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
