I mean cupcakes.  Super easy cupcakes that will melt your Valentine's heart. 

Ciao!