Best chocolate cherry mini cakes
18 Cupcakes
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1½ | cup | All-purpose flour |
| 1 | cup | Sugar |
| ¼ | cup | Hershey's Cocoa OR- European Style Cocoa |
| 1 | teaspoon | Baking soda |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 | cup | Water |
| ⅔ | cup | Vegetable oil |
| 1 | tablespoon | White vinegar |
| 1 | teaspoon | Vanilla extract |
| ¼ | cup | Milk |
| 2 | tablespoons | All-purpose flour |
| ¼ | cup | Shortening |
| 1 | teaspoon | Almond extract |
| 2¼ | cup | Powdered sugar |
| ¼ | cup | Chopped maraschino cherries drained (optional) |
| Few drops red food color (optional) | ||
Directions
CHERRY CREAM FROSTING
Heat oven to 350øF. Line muffin cups (2-½ inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Fill muffin cups ⅔ full with batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.
Prepare CHERRY CREAM FROSTING; pipe or spread onto top of each cupcake. Top with maraschino cherry. Cover; refrigerate leftovers.
About 1-½ dozen cupcakes.
CHERRY CREAM FROSTING: In small saucepan, stir together milk and flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture thickens and just begins to boil. Remove from heat; refrigerate until chilled. In medium bowl, beat flour mixture, shortening, almond extract and powdered sugar until smooth. If cherries are used, dry thoroughly on paper towels; stir into mixture with food color, if desired.
[Hershey's is a registered trademark of Hershey Foods Corporation.] [Recipe may be reprinted courtesy of the Hershey Kitchens.] Meal-Master recipe format courtesy of Karen Mintzias