Cherry Pie Cupcakes

Tell me these look just like Cherry Pie!  I love making these – it is right up my alley with so many details, steps to follow, and multiple techniques to harness.

These cupcakes were part of a larger order for birthday cupcakes.  This particular client is as sweet as they get and asked that I put together a variety of cupcakes…and, “I really like cream cheese.”  What a dream.  I get to be creative with just a small amount of direction.

Right away, I knew I needed to bake Red Velvet cupcakes – the perfect partner for Cream Cheese Frosting.  I considered Carrot Cake or Apple Cinnamon Cake… but opted out of those choices because they didn’t seem very birthday-y.  Maybe I’m wrong on this.  [I do remember a time I baked 13 dozen cupcakes for a large event – the seven remaining cupcakes were all Carrot Cake cupcakes.]

Because it’s possible, I filled six Red Velvet and six Chocolate cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for a sweet little bonus.  Is there ever too much Cream Cheese Buttercream?  Some people may not immediately pair cream cheese with chocolate cake, but it’s quite delicious.  Think about it…

No matter who says what, I still love the sexy Vanilla Cupcake Vanilla Buttercream combination.  It’s simple and incredibly delicious.  My favorite topper to date is the Animal Cracker.  It’s vanilla and lemony at the same time.  Such a classic.

After the vanilla was finished, I made Nutella Buttercream for six Chocolate cupcakes.  This might have been the best buttercream today – it was creamy and delicious.  I topped each cupcake with a decadent Ferrero Rocher chocolate…this combination is hard to pass up.

So, I needed three dozen cupcakes of varying flavors and designs.  I had a half dozen of five types: Red Velvet w/Cream Cheese, Chocolate w/Cream Cheese, Chocolate w/Nutella, Vanilla w/Vanilla, and Vanilla w/Chocolate.  I needed one more half-dozen.

During the baking process, I thought I might make six Cherry Pie cupcakes.  In planning for this, I chose to bake three vanilla and three chocolate cupcakes in silver foil cupcake liners – the better to imitate a pie pan (ok, I know…I might be the only one who notices this itty bitty detail, but I really love it). 

This look starts with a smear of chocolate buttercream then I place the red and hot pink M&Ms (M side down) across the top.  I add the hot pink to create a bit of contrast.  Next, I pipe on the frosting in a cross-hatch pattern, using a Wilton #5 tip.  The final step is a ring of “crust” around the entire cupcake top, using a Wilton #22.

I was happy with the results.  It’s not perfect – the consistency of the chocolate was a bit stiff, but the taste was delicious.  Note to self: use a bit more milk next time.

The Schokoladenkränze (Chocolate Wreath) looks like a party sitting on top of this Vanilla Cupcake Chocolate Buttercream delight.

“There’s a zoo!”