Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

There are several women who, I am convinced, definitely do not eat enough dessert.

Kristin Stewart, for one. What is she so grumpy about? I guess she is frowning all the time because the Twilight movies haven’t gone over so well. She  puts all that hard work into those movies and then they bomb at the box office.  That WOULD be frustrating. 

What? 

What’s that you say? 

They are some of the most popular movies of ALL TIME?

Oh. 

Hmmmm….I think I know what her problem is.

As an expert in the dessert field, I believe that she is exhibiting all the symptoms of Lack of Dessert Syndrome. This is a very serious affliction, whose symptoms include irritability, lack of interest in anything interesting, skinniness, and occasional downright meanness.

She is not alone. Fellow sufferers Janice Dickinson and Naomi Campbell have been fighting this for years. Of course, they suffer from a much more serious and advanced form of this disease. Thankfully, Kristin is still in the early stages and can easily be saved.

Someone get this girl some dessert, fast. RobPat?  This is important. Leave your hair alone for like, 5 minutes and go pick up a cheesecake for your lady friend. 

The cupcakes I made today are for my super awesome friend LA, who is not only a cheesecake fan, but also a huge Twilight fan. Mainly though, she is a RobPat fan. And part of being a friend is supporting your friends when they have a huge crush on a teenage vampire. Right?  So, LA…I am here for you.

These cupcakes are from Cupcakes From The Cake Mix Doctor. As I have said before, I see no shame in using a mix, especially when the results are as delicious as these!!  With a vanilla wafer bottom, buttery yellow cake middle, and creamy cheesecake topping, these are definitely worth making.

INGREDIENTS

Filling:
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes:
1 package plain yellow cake mix (this means Duncan Hines)
1 package (3.4oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
28 vanilla wafers


Topping:
Vegetable spray, for misting a spoon
1 can (21oz) cherry pie filling


Preheat oven to 350.


Line 28 cupcake cups with paper liners (I just did 24).


Prepare the filling: Place the cream cheese in a small mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the cream cheese has softened, 15 seconds. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla and continue to beat on low until the ingredients come together,  1 minute. Set the filling aside.


Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed.


Place 1 vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter on top of each vanilla wafer. Gently dollop 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on top of each cupcake. The cup will be nearly full. Do not shake the pans. Place the pans in the oven. 


Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly touched, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Lift cupcakes from pans and place on wire rack to cool for 15 more minutes.


Mist a teaspoon with vegetable oil spray and use this to press down on the cupcake to create an indentation. Place a heaping teaspoon of cherry pie filling in the well of each cupcake.


If you know anyone suffering from Lack of Dessert Syndrome, please make these for them as soon as possible. You will begin to see results immediately following consumption.

Happy Thursday!!