Chocolate Cherry Cordial Cupcakes for Your Sweetie

I am always very health conscious during the month of January. I set my resolutions to be healthy in the new year. I don’t eat sweets, I exercise, and I drink all the water. So by mid-February, I am usually beyond ready for a sweet treat and itching to get in the kitchen and bake up something yummy.

THANK GOODNESS for Valentine’s Day, a holiday all about decadent chocolates and sugary heart-shaped candies. It comes along at just the perfect time.

One of my favorite sweet treats to make at Valentine’s Day are these chocolate cherry cordial cupcakes. They are delicious, super cute and SO easy. Cupcakes really are the easiest…just use a large star tip for the frosting, put them in a cute paper cup, put something pretty on top, and people lose their minds! It amazes me every time. 

These cupcakes are a chocolate cake with a cherry vanilla buttercream frosting, with a chocolate drizzle and topped with a maraschino cherry and a Dove dark chocolate heart.

For the cake:

You can use your favorite chocolate cake recipe (this one is great), or use a box mix like I did here. This one is Devil’s Food, and I also love Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge.

To bake: either line a cupcake tin with cupcake papers, or use pretty decorative cupcake cups like these and place them upright on a cookie sheet. You can get these cute cupcake cups at most craft stores, and they really do make your cupcakes look professional.

For the frosting:

I’ve been using the basic Wilton buttercream frosting recipe for years, and most people love it. The only thing I do differently for these cupcakes is use the maraschino cherry juice as the liquid for the frosting in place of milk. I add 1 tsp. of vanilla, and you could also add more cherry flavoring to taste.

The key to make the frosting look pretty and professional is to use a large star tip. Just place the tip in a plastic decorating bag, fill with frosting, and swirl onto each cupcake. Here are some quick tips on how to pipe a cupcake swirl.

After you’ve added the frosting, drizzle some melted chocolate over the cupcakes and top each one with a maraschino cherry (with the stem on!) and a Dove dark chocolate heart. Then share with your sweetie, and enjoy!