Chocolate and Cherry Cupcakes

Chocolate makes cherries taste good! The fruit to chocolate ratio was perfect and I actually enjoyed these chocolate cupcakes. I am using a different cocoa and I think it has made all the difference. That, or my tastes are changing. It's been nicer making salads than cupcakes lately because it is just super hot, muggy...sweaty miserable...and the oven being on doesn't help, but I was having baking with drawl so Gabe and I trekked to Safeway and purchased the missing ingredients needed to bake these cuter than cute cupcakes. I still haven't perfected my technique for making homemade cream topping, but who needs cream when you have chocolate and cherries? These were a hit for the lucky few who were able to taste them. This recipe is in the running with the ginger cupcake for "best in show". Now, that I have bragged and bragged about how marvelous this combination is, here's the recipe...in case you are interested in wowing and dazzling your friends, families, and co-workers too.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

4 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup sweet butter softened

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped cherries (fresh not maraschino)

2 tbsp kirsch

Topping:

3/4 heavy cream

3 tbsp confectioners sugar

whole cherries to top each cupcake

3 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate bar

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325

Place baking cups in muffin pans

In medium bowl sift flour, cocoa, baking powder

Cream sugar and butter in large bowl

Add eggs to sugar/butter one at a time (mix well after each egg)

Add dry mixture to wet mixture

Mix in cherries

Stir to combine all ingredients

Bake for 20 minutes

Remove and cool for 5 minutes

Pour kirsch over each cupcake

Topping Instructions:

Whip cream and sugar until stiff

Use vegetable peeler to shave curls of chocolate from the bar

Garnish each cupcake with cream, chocolate shavings, and finally top with whole cherry