Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

 Everyone loves getting oohs and aahs for recipes that are easy and quick. These cupcakes are one of those recipes. I like using silicone cupcake liners because they are bright and reusable. However it is tricky to give the cupcakes away and the liners are difficult to wash.

The heart designs are made with Candy Melts, a product made by Wilton available at craft stores. Candy Melts are similar to almond bark or white chocolate chips except they come in several colors. Don’t be tempted to just add food color to white chocolate chips or almond bark because most food color contains water. Chocolate and water definitely do not mix!

There is no oil in this cake making it lower in fat however the cherry pie filling makes up for the calories.

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Cake: 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix 3 eggs 1 can  Cherry Pie filling Stir with a spoon until blended. Fill 24 cupcake liners with batter and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire cooling rack.
Frosting:
1 c.	Butter
2 tsp.	Vanilla
4 TBSP	Cocoa Powder
4 c.	Powdered Sugar
3 TBSP	Milk or Cream
Beat butter and vanilla with mixer until smooth. Sift cocoa and powdered sugar together and add to the butter mixture. Beat on low then add milk a little at a time until it is a medium consistency. It should hold its shape but still be easy to spread. Put icing into a cake decorating bag and pipe onto cupcakes. I wonder what happens if the cupcake sees its shadow. Way more interesting than a groundhog! The hearts are made using product made by Wilton called Candy Melts. After they are melted and put in a small zip lock bag, you pipe onto parchment paper just like you are drawing hearts on paper.    To Decorate:  Melt candy melts in a microwave safe bowl according to package. Stir until smooth then put into a small disposable bag. Snip the corner and create heart designs onto parchment paper. When they have hardened, peel them off and use to decorate cupcakes. This is also what I used to write “I love cakes” on my first post. Source: Mom’s recipe box