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Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Cupcakes

I’m crazy excited to be kicking off the first new post of the year! 2015 is already shaping up to be incredible, I can hardly contain my excitement! I am BURSTING with exciting ideas and new things to share with you in 2015 and I am ready to dive right in. It’s been far too quiet around here as I’ve been intensely working on the upcoming MBC Book, Cupcakery. But now that it’s complete and off to the editors, it’s time to bust out the sprinkles and get this party started!

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Today we celebrated my husbands promotion at work, and the guys requested I bring in cupcakes. I had been wanting to make him an chocolate amaretto cupcake f-o-r-e-v-e-r so this worked out perfectly, not to mention are these not the perfect Valentines cupcakes! To be honest, it’s not that he’s an amaretto drinker, or even really a drinker at all – but everytime I make ANYTHING with almond flavor he says, “That tastes just like amaretto!” Well since it’s an almond liquor…ha! Since he always seemed to love almond treats so much, I knew I had to make him real amaretto cupcakes.

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Just one problem. I really dislike almond. I don’t drink liquor, and I really really dislike cherry. (unless it’s pie filling totally different flavor). So I knew this was going to be a challenge for me. Sometimes one of the biggest struggles as a baker is to stretch out of your comfort zone to make the others around you happy. But it’s certainly hard when you yourself don’t care for the flavors you’re creating! However, I knew I was planning on pairing the two with chocolate. So there was hope. :)

I can honestly say, I loved how these turned out. I started with a spruced up cake mix with amaretto baked right in. Then filled with cherry pie filling, and then topped with a chocolate buttercream lightly infused with amaretto. The cake came out awesome – right away I was amazed how much I liked them. The liquor was a perfect addition to the cake, so moist! I was unsure of the buttercream at first but after they sat in the fridge overnight the alcohol had toned down and really left a great flavor.

Wether your a lover or amaretto, or simply stretching your comfort zone, you should really give these a try!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

CHOCOLATE AMARETTO CUPCAKES
1 Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake Mix
4 Tablespoons Instant Chocolate Pudding
4 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Amaretto Liquor
2/3 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1/4 Cup Melted Butter (slightly cooled)

FILLING
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling

CHOCOLATE AMARETTO BUTTERCREAM
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Shortening
1/2 Tablespoon Almond Extract
7 Tablespoons Hershey Cocoa
8 Cups Powdered Sugar
3-4 Tablespoon Amaretto
4-6 Tablespoons Milk

TOPPINGS
24-30 Cherries

Makes 24-30 Cupcakes

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.

Step 2: In a medium mixing bowl, sift together cake mix and pudding and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) using the paddle attachment, beat together eggs, sour cream, liquor, milk, and extract at low speed. Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Beat in melted butter just until combined. Once all ingredients are incorporated, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and turn mixer up to medium – high and beat once more for 15-20 seconds.

Step 3: Spoon 3 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner and bake on middle oven rack, for 16-18 minutes, baking up to 24 cupcakes side by side at a time. (for best results bake cupcakes 1 pan at a time) Once a toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven and allow cupcakes to rest in pan for 2-4 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack. Prepare pan and repeat this step with any remaining batter.

Step 4: While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) using the paddle attachment, cream butter at medium speed until soft and smooth. Add shortening and extract and beat until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar and cocoa beating slightly between each addition. Add in amaretto and then milk 1 tablespoon at a time beating in between additions until desired consistency. Turn mixer up to medium- high and beat for 1-2 minutes.

Step 5: Once cupcakes have completely cooled, core and fill cupcakes with cherry pie filling. Frost cupcakes with chocolate amaretto buttercream. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until served.

If you’re a lover of amaretto, feel free to increase the flavor by adding more amaretto and less milk to your buttercream. I didn’t want it too strong of course.

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Don’t you think these would make the perfect decadent treat for your Valentine?

And yea, I know, I’m a little early but hey…here’s to making up for being so behind all last year ;).

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • CHOCOLATE AMARETTO CUPCAKES
  • 1 Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake Mix
  • 4 Tablespoons Instant Chocolate Pudding
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1/3 Cup Amaretto Liquor
  • 2/3 Cup Milk
  • 1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
  • 1/4 Cup Melted Butter (slightly cooled)
  • FILLING
  • 1 Can Cherry Pie Filling
  • CHOCOLATE AMARETTO BUTTERCREAM
  • 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Cup Shortening
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Almond Extract
  • 7 Tablespoons Hershey Cocoa
  • 8 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 3-4 Tablespoon Amaretto
  • 4-6 Tablespoons Milk
  • TOPPINGS
  • 24-30 Cherries
  • Makes 24-30 Cupcakes

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together cake mix and pudding and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) using the paddle attachment, beat together eggs, sour cream, liquor, milk, and extract at low speed. Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Beat in melted butter just until combined. Once all ingredients are incorporated, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and turn mixer up to medium - high and beat once more for 15-20 seconds.
  3. Spoon 3 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner and bake on middle oven rack, for 16-18 minutes, baking up to 24 cupcakes side by side at a time. (for best results bake cupcakes 1 pan at a time) Once a toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven and allow cupcakes to rest in pan for 2-4 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack. Prepare pan and repeat this step with any remaining batter.
  4. While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) using the paddle attachment, cream butter at medium speed until soft and smooth. Add shortening and extract and beat until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar and cocoa beating slightly between each addition. Add in amaretto and then milk 1 tablespoon at a time beating in between additions until desired consistency. Turn mixer up to medium- high and beat for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, core and fill cupcakes with cherry pie filling. Frost cupcakes with chocolate amaretto buttercream. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until served.
https://makebakecelebrate.com/chocolate-cherry-amaretto-cupcakes/

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Comments

  1. These sound A-MA-ZING!!

  2. Love how you put together the frosting!!

  3. . What tips did you use to create the cool looking icing?

  4. Darlene Duttlinger says:

    How much powdered sugar for the frosting?

  5. How do you get the ruffle frosting to stay on top the swirl? Do you fill the middle of the swirl?

  6. What a unique frosting style. Can you share which piping tips you used for that? Thanks!

  7. Kennedy dorsey says:

    Hello Ms. Toni,
    I wanted to know is the instant pudding the powder or actual pudding.