If you love chocolate covered cherries then this indulgent chocolate cherry cupcakes recipe is for you! Moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a decadent puff of creamy maraschino cherry buttercream frosting to create a pretty, homemade cupcake that no one can resist!
For this recipe you'll need: all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, butter, powdered sugar, maraschino cherries, maraschino cherry juice, whipping cream
Hi there! My name's Fiona and today I'm stopping in here at Restless Chipotle to share these Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes. They're moist, super chocolate-y cupcakes topped with maraschino cherry frosting. And they're definitely one of the best recipes I've made in awhile.
But before we get into the cupcakes recipe - let me introduce myself. I blog over at Just So Tasty and I love baking sweet treats. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, you name it. Anything with chocolate is definitely my favorite.
So I figured it only made sense to share something chocolate-y today.
These chocolate cherry cupcakes start with a perfectly moist chocolate cupcake. Then they're frosted with maraschino cherry frosting and topped with a cherry. The chocolate is rich, the frosting is fluffy, and the cherry on top is... well, you get it.
To get started, we'll whisk together the dry ingredients for the cupcakes: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then we'll beat together the oil, sugar, eggs & vanilla. I like to use oil in chocolate cupcakes because it keeps them extra soft. Then finally the flour mixture and milk are mixed in and we're ready to bake.
Now, as delicious as these chocolate cupcakes are - my favorite part is the maraschino frosting. (Yes, I'm definitely one of those people who eats cake for the frosting).
It's fluffy, creamy, sweet and has such a pretty pink color. It's a simple buttercream frosting recipe, but we're adding the syrup from the jar of maraschino cherries to it. I also added a drop or two of red food coloring for a brighter color, but that's totally up to you.
I love these for special occasions. I'll often pair them with the rose gold velvet cupcakes.
This cupcakes recipe reminds me of chocolate covered cherries in the best possible way, and because the frosting is bright pink - they're extra pretty.
You're going to love the combination of chocolate cupcake and cherry frosting. And if you're looking for cupcakes that are a little out of the box - then you'll definitely want to try these.
Fun Variations on this Recipe!
- Add a drizzle of melted chocolate on top of each cupcake
- Cut a hole in the top of each cupcake, and fill it with cherry pie filling
- Swap chocolate cupcakes for vanilla
- Decorate each cupcake with chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips
You might also like these classic marble cupcakes! If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
Print Rate RecipeIngredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk, , room temperature
For the Cherry Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, , softened
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar, , sifted
- 3-4 tablespoons cherry syrup, , from the jar of maraschino cherries
- 2-3 tablespoons whipping cream
- 18 maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line 2 muffin trays with muffin papers. You'll end up with about 18-20 cupcakes total.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Then in a separate bowl beat together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Carefully beat the the flour mixture followed by the milk, adding about ½ of each at a time.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan filling each about ⅔ full (you'll end up with about 18-20 cupcakes total). Then bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the frosting. Beat the butter until fluffy using an electric mixer on medium speed. Then turn down the mixer to low and slowly beat in 4 cups of powdered sugar.
- Then beat in the maraschino cherry juice 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired flavor is reached. Finally, beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and the whipping cream until you get the sweetness level and consistency that you prefer.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes using either a knife or a piping bag (I used a 1M tip), and top each with a cherry.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Love this recipe?
Subscribe to the free membership group and never miss another recipe!
Donna says
When I make cupcakes, I like to make Texas size. Do you have any idea how long the baking time would be? Thank you.