Cherry Cupcakes
These cherry cupcakes with cherry buttercream frosting are “pretty in pink”. Made with moist and tender cherry cake with flecks of maraschino cherries throughout and frosted with a generous swirl of sweet cherry buttercream frosting. These cupcakes are perfect for springtime baking, bridal and baby showers, or just because!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – A simple recipe with simple steps.
- Beautiful pink color – Maraschino cherries and cherry juice give the cupcakes and frosting a beautiful pink color.
- Delicious cherry flavor – Just like with the color, these cupcakes are flavored with maraschino cherries.
- Elevated nostalgia – Reminiscent of box mix cherry chip cupcakes, but homemade and so much better.
- Perfect for springtime – The beautiful pink color and delicate cherry flavor make this a perfect recipe for spring.
Ingredients for Cherry Cupcakes
Cherry Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg whites – Large egg whites, room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract + almond extract – Enhances the maraschino cherry flavor.
- Milk – Room temperature.
- Maraschino cherry juice – Use the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries.
- Maraschino cherries – Finely chopped.
Cherry Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- Salt – A pinch of salt helps to balance the sweetness of the frosting.
- Maraschino cherry juice
- Heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- Pink sprinkles
- Maraschino cherries
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on the ingredients and quantities for this recipe.
How to Make Cherry Cupcakes
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the granulated sugar, butter, and vegetable oil until combined and smooth. Add the egg whites, sour cream, and extracts and mix well. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk and maraschino cherry juice, mixing in between, until the batter is combined and smooth. Fold in the chopped cherries.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop (about 3/4 full). Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 22 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream: Whip the butter for 5 minutes until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined. Drizzle in the maraschino cherry juice and heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Turn the mixer to medium and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the cherry frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto the cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with pink sprinkles and maraschino cherries.
Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions on how to make this recipe.
Expert Baking Tips
- Finely chop the maraschino cherries into very small pieces so there are pieces of cherry throughout the cupcakes.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion out the cupcake batter to bake even and uniform cupcakes. For this recipe, you will use a heaping scoopful of batter to fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the center of your oven on the center rack for even baking. These cupcakes brown a tiny bit while baking, so it can be helpful to rotate your pan one time halfway through the baking process.
- If you want to enhance the color of the cupcakes and frosting, add a drop of pink or red gel food coloring.
- Make the frosting extra smooth and creamy by tempering the buttercream. Heat 1/2 cup of the frosting in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour it back into the buttercream and mix on low speed until the buttercream is super smooth and creamy.
- Check out my baking tips on baking perfect cupcakes and making perfect buttercream and smooth buttercream to find even more tips and tricks to making the most out of this recipe.
Storing and Serving Cherry Cupcakes
- Room temperature: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. To serve, bring the cupcakes to room temperature by removing them from the refrigerator 2 hours in advance of serving.
- Freezer: Store unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cool the cupcakes completely and then place them in a freezer-friendly resealable storage bag removing as much air as possible. To use, bring the cupcakes to room temperature by removing them from the freezer 2 to 3 hours in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add food coloring to boost the pink color of the cupcakes and frosting?
- Yes! I did not use any food coloring in the cupcakes pictured, but you can absolutely add a drop of pink gel food coloring to create a more vibrant pink color.
Can I use fresh cherries or frozen cherries for this recipe?
- I don’t recommend using fresh or frozen cherries for this recipe. You will want to go with maraschino cherries.
Instead of chopping the cherries, can I use a food processor or blender?
- As much as I love shortcuts, for these cupcakes, I recommend chopping the cherries by hand. I’ve found that using a blender or food processor breaks down the cherries a bit too much and changes the texture of the cupcakes.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Cherry almond cupcakes
- Cherry lime cupcakes
- Black forest cupcakes
- Cherry almond shortbread cookies
- Cherry pistachio snowball cookies
If you try out these cherry cupcakes, please take a moment to leave a comment with a star rating below to let me know how you enjoyed this recipe! I love seeing your sweet creations, so make sure to tag @cakemehometonight on Instagram and follow me on Pinterest for more sweet inspiration!
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Cherry Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
These cherry cupcakes with cherry buttercream frosting are "pretty in pink". Made with moist and tender cherry cake with flecks of maraschino cherries throughout and frosted with a generous swirl of sweet cherry buttercream frosting. These cupcakes are perfect for springtime baking, bridal and baby showers, or just because!
Ingredients
Cherry Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (1.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 (2) large egg whites room temperature
- 2 tbsp (24 g) sour cream room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) almond extract
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) milk room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) maraschino cherry juice
- ½ cup (118 g) maraschino cherries finely chopped
Cherry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) maraschino cherry juice
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (30 g) pink sprinkles
- 12 (12) maraschino cherries
Instructions
Cherry Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil on medium speed for a few minutes until light and creamy. Add in the egg whites, sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix on medium speed until combined and smooth.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Then, add in the maraschino cherry juice and milk and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix the cupcake batter on low speed until fully combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated. Fold in the finely chopped maraschino cherries.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop. To make the 12 cupcakes, you will need a heaping scoopful or filling the liners to about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 22 minutes until the cupcakes are puffed up and they bounce back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cherry Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter. Add the remaining half of the powdered sugar and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt. While mixing on low speed, drizzle in the maraschino cherry juice and heavy cream. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip the buttercream for about 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy.
- Optional: To smooth out the buttercream and remove any air bubbles, heat ½ cup of the frosting in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour the melted frosting back into the mixing bowl and mix the frosting on low speed until the buttercream is super smooth and creamy.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the cherry buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with pink sprinkles and maraschino cherries.
Notes
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Scroll up the blog post to check out my expert baking tips, learn more about storing and serving, and to see frequently asked questions.
Metric conversions and nutritional information are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 659IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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