Moist, delicious vanilla and cherry poked cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting and gummy eyes! These cupcakes are perfect for your Halloween table and are great for kids and grown ups alike!
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Almond Cupcakes:
½ cup unsaled butter, melted and cooled
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk (see note)
cherry pie filling (you'll need 13 cherries from the filling; you can save the remaining filling for another recipe)
For the Cherry:
1 (3 ounce) package cherry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
½ cup cold water
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
26 gummy eyes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition. The mixture will be fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate adding the flour and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, and stirring until just combined with each addition. Be careful not to overmix.
Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups -- each will be ⅔ - ¾ full.
Spoon one cherry from the cherry pie filling on top of each cupcake. Use a skewer to gently push each cherry into the batter. Bake 15 - 20 minutes, checking with a toothpick at 15. Let the cupcakes cool while you make the Cherry Jell-O.
Stir the Cherry Jell-O and the boiling water together for a minute or two until the gelatin dissolves. Add the cold water.
Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin (because when you poke and add the cherry gelatin you don't want the wrappers to stick to the pan). Use a skewer to poke about 7 holes in the top of each cupcake. Spoon the Jell-O over the top of each cupcake a tablespoon at a time. You'll have gelatin left over - you can just pour it in a dish to chill and serve. Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator to chill while you make the frosting.
To make the frosting beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the heavy cream an tablespoon at a time, then add the vanilla. Mix for another minute or two to get really fluffy cream cheese frosting.
Frost the chilled cupcakes and then situate a couple of the gummy eyeballs on top of each one.
Notes
If you do not have buttermilk on hand, measure out ¾ cup milk and add 1½ teaspoons white vinegar. Let it sit while you melt the butter and measure out the flour. Quickly whisk your homemade buttermilk before adding it to the mix.
Recipe by Sugar Dish Me at https://www.sugardishme.com/evil-eye-cherry-cupcakes/