Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Here it is! The first recipe I tried from the Cupcakes Galore cookbook. I made these for the kiddos yesterday for V-Day, and even my skeptical, "I don't like cherries" sister enjoyed them!

Here's what you need:

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup/1 stick unsalted butter

1.25 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup sour cream

Cherry Cream Cheese Filling:

3/4 cup cream cheese

3 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp Maraschino cherry syrup

Maraschino cherries

Cherry Jubilee Frosting:

1/4 cup/1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp Maraschino cherry syrup

red food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Mix flour with cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. ALternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream.

4. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

5. To make filling: using a blender or a mixer, mix cream cheese, sugar and cherry syrup together until smooth. Use more syrup if necessary. Coop out the center of each cupcake with an apple corer. Drop in a teaspoon of the filling and a cherry; replace the core. Save leftover filling for frosting.

6. To make the frosting: cream butter with any leftover filling until light and fluffy. Add powsered sugar, cherry syrup and food coloring and beat unitl smooth and creamy. Add more cherry syrup if necessary. Frost filled cupcakes. Dust with cocoa and a cherry on top if desired.

7. ENJOY!