Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes w Marshmallow Creme Filling

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
3 eggs

1/3 C. oil

3/4 C. milk or buttermilk

1/2 C. sour cream

2 tsp. almond extract

1 C. Maraschino cherries, roughly chopped

Marshmallow Creme

Almond Buttercream:

1 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

3-4 C. powdered sugar

milk, if needed

20-24 Maraschino cherries with stems for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with cupcakes liners.

2. Sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lumps and set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine eggs, oil, milk, sour cream and almond extract until smooth.

4. Stir in cake mix.

5. Fold in chopped maraschino cherries.

6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-22 minutes.

7. Almond Buttercream: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add almond extract and slowly add in powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, add a little milk.

8. When cupcakes are completely cool, remove some cake from the center of each with a paring knife or cupcake corer.  Fill a pastry bag with the marshmallow creme and fill each cupcake to the top.

9. Pipe frosting onto filled cupcakes and top with sprinkles and more Maraschino cherries, if desired. 

Recipe adapted from Your Cup of Cake.

Enjoy!