Ingredients
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/3 cup butter, softened (5 Tbsp plus 1 tsp)
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3/4 cup granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon baking soda
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/2 cup milk
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2 (1 5/8 ounce) hershey milk chocolate candy bars, each broken in 12 squares
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4 ounces cream cheese
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2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
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1 large egg
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12 maraschino cherries, without stems,patted dry with paper towels
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1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine, softened
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2 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Line 12 regular-size (2 1/2-in. diameter) muffin cups with paper or foil liners.
- Whisk flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl until blended; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a mixer on high speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
- Add egg and vanilla; beat 2 minutes or until fluffy.
- Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in milk (batter will look curdled), then the flour mixture just until blended.
- Spoon evenly into lined muffin cups Place a square of chocolate in center of each cupcake.
- Top with a cherry and another square of chocolate.
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a pick inserted off center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool com-pletely (cupcakes will sink in center).
- Frosting: Beat cream cheese, but-ter and cherry juice in a medium bowl with mixer on high speed until blend-ed and smooth.
- Reduce speed to low; beat in confectioners' sugar.
- Refriger-ate 15 minutes or until firm enough to spread.
- Frost cupcakes.
- To garnish: Top each cupcake with 1 or 2 cherries.
- Melt chocolate bar and scrape into a ziptop bag.
- Cut a tip off a corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over half or all the cupcakes.
- Cover and refrigerate until serving or up to 1 day.