Cherry Coke Cupcakes!!!

Cherry Coke Cupcake Recipe

These cupcakes were a huge hit! In fact, I think only the chocolate wine cupcakes I made last fall beat these out as my favorite yet! I wish I had made double the recipe...although my belly is happy I didn't, since it needs to fit into a wedding dress in less than two months!I got the basic recipe for these cupcakes from Cupcake Project.
The secret ingredient is coca cola extract, I bought the same Kool Kola extract as the original recipe, found ehre: http://homemadesodacompany.com/cola.aspx, but I think any extract used to make soda would work. In fact, I think I'm going to buy some sasparilla extract for my next cupcake adventure!
Yield: 11 cupcakes (true, a dozen would have been a nicer number, but the recipe didn't quite make 12)

• 1 C cola (The original recipe used Whole Foods brand cola, I used Coke Zero.)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/3 C canola oil
• 2 tsp Kool Kola extract
• 1 1/3 C flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 jar of maraschino cherries (the original recipe put 4 cherries in each cupcake, I put 4 in some, and 3 in some, because I only bought one jar and it wasn't quite enough for 44 cherries!)

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the soda and vinegar and let stand for a few minutes.
2. Add in the sugar and oil, whisking vigorously until slightly frothy. (I whisked in the Kitchen-aid mixer!)
3. Mix in the Kool Kola extract, flour, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined.
4. Fill cupcake liners approximately 3/4 of the way to the top.
5. Drop 4 cherries with stems removed into each cupcake (I put them in a square pattern).
   
6. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.

Coke Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 C powdered sugar (add more if you prefer a thicker frosting)
• 1 tsp Kool Kola extract
  

1. Beat cream cheese and butter.
2. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until the mixture looks like frosting.
3. Mix in extract.
4. Spread or pipe on cooled cupcakes.

If you like a lot of frosting, you might want to double this recipe. It made just enough for me to pipe a light layer of frosting on each cupcake.