Cherry Cupcake Recipe:


2 sticks of softened unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups of sugar
3 cups of flour
1 cup of cake flour
1 cup of 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice
1 cup of chopped maraschino cherries
zest from one lime and a few squeezes of lime juice from the lime


Set oven to 350 degrees. In your mixer cream your butter and sugar, then add almond extract and eggs (one at a time). In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients together. Add your dry mixture to your butter, eggs and sugar alternating with your milk. (for example 1 cup of flour mixture, 1/3 milk, 1 cup of flour…and so on). Lastly add in your zest and lime juice, cherries and cherry juice.

Scoop into your cupcake liners filling them 3/4ths of the way full and bake for 19-23 minutes. Let them cool before frosting.  Adapted from this cherry cupcake recipe.

 Whipped Lime Frosting:


1 block of cream cheese
2-3 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
Zest from 3 limes and juice from two of them
1 container of cool whip
Food coloring (optional)

Cream your cream cheese and slowly add in your powdered sugar (I only added around 1 1/2 cups at this time). Mix in your zest, lime juice (go easy on the lime juice you won’t need quite two limes worth but just eye it), almond extract and vanilla extract. Mix in your cool whip by adding large spoonfuls at a time. At this point just watch your constancy and add powdered sugar as needed. I ended up using around 3 cups but it might have been better if I used a little less cool whip to keep a thick constancy. Add food coloring if you want more of a green color.

Top your cupcakes with lime glaze (1/2 cup of powdered sugar, fresh lime juice and green food coloring …it’s good!), cherries, limes and straws.