Cherry Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

This past weekend, I attended a super fun gingham & carnival themed BBQ thrown by Dustin, the teacher of the cupcakes & cocktails class I took last month! Everyone was asked to bring homemade dish with them and I volunteered to bring cupcakes. My plan was to make these awesome cherry pie stuffed chocolate cupcakes from Bake it in a Cake, but my tiny kitchen and limited counter space makes it really tough for me to roll out pie crust dough, so I adapted the recipe a bit. I filled the chocolate cupcakes with the cherry pie filling but didn't make the mini pie crusts, so they tasted great, but they didn't have the same wow factor when you cut them in half. But I saved myself a good hour of time and was able to get to the BBQ earlier, so it wasn't a total loss! :)

Cherry Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

makes 24 cupcakes

adapted from Bake it in a Cake

For the cupcakes...

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken or chopped into small pieces
• 1⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Preheat your oven 350°F. Line 2 standard muffin tins with 24 paper liners.
2. Place the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds on high. Stir and microwave for another 20 seconds. Stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted completely and is fully incorporated.
3. In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in each egg completely before adding the next. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Then, with the mixer on medium-low speed, add the vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add the cocoa powder.Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for another 30 seconds, until all the ingredients are well combined.
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour in 3 parts, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, mixing until each addition is completely incorporated before adding the next.
8. Finally, with the mixer on medium-high, drizzle in the cooled chocolate mixture. Continue to mix the batter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
9. Use a 1/4 cup measuring spoon to fill up the cupcake liners almost to the top.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cake springs back when you gently press your finger into the top of it.
11. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling...

• 1 cup cherry pie filling (about half of a large can)

1. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer to remove the centers of each cupcake.
2. Using a spoon, fill the center of each cupcake with cherry pie filling until it spills out of the top of the cupcake a little bit. 

For the frosting...

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 24 maraschino cherries for garnish

1. In the bowl of your standing mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Reduce speed to medium and add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat until frosting is fluffy and thick.
4. Fill up a piping bag and top each cupcake with a small swirl of buttercream.
5. Decorate with a maraschino cherry and enjoy!