Name: Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 18
Ingredients: Cupcakes:; • 1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained, liquid reserved; • 2 cups all-purpose flour; • 1 tablespoon baking powder; • ¼ teaspoon salt; • ½ cup unsalted butter; • 1 ¼ cups sugar; • ½ cup maraschino cherry liquid; • ¼ cup whole milk; • 2 teaspoons almond extract; • 2 egg whites, beaten; • Optional: pink food color; Frosting:; • Reserved 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry liquid; • 1 cup butter, softened; • 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar; • 2 teaspoons milk; • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; • 1/8 teaspoon salt; Garnish:; • 18 maraschino cherries with stems

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This Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe is perfect for National Cherry Month, Valentine's Day or any time of year!

While this Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe is delicious any time of year, it is particularly fitting for February. Not only is it National Cherry Month, but these red and white cuties are perfect for Valentine's Day!

Later in the year, these pretty and tasty cherry cupcakes also add a summery feel to your picnic or backyard BBQ.

Maraschino Cherries flavor the batter and add a pop of color to the cupcakes and the frosting also has a hint of cherry flavor thanks to the cherry liquid.

If you want to add even more bright red color to your cupcake presentation, you can bake them in red foil cupcake liners. Their shiny surface will play off those bright red cherries.

For another delicious cherry recipe, try our Maraschino Cherry Cookies recipe! They're super easy to make starting with a boxed cake mix.

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe

Yields: 18 cupcakes
Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained, liquid reserved
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup maraschino cherry liquid
¼ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 egg whites, beaten
Optional: pink food color

Frosting:
Reserved 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry liquid
1 cup butter, softened
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Garnish:
18 maraschino cherries with stems

Chef Craft Cupcake Liners Daily Chef Maraschino Cherries Watkins All Natural Vanilla Extract Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick 12-Cup Muffin Pan Silicone Spatula Set Wilton 4-Tier Stacked Cupcake Tower

How to Make Cherry Cupcakes:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups; set aside.
2. Finely chop cherries and place in paper-towel-lined bowl to drain while preparing batter.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
4. In a small bowl, stir together ½ cup cherry liquid, the milk and 2 teaspoons almond extract.

5. Beginning and ending with flour mixture, alternately add flour mixture and cherry mixture to butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

If desired, stir in a few drops of food coloring until desired pink color is achieved.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Fold in chopped cherries. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.

6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in center. Remove from muffin cups to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

7. To make frosting, combine butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Beat until blended.
8. Add the milk, vanilla and cherry liquid and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
9. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and garnish each with 1 cherry with stem.

Yield: 18 Cupcakes

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe

This delicious Maraschino Cherry Cookies Recipe are easy to make starting with a cake mix. They're perfect for Valentine's Day, Christmas or any time you want a sweet treat!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
• 1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained, liquid reserved
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ½ cup maraschino cherry liquid
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• Optional: pink food color
Frosting:
• Reserved 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry liquid
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
Garnish:
• 18 maraschino cherries with stems

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups; set aside.

Finely chop cherries and place in paper-towel-lined bowl to drain while preparing batter.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.

In a small bowl, stir together ½ cup cherry liquid, the milk and 2 teaspoons almond extract.

Beginning and ending with flour mixture, alternately add flour mixture and cherry mixture to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. If desired, stir in a few drops of food coloring until desired pink color is achieved. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Fold in chopped cherries. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in center. Remove from muffin cups to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

To make frosting, combine butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Beat until blended.

Add the milk, vanilla and cherry liquid and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and garnish each with 1 cherry with stem.

Comments

Shell Feis says

February 9, 2015 at 1:22 am

Those are so cute- and perfect for Valentine’s Day! I had no idea it was National Cherry Month either, how funny!

Janet W. says

February 9, 2015 at 4:42 am

This looks delicious and I love the fresh ingredients! So festive and perfect to give as a special treat to someone on Valentine’s day!

Betsy Barnes says

February 9, 2015 at 10:52 am

These look so good! I love maraschino cherries and have a cookie recipe that uses them like your recipe, they taste amazing. I am betting these have a fantastic flavor! 🙂

Lesley F says

September 12, 2015 at 11:27 am

These look delicious and perfect for Valentines Day

Heather says

June 21, 2016 at 12:40 pm

How would I adjust these for high altitude? I live in Colorado and I know you have to adjust recipes for baking.

- Chrysa says
  
  June 22, 2016 at 8:14 am
  
  Hi Heather. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about high altitude baking. I found some tips here that might help: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
  
Barbara Atkinson says

October 23, 2016 at 3:27 pm

Would it still work if I put a chocolate kiss in the center? Would the baking time change?

- Chrysa says
  
  October 23, 2016 at 11:13 pm
  
  Hi, Barbara. I have never tried that so I can’t give you a definite answer, but I am pretty sure that would work at the same baking time. It sounds yummy! Let me know how they turn out!
  
Chrissy says

November 8, 2018 at 9:39 am

I have been craving maraschino cherries here lately and decided to give these cupcakes a shot today. I was a little concerned about the batter until I folded the egg whites in, it was magical! Anyways, the cherry and almond extract together make the perfect cupcake. I’m not a fan of the Wilton buttercream icing so I doubled the cherry juice to try and mask the powdered sugar flavor….I loved this cupcake! Thank you so much for posting this 🙂

- Chrysa says
  
  November 8, 2018 at 10:06 am
  
  Hi, Chrissy! I’m so glad you liked the recipe! That was a good idea to add the extra cherry juice. You could really substitute this particular icing with another type completely, but your trick sounds like it worked!
  
- Romona says
  
  November 24, 2021 at 4:03 pm
  
  Yeah
  
Amanda Brewer says

January 7, 2019 at 9:48 pm

These were yummy!

Lisa D Miner says

February 13, 2019 at 1:58 pm

Is 1 Tablespoon of baking powder really the correct amount?

- Chrysa says
  
  February 14, 2019 at 11:43 am
  
  Yes. There is no baking soda in the recipe so it’s needs more baking powder.
  
Sibil says

January 30, 2020 at 11:50 pm

Made them for work potluck, barely had enough cause my family ate most of them! Definite hit!!

- Chrysa says
  
  January 31, 2020 at 2:08 pm
  
  So happy to hear everyone liked them!
  
  - Alice says
    
    January 25, 2021 at 11:26 am
    
    To what stage should the egg whites be beaten?
    
    - Chrysa says
      
      January 25, 2021 at 6:43 pm
      
      Just before adding them to the other ingredients in Step 5.
      
Romona says

November 24, 2021 at 3:59 pm

These cupcakes are out of the world they’re so good

Diandra says

December 3, 2021 at 4:43 pm

How many eggs cause I saw 3 in the picture and you said 2

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe