Cherry Almond Cupcakes start with fluffy, moist, super soft almond cupcakes. Then they’re topped with smooth maraschino cherry frosting for a super pretty dessert. 
I don’t think there’s anything prettier than a cupcake. Especially a cupcake with pink frosting.
So when I was dreaming of recipes to make with maraschino cherries – fluffy almond cupcakes with cherry buttercream frosting was the obvious winner.
Because pink is pretty. And almond is delicious. And sometimes you need a break from chocolate. :0
If truth be told – I try to make something with maraschino cherries every few months. Not only is the color gorgeous – but I like to tease Jay about his love of “maraschimo” cherries. I laughed so much when I realized he had been mispronouncing the word incorrectly for 25+ years… especially since they’re one of his favorite foods….
Plus, the pretty pink color is so perfect for Valentine’s (are we too early for that yet??) or baby showers.
For the Almond Cupcakes
This almond cupcake recipe starts with the base recipe for my favorite vanilla cupcakes. The cupcakes are fluffy, soft, perfectly moist and just plain delicious. There’s a few key ingredients that give that perfect flavor & texture:
- We’re starting with real butter
- Using only egg whites keep the cupcakes light & fluffy
- Vanilla extract & almond extract add so much flavor
- Sour cream & 2% (or whole milk) make them perfectly moist
- Cake flour gives the softest cake crumb
Then before you get started, make sure to warm up all your ingredients to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients makes it easier for everything to combine evenly so you don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing causes tough cupcakes, which we definitely don’t want.
For the Maraschino Cherry Frosting
As much as I absolutely love these almond cupcakes, I think the cherry frosting is my favorite part. It’s fluffy, creamy, perfectly smooth and so pretty – and while you can taste the maraschino flavor – it isn’t too strong. The delicate almond cupcakes with the sweet maraschimo maraschino cherry buttercream is absolutely delicious. Plus, the pink color and cherry on top makes them extra special.
Cherry Almond Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Almond Cupcakes
- 1 and â…“ cups cake flour , sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites , you can discard the yolks or use them in a different recipe
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 1.5 teaspoons almond extract , to taste
- 3 tablespoons sour cream , room temperature
- â…“ cup milk (2% or whole preferred), room temperature
For the Cherry Buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar , sifted
- 3-4 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Make the Almond Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a 12-cavity muffin tin with cupcake papers. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and no lumps remain. Add in the egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat for about another 30 seconds until evenly combined. (Use 1 teaspoon almond extract for a less pronounced almond flavor or 1 and ½ teaspoons if you prefer a stronger almond flavor.) Turn the mixer down to low speed and beat in the sour cream. With the mixer still on low speed, beat in the flour mixture followed by the milk about ½ of each at a time. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about â…”rds full. You should get about 12 cupcakes. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool fully before frosting.
Make the Cherry Frosting
- In a large bowl beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy and no lumps remain. Then turn down the mixer to low speed and slowly beat in the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time. Then beat in the maraschino cherry syrup and almond extract. Once it gets thick in texture, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for another 30 seconds. You may need to add 1 tablespoon of cream or milk if it's too thick.
- Frost using a piping bag or with a flat edge knife and decorate each with a maraschino cherry.
Nutrition
These cupcakes are my spirit food. BEAUTIFUL!! Classic and delicious.
Thank you so much! I’m pretty sure my spirit food is a bowl of chocolate chips… Or maybe a stick of butter….
Just made these and realized that milk isn’t listed in the directions, so I left it out! Can you edit your instructions to include when to add the milk? I even had it on the counter and didn’t realize it needed to be added. Thanks so much!
Yikes – Thanks for the catch! It’s added into the mixture at the very end with the flour (Instruction 3) Thanks again!
Thanks for updating! Even without the milk these were yummy. 😉 Can’t wait to make them again. These are my two favorite flavors!
Hi Fiona!
These sound wonderful! I hope to make them for Valentines Day! Is the maraschino cherry syrup a special syrup that is bought? Or is it the syrup from the maraschino cherries bottle (that all of the cherries are floating around in?)
Thank you!
The maraschino cherry syrup is just the juice that the cherries float in in the jar! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wonderful, Thanks so much! Happy Valentines Day!!
HI! I’m making these for Valentine’s Day as well.
What do you think would happen if I used all purpose flour instead of cake flour? Is it doable or should I just go buy the cake flour. ?
Thanks!
You can actually make your own cake flour by using all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For every cup of cake flour, you measure out 1 cup all-purpose flour then remove 2 tablespoons. Then replace the two tablespoons with cornstarch. So for this recipe I’d measure out 1 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour, then remove 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of the flour and add in 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Will the buttercream be okay if I make it a day or two in advance of icing? Keep in the fridge I assume?
That would be ok. If you’re waiting to frost the cupcakes the day of, you’ll just need to warm it up at room temperature so that it’s softer to frost. 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. Got lots of compliments from family. I think cherry almond is one of the best flavor combos anyway, but I don’t think most think of it too much. So when they bite into the cupcake, they wonder what the fantastic flavor is – fun to surprise people too. A definite keeper!
That makes me so happy to hear! And I totally agree, I think cherry almond is definitely an underrated flavor – it’s so delicious