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| cherry chocolate cupcakes |
Every year the majority of my friends in DC go down to spend Memorial Day weekend in Duck North Carolina. It’s a great weekend full of karaoke, bocce, sun tans and luaus. Normally I go down too, but this year the trip down to Low Country with Butchie was something I just couldn’t pass up…though waking up at 6 am to drive back that morning from Durham, NC was not my ideal, it did put me back in DC in time to have a barbecue with the other of my friends and Stephen, who were in town for the holiday weekend.
Stephen sweetly thought to tell me not to worry about the potato salad (that I’m addicted to) and that he’d take care of it. He wanted me to “take some time to relax after the long drive. Doctor’s orders!”…instead I made cupcakes. I’ve never been very good at following a doctor’s instructions. But the cupcakes I made were just an enhanced cake mix so that can hardly detract too much from my relaxation.
I love chocolate-cherry everything, and thought to try out a different rendition of my chocolate covered cherry cupcakes. The cherry flavor is light and contrasts nicely with the density of the chocolate cake.
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| cherry chocolate cupcakes |
Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes
1 package devils food cake mix
1 package pudding mix
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 6 oz. jar maraschino cherries
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare cupcake tins. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the maraschino cherry syrup and reserve for the glaze.
Pour remaining cherry syrup into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Add water until the mixture is 1 1/3 cups full.
Pour cake mix and pudding mix into a stand mixer. Blend slightly and then add the cherry water. Continue to mix in vegetable oil and eggs one at a time.
Pour cake batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out cleanly. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool before frosting.
Cherry Chocolate Glaze
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup
Measure all ingredients into a bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring well in between each session until smooth and glossy.
Spread warm glaze over tops of each cupcake and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Enjoy!
