I whipped up a batch of cherry vanilla cupcakes yesterday for Valentine’s Day. Mac and I spent a super romantic evening wandering around Lowe’s shopping for lamps and rugs. I originally found the recipe via Pinterest and made it into cupcakes instead of a round cake. I did use pasteurized egg whites which aren’t supposed to whip up, but I possess a greater will than said egg whites.

The cupcakes are really moist and tender. I love the balance of the chopped cherries, cherry juice, and the vanilla extract. The vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream is a bit time-consuming but is totally worth the effort. It’s light and creamy and perfectly delicious with the cake.

Cherry vanilla cupcakes

Author: Sprinkle Bakes
Yield: 18 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

Maraschino Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 tablespoons flour for sprinkling over diced cherries
10 oz bottle maraschino cherries, finely chopped
4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (my delicious addition)

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Instructions

Maraschino cake

Preheat oven to 340 degrees. Line muffin tins (I wound up with about 18).
Beat the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Combine milk, cherry juice, and almond extract and add alternately to the butter and sugar with the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the diced cherries and stir until the flour has been completely absorbed. Note: It’s okay if the cherries still have a little juice on them after this.
Stir cherries into the batter.
Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter. Pour into lined tins and bake 15-18 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Set a saucepan filled one-third full of water over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Set over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase to medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.
Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has cooled (the mixing bowl should feel cool to the touch).
Turn the mixer off and switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle. Turn the mixer on medium-low and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, beating until well incorporated before the next addition.
Add the vanilla extract. Beat until the frosting is thick and completely smooth.
Store in an airtight container until ready for use. Enjoy these with a nice cold glass of water in order to prevent a sugar coma.

Notes

Make sure your butter isn’t too soft. If it is, your buttercream won’t come together, and you will wind up adding a lot of powdered sugar to tighten it up.

Cherry vanilla cupcakes