Cupcakes Royale

Moist chocolate cupcakes are sweetened with a chocolate ganache, covered with a rich cherry icing, and drizzled with sea salted caramel before being topped with white candy curls.

Ingredients

• 1 box – chocolate cake mix (and all associated ingredients)
• 10 – Queen Anne® Cordial Cherries (any desired flavor; I used Milk Chocolate)
• 1/8 cup – heavy cream
• 1 stick – unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces – cream cheese, room temperature
• 16 ounces – powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon – vanilla extract
• Salted caramel sauce
• White candy curls (or any other desired candy garnish)

How To Make:

Make cupcakes according to box instructions and place in the preheated oven.

While the cupcakes are baking, cut the bottom off the Queen Anne® Cordial Cherries, reserving the chocolate portion in one bowl and spooning out the maraschino cherry and liquid fondant portion into another.

After the cupcakes have been removed from the oven, let cool 5 minutes. Then carefully remove cupcakes from the pan and allow further cooling to room temperature on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Turn off the heat, and add the reserved chocolate, stirring as it melts into the pan.

Spoon a half-teaspoon of melted chocolate on top of each cupcake. Then place the pan of cupcakes into the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the ganache is firm. (If more ganache is desired, the ratio is 1 cup of heavy cream to 16 ounces of chocolate.)

While the ganache is firming, check the maraschino cherries to remove any pits or pit fragments and rinse off the fondant syrup. Add the cherries to a food processor and chop into bits.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer on low to medium speed until well-blended.

Slowly add powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time) and mix after each addition until well-blended.

Add vanilla extract and mix again.

Add the chopped cherries to the icing mixture and mix on low speed until the cherries are well incorporated.

Remove the cupcakes from the fridge and decorate with the cherry icing. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce, then top with white candy pieces.

Recipe submitted by:

Kristie Sarmiento, Retail Marketing for Queen Anne® at World’s Finest® Chocolate, Inc.