Cherry Coke Cupcakes with Cola Frosting

"Tastes like soda," commented Groom 4.0 when I had him try these cherry Coke cupcakes without knowing what they were.  Score!  Goal achieved.  He went on to say that if Bride 4.0 didn't pick these as her choice for their wedding cupcakes, he would replace his selection, Piña Colada cupcakes, with these.  He didn't need to worry - after two bites of these moist maraschino-filled cherry Coke cupcakes, Bride 4.0 was already picturing 80 of them on her wedding cupcake stand.

Cherry Coke cupcakes require an ingredient that you don't have and probably aren't going to be able to find at any store near you.  Sorry!  The good news is that it's cheap (just $5.95) and I'll tell you where to get it online (no, I'm not being paid to write this, and I get no kickback).   The secret ingredient that is no longer a secret is Kool Kola extract from The Homemade Soda Company.  While there are quite a few recipes online for cola-flavored cupcakes, what makes mine really pop (soda-pop that is) is the cola extract.  I use it in the cake (in addition to actual cola) and to make frosting that tastes just like Coke without being watery.  You could certainly try making cherry Coke cupcakes without the extract, but they just won't be the same.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes, Two Ways

Let me begin with a warning:  These cherry chocolate cupcakes are cupcakes to eat not after a meal but as a meal.  Many of my cupcakes are dense, but these cherry chocolate cupcakes are chocolate boulders.  The batter is so chocolate-laden that eating one of these cupcakes equates to consuming a solid chocolate bar and a cupcake simultaneously.  Stop reading now if you want a dainty, frilly cupcake for a bridal or baby shower.

I made two different kinds of frosting for these chocolate cherry cupcakes: maraschino cherry buttercream and chocolate black cherry cream cheese.  Both were huge hits with my tasters (they said the frostings were their favorite part of the cupcakes).  My personal preference, however, was to eat the cupcakes sans frosting with a tall glass of milk. 

How to Ship Cupcakes

It is notoriously hard to ship cupcakes.  When trying to ship cupcakes, there is that pesky problem of keeping the cupcakes from turning upside-down and the gift arriving as a frosted box rather than frosted cupcakes. 

So How Do You Ship Cupcakes?

Pistachio Cake Cupcakes with Rosemary and a Cherry Glaze

Seeing some leftover crumbs of this pistachio cake cupcake on a party napkin, one would think that it was a simple yellow cake.  Unlike most of the pistachio cake recipes that you will find with a quick Google search for "pistachio cake recipes", this cake isn't green - there is no green food coloring and no instant pudding.  Interestingly, this pistachio cake recipe doesn't use any pistachios (except on top for decoration).   All of the pistachio flavor in the cake comes from pistachio oil. 

Using pistachio oil gives these pistachio cake cupcakes an intense pistachio flavor (think pistachio ice cream) without adding crunch.  If you like crunch, you could always throw some nuts into the batter.

Rosemary, You Say?

Rosemary is typically found in more savory baked goods, such as focaccia bread.  But, it worked like a cupcake charm with the pistachio cake.  It made the cake taste woodsy like something Hansel and Gretel would have enjoyed in the forest after they grew up and developed more refined palates.  I wish I could take credit for the flavor combination idea, but full accolades go out to The Flavor Bible (more on that book in an upcoming post).

And The Cherry Glaze?

The cherry glaze mostly serves to add a pretty pink top to the cupcake.  The cherry flavor is not particularly detectable, but if you love sugar glazes like I do, this is a nice one to add to your arsenal.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Black forest cupcakes are just like black forest cake, but in cupcake form. Black forest cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes soaked in cherry liqueur, with a cherry filling, a whipped cream topping, and cherries and chocolate on top.

According to What's Cooking America, black forest cake was named in the late 16th century after the Black Forest Region in Germany (Der Schwarzwald in German) located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. In German, black forest cake is called Schwarzwälderkirschtorte.

These black forest cupcakes were light, fluffy, and incredibly moist. Because of the cherry filling and liqueur, they were almost too moist to eat without a fork. This didn't seem to bother anyone!

Black Forest Cupcakes Recipe

I got the recipe for the cake portion of the black forest cupcakes from AllRecipes. The cake itself is simply a chocolate cake. All of the cherry flavor comes from soaking the cake in liqueur and the cherry filling. This happens to be a delicious chocolate cake recipe, but feel free to use your favorite chocolate cake recipe instead. The recipe is reprinted below with my notes and cupcake adaptation.

Makes around 16 cupcakes

• 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
• 2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 1/2 C white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t coffee extract (This is optional. I just threw it in to add a little depth of flavor. Coffee extract is a handy thing to have around. You can buy it on Amazon.)
  
• 1 1/2 C buttermilk

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
   
3. Beat in eggs and extracts.
   
4. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 F for twenty minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.
   

Cherry Filling Recipe and How to Fill The Cupcake

Many black forest cake recipes call for using a store-bought cherry pie filling. If you can get your hands on some fresh cherries, there is no excuse to not make the filling yourself. Making your own filling is easy. It's just three ingredients. The recipe below makes more filling that you will need. You can reduce the recipe or use the leftovers to top ice cream or to mix in with yogurt.

• 1 lb cherries, washed, pitted, and destemmed
• 1/4 C water
• 3/4 C sugar

1. Throw all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.

To fill the cupcakes, use a paring knife to cut a hole out of the top of each cupcake and place two cherries and a few teaspoons of the juice into each hole. Then, replace the tops.

Soaking the Cupcakes

Your cupcake will be pretty moist after filling it with the cherries and juice. However, for even more oomph, you can pour some liqueur (maraschino liqueur or Kirschwasser) over the cupcakes. Poke some holes in the cupcake to help it go down if you need to, but the cupcakes are airy enough that you probably won't have to.

Whipped Cream Recipe


The frosting on black forest cupcakes is not very sweet. It's basically a simple whipped cream with a touch of flavor.

• 2 C heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 3 T maraschino liqueur or Kirschwasser

1. Whip the whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in the vanilla extract and liqueur.
   

The Cherry on Top

I highly recommend topping these black forest cupcakes with homemade maraschino cherries! I also used chocolate sprinkles, but you could use chocolate shavings.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to my twitter pal garrick_s for giving me the idea to make black forest cupcakes.

Homemade Maraschino Cherries - Don't Put Any Old Cherry On Top

"Would you like homemade maraschino cherries?" asked the top-tier bartender at our local St. Louis restaurant, Monarch. My eyes lit up. Much like homemade grenadine, I had never considered the possibility of homemade maraschino cherries. Bartender Ted Kilgore explained that homemade maraschino cherries are made with maraschino liqueur. After trying one, I knew they would one day homemade maraschino cherries would be making an appearance in my kitchen.

Maraschino cherries are the iconic topping for cupcakes - a maraschino cherry even tops the Cupcake Project logo. Yet, I have never topped a cupcake with a cherry. Why not? I've always found maraschino cherries served in cherry Cokes, specialty cocktails, and yes, sitting on cupcakes to be pretty, but gross:

1. They taste like cherry medicine - the flavor reminds me of the cherry Sucrets that I had as a kid to soothe my sore throat.
2. A look at the ingredient list for maraschino cherries shows that most brands are simply cherries with high fructose corn syrup and red food coloring. EW!

Homemade maraschino cherries are super easy to make (once you get past pitting all the cherries). Compared to store-bought maraschino cherries, these are less red, more mushy, and much more boozy. They might not be for the kids, but adults will love them!


Homemade Maraschino Cherries Recipe

I found the recipe for homemade maraschino cherries on Serious Eats, which was adapted from a recipe found in Imbibe Magazine. I am reprinting it below, with my notes.

• 1 pound sweet cherries, pitted (If you want to be really technical about it, it would be good if you could use Marasca cherries. Since most of us don't have access to them, any cherry will do - the redder the better. If you don't own a cherry pitter, you will definitely want to invest in one.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of maraschino liquor (I used Luxardo brand. On Serious Eats, they just used a regular brandy and were not as happy with the results. eGullet has an interesting discussion thread on types of cherry liqueur that is worth a read.)

1. Wash and pit the cherries.
2. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cherries and liqueur and bring to a rolling boil.
3. When the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium.
4. Add the cherries and simmer for 5–7 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, add the liqueur, and let cool.
6. Transfer the cherries and liquid into clean jars and refrigerate, uncovered, until cherries are cool to touch.
7. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

The Cherry Stem


I can't write a post about maraschino cherries without thinking about my ex-boyfriend. He may have been the only person I know who ordered cherry coke on a regular basis. Not only that, but he was one of those people who possessed the unique skill of being able to tie the cherry stem into several knots using his tongue. I have absolutely no clue how that can be done. It was pretty much like magic to me. Some say that that skill makes one better in bed, but that is not a subject for this post.