Cherry Covered Chocolate Cupcakes

It was Saturday afternoon and I was trying to decide on something to bake.  The recipes I was looking at either didn't jump out at me or I was missing an ingredient or two.

That is when I remembered making the Fruit Punch Cupcakes and had thought about trying different variations with Crystal Lite (or Great Value  hehe) Sugar Free Drink Powder.

I had a Fudge Chocolate cake mix in the cupboard and some cherry flavored drink mix.  And here is what they make when combined:

Cherry Covered Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

Any variation of chocolate cake mix will do.  Mix per directions on box and add 1/2 tub/tube of cherry drink mix.  Bake per cupcake directions.

Cool completely.

Icing:

1/2 cup Crisco

2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar
1/2 tub Cherry Drink Mix

Combine the first 4 ingredient in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add powdered sugar a bit at a time until you get a nice fluffy consistency. Add Cherry Drink Mix and mix well. Add more milk if needed. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

Put icing into a ziplock bag to pipe the icing on the cupcakes. Start with a dollop in the center and then start on the outside edge and work toward the middle and up over the center. This gives it some height.

Optional:

If I had had some marachino cherries on hand I probably would have added one to the top of each cupcake.  yummmm....

Share with family and friends.

Laken, my 4yo, likes to help pipe the icing on the cupcakes.  I can't even begin to explain the difficulty of piping icing with two extra hands moving and squeezing the ziplock bag.  lol

Ahhh, the making of memories...

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