Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

If you love chocolate-covered cherries, you will go gah gah for these cupcakes. They are made with a chocolate cake mix and a can of cherry pie filling, then topped with a layer of chocolate ganache, which is topped with a fluffy cherry buttercream frosting. 

I love a good cupcake

I have been making this as a cake for years but decided to make it into cupcakes for a teacher’s luncheon at my kid’s school. Everyone who partook of these tasty morsels uttered Yuuummmmm-oooo-deeeelishOUS. What can I say other than these cupcakes are delicious!  And YES, yummy.  The next time it’s your turn to bring a treat somewhere, these cupcakes are the money.  You will make friends and influence people with these cupcakes.  Cupcakes are one of those things I’d rather eat than bake. The reason is I’m lazy. I’d rather make a flat sheet cake or a cookie bar, but that doesn’t keep me from baking cookies and cupcakes. I was making them for the teachers; they work so hard and love my kids so well. I wanted to make them something they could grab and take. Set on their desk and anticipate a bit before they mawed it down.

Gather these ingredients

How to make chocolate covered cherry cupcakes

Combine cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract. Divide into 24 cupcake papers in muffin tins and bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees.

After these babies come out of the oven, spoon the chocolate ganache over the cupcakes and then refrain from eating them as is. Allow them to cool before frosting.  

The process of making this frosting is curious.  It has flour in it, but it tastes like whipping cream.  Go figure.  I added chopped maraschino cherries to the recipe to make it pretty in pink and to round out the chocolate-covered cherry flavor.  QUIZ: Who starred in the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink? And where is she now?  

Line these beauties up on a platter and march them off to your next gathering.  Or keep them in the refrigerator and pop them in your kiddos lunches as a special treat!

I would really appreciate your support by rating the recipe in the recipe card below, sharing on your social media, and pinning these tasty morsels on your cupcake Pinterest board! Thanks so much, Sheila

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

Sheila

So easy to make all you need is a chocolate cake mix and a can of cherry pie filling, then top with a layer of chocolate ganache, which is topped with a fluffy cherry buttercream frosting. 

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Servings 24 cupcakes

Calories 238 kcal

Equipment

• cupcake papers
• 1 muffin tin
• hand mixer or a stand mixer

Ingredients

  

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cupcake batter

• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
• 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract

ganache

• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups 60-70 % dark chocolate chips

cherry buttercream frosting

• 5 tbso all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 whole marchino cherries chopped fine

Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake papers in muffin tin.

cake

• Mix cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract until just combined; do not overmix. Divide the batter into 24 muffin tins lined with cupcake papers and bake for 18 minutes.
• Cake: Mix cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract together until just combined do not over mix. Divide into 24 muffin tins lined with cupcake papers and bake for 18 minutes.

ganache

• Heat milk, butter, and sugar over medium low heat, heat until sugar has dissolved and butter has melted, Do Not let mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, whisk until smooth. Spoon ganache immediately over warm cupcakes, allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

frosting

• in a small saucepan whisk together flour and milk over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens. It should be pretty thick like oatmeal, only smooth.
• Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. MUST be completely cool before moving on to next step.
• Using a spatula or a hand mixer add vanilla.
• In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes. Make sure to beat until there is no longer any graininess left from the sugar. Needs to be completely smooth.
• Add the flour, milk, vanilla mixture to the butter sugar mixture. Beat it till it is white and fluffy like whipping cream. If t separates, keep beating it until it comes together and is very fluffy and white.
• Add in chopped maraschino cherries and blend until frosting is pink and fluffy with little speckles from the cherries.
• If you have a piping bag add frosting to it and squeeze a dollop of frosting on top of each ganache covered cupcake. If you don't have a piping bag a zip-loc bag with a corner clipped works too!

Notes

Note:  This cake can be made in a 9×13 cake pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes pour warm chocolate ganache over cake straight out of the oven, let cool, and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 2gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 94mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 0.5IUCalcium: 51mgIron: 1mg

Keyword buttercream frosting, cake mix, cherry, chocolate, cupcakes, easy, ganache, pink

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