Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

The drive back from Mobile took four hours because I hit traffic and then stopped at a gas station in Evergreen for a Cheerwine and some peanuts because I needed to sit still for a minute. I sat in the car in the gas station parking lot and ate peanuts and thought about Crystal kitchen table and the plants on the windowsill and the chicken salad she made for me.

I called Gloria from the parking lot. I told her about the visit. She listened the whole way through without interrupting, which for Gloria requires real restraint. When I was done she said: she is trying. I said yes. Gloria said: that is enough for now. I said yes. Gloria said: you gave her something to try for. I said maybe. Gloria said: not maybe. You did.

Came home to Tyler who had cleaned the duplex and made a pot of soup. Chicken soup. Nothing fancy. He said he thought I might be tired from driving and might want something easy. He was right. I sat down and ate two bowls and did not talk much and he did not require talk and that was exactly what I needed.

Sunday at Gloria I made Crystal mother lemon cake again. I made it for no reason except that I wanted to. Destiny ate a large slice and said it tasted like something old. I said what do you mean. She said like something that has been around a long time. I said that was exactly right. That was exactly what I was going for.

What Destiny said — that the lemon cake tasted like something old, something that had been around a long time — stayed with me. That is what I want when I bake now: something that does not feel new, something that feels like it was already waiting. These Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes are that for me. The combination of dark chocolate and sweet cherry is not trendy; it is just true. I made them the same Sunday, after the lemon cake was gone, because I was not ready to stop being in the kitchen yet.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 42 min | Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
24 maraschino cherries with stems, drained, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
Make the batter. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract. Stir by hand until fully blended — the batter will be thick with visible cherry pieces throughout. Do not use a mixer; the cherries will break down.
Fill and bake. Divide batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 20–22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cocoa powder and mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, alternating with the heavy cream, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Beat on high 1 minute until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Add a splash more cream if needed to reach piping consistency.
Frost and garnish. Pipe or spread frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Top each with one maraschino cherry. Serve at room temperature. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes — Baking Something That Has Been Around a Long Time