Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes with Maraschino Cherry Icing

Despite the fact it's been one of the mildest winters I can ever remember, the dreary grey has gotten to me.  It's been rainy, windy, chilly....all gloom all the time.  By the beginning of March, who isn't ready for spring?!  To help cure what ails me, I prescribed myself a large dose of pink in cupcake form to brighten my mood.  What do you know?  It's actually working, and just in time because its' raining again....ugh.

Let's focus on the happy stuff....CUPCAKES!  

These Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes with Maraschino Cherry Icing are DE-LICIOUS!  I was happy with everything about this cake - it was nicely between light and dense, the right amount of sweet, nice almond flavoring, AND a cherry surprise inside!

Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

adapted slightly from Better Homes and Gardens

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 egg whites, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk*

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

24 maraschino cherries, halved

*To make sour milk use 2 teaspoon of lemon juice poured into a glass measuring cup.  Add enough milk to reach 3/4  of a cup.  Stir, let sit for 5 minutes before using.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place liners in a cupcake pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer set between medium and high for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until combined.
• Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Alternately, add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed until just combined (do not over mix).
• Fill a prepared cupcake pan liners 2/3 high with cake batter.
• Press 2 halves of cherries half into the middle of each cupcake.

• Bake for 18-20 minutes.
• After cooling in pan for 15 minutes, remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.
• Pipe or use an offset spatula to ice with Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting

Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting

2 sticks butter, room temperature

4 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract


In large mixing bowl, beat butter on high speed until fluffy.  Add three cups of sugar, one at a time until combined.  Add cherry juice and almond extract, along with last cup of sugar.   Beat until smooth.  Add more cherry juice, one teaspoon at a time, to reach desired consistency of frosting.

Mmmm....like I said, these are good.  If you're suffering from winter gloom, I recommend these happy looking and yummy tasting treats.  Imagine you are eating one under the sun on the beach watching the waves roll in and out.  Hang in there, summer IS coming!! 

Shortbread Cookie Topped with Caramel, Chocolate, and a dash of Sea Salt

My, that's a mouthful!  But that's what this decadent dessert consists of.  So, if you like the combination of salty and sweet and you have 5 sticks of butter just laying around, let's get baking!

I came across this particular recipe on Annie's Eats, a blog I am in love with.  She has amazing creativity and the best recipes.  It does take a bit of time to put these cookie bars together, but I must admit, they are pretty spectacular!  They contain all of the items found in a Twix bar, but they really taste nothing like that.  As Annie puts it, these are a more sophisticated, grown up version of the beloved candy bar.

These bar cookies are made in three layers:  shortbread, caramel, and, chocolate.  To start, prepare the shortbread:

Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup of Sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.  Make sure to cover the sides of the pan with the paper so the layers don't stick.  In one bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt.  Set it aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated.  Transfer mixture into the 9x13 pan and press it flat in an even layer.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden.  If the shortbread raises while baking, gently flatten it as it cools.

I should have lined the pan with the parchment paper entirely.

While the shortbread cools, begin making the caramel:

Caramel

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

Begin by adding the butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk into a saucepan over medium heat.

Stir the ingredients occasionally until the butter is melted.  Increase the heat to medium-high until it begins to boil.

Decrease the heat to medium again.  As the mixture simmers, stir constantly so it does not burn.  Continue simmering and stirring until the color becomes a nice amber and the sauce has thickened a bit.

Now, pour it over the shortbread layer and spread evenly:

Let it cool thoroughly so the caramel does not melt when you add the hot chocolate mixture.  You can chill it in the refrigerator.  I just let mine sit for awhile and answered some emails before beginning the chocolate.  ;)

Melted Chocolate Glaze

8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped in small pieces

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Sea Salt to sprinkle on top

In a double boiler, add chocolate, corn syrup and butter.  If you don't have a double boiler, you can boil water on the stove top and place a heat proof bowl over simmering water, which is what I did.  Also, I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips rather than chopped chocolate.  It worked out just fine.  

Stir the mixture occasionally until it is melted smooth.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel layer: 

Then use an off-set spatula to spread it evenly:

One last step, a few minutes after the chocolate sets, sprinkle some sea salt across the top.  I used a sea salt grinder.  The sweet/salty combination is amazing.  Cover and chill the pan of deliciousness, cut into bars when you are ready to serve it.  You can freeze what you don't use, which is advisable, as this is not a calorie friendly treat!  I think you'll love it, though.  Enjoy!

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