Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix

12 oz Diet Cherry Coke Soda

3 egg whites

64  Drained maraschino cherries (stem less)

Preheat over 350 Degrees F for conventional oven or 325 degrees F for a convection oven

Mix dry cake mix with the diet soda & egg whites.  Beat until almost fluffy. 

Line cupcake pans with papers & fill ½ to ¾ full.  Place one cherry on top of the batter for each cupcake. The batter should fill about 32 papers.  Bake according to recommendation on cake mix box for cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan . Remove and place on cooling rack.  . Pipe Frosting on to each cupcake using a #22 Star Tip.   Top with a maraschino cherry & drizzle a tad of cherry juice for a finishing touch.

To really finish the presentation, take straws and cut into1 ½ inch pieces and insert one into each cupcake.

Cherry Coke Buttercream

3/4 cup butter, softened

¼ cup shortening (Crisco)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. Diet Cherry Coke

2 Tbsp. maraschino cherry juice.

3 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

1 - 2 Tbsp. very cold heavy cream or half & half

Cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add Vanilla, Cherry Coke & Maraschino cherry juice

Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each cup. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold cream/half & half.  Mix on medium-high to high speed, until you reach the desired consistency