Cherry Garcia Inspired Cupcakes

October is going to be such a busy baking month. No, really, it’s going to be insane! Don’t believe me? Well, let’s see… I have more Halloween baking planned than I could possibly cover (which, of course, isn’t going to stop me from trying), on top of which I have three, count them, three birthdays to bake for, and a custom cake for a baby shower. Whew! Might as well set up the cot in the kitchen now. But all joking aside, this week we celebrated my brother-in-law’s girlfriend’s birthday, and I was ready! Oh was I ready! You see, about a month ago we were all having dinner together and the girlfriend brought up how much she loved Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. Unfortunately, there is one, only one place here in Norway where you can purchase it, and she hadn’t been there in about three years (it’s about a 4 hour drive from the town we all live in), but oh, wouldn’t she love some! Knowing her birthday was coming up, I filed that little tidbit of information away, and slowly assembled my own recipe for Cherry Garcia cupcakes!

Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Inspired Cupcakes
Yields 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1/2 stick (57 grams) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
5 tbsp. cherry jam, with fruit chunks
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks (340 grams) butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
5 tbsp. cherry jam, with fruit chunks
1 bar chocolate, coarsely chopped

Start by preheating your oven to 350* Fahrenheit (175* Celsius) and lining your cupcake pan(s) with liners. In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat until sugary lumps form. Add the eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, and cherry jam. Mix until all ingredients are well combined and there are no longer any lumps. Add the whole cup of flour, mixing until all the flour is completely mixed in and the batter is thick. Add the milk and beat until the batter loosens. Finally, add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into your lined cupcake pan(s) and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cupcake comes out clean.

While the cupcakes bake, you can whip up the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until the frosting returns to a smooth, creamy texture. Add both extracts and the jam, and beat until all ingredients are combined and the frosting is completely smooth. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag, and pipe onto the completely cooled cupcakes.

Dip the top of each cupcake in the coarsely chopped chocolate to garnish. I also added a marzipan cherry with a licorice stem, just because I had leftover marzipan and couldn’t resist!

Happy baking!