Spiked Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

These are a holiday take on my earlier experiment with Chocolate Cherry, but better because there’s alcohol? This frosting seems to let the cherry come through in the cake more than the original chocolate frosting. I also tried to get all martha by attempting some candy cane swirls.  My hands look bloody, but hey it tastes good. Don’t worry about it.  

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup veggie oil
• 1 cup canned cherry pie filling
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup cherry or cranberry juice
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp chambord
• 1 tbsp cherry bitters

In a small bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer, whisk together sugar and oil. Mix in cherry pie filling, vanilla and almond extract. Alternately mix in flour mixture and cherry juice, bitters & chambord until smooth. Mix in vinegar.

Divide batter and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Frosting

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese
• 6-7 cups powdered sugar
• Cherry bitters to taste
• Red gel food coloring
• pastry bag
• toothpicks
• red hots for decoration

Mix cream cheese and bitters together until smooth. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar.

Set your pastry bag upright, maybe in a glass.  Dab some food coloring on the end of a toothpick and drag from the bottom to the top of the pastry bag, do this 3-4 times.  Fill with frosting.  Squeeze onto a paper towel until you begin to see the red. Then go for it!