Cherry Coke is one of my all time favorite things.
And I mean the REAL kind of cherry Coke that has cherries hidden under the ice. I don’t care how tacky it looks, I will absolutely be digging in the ice for my cherry. And if both hands need to be involved–so be it.
When I was younger, I worked as a waitress at a restaurant that kept a huge jar of maraschino cherries in the refrigerator for soft drinks and hot fudge sundaes.
From time to time, I may have paid for a cherry Coke and then added about twenty-thirtyish more cherries than I was supposed to.
Don’t judge me. I was broke and living on my own so sometimes that counted as my dinner.
Wait–if someone who knows me sees this and turns me in, can I be arrested for marachino cherry theivery? Is there a statute of limitations on that sort of thing?
Uh….nevermind about the twenty-thirtish cherries. Totally a joke.
Wanna know how to make these yummy cupcakes?
(click here for printable recipe)
INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup Coke
Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
In the bowl of a mixer, add cake mix, butter, Coke, buttermilk, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase speed to medium. Beat for 2 minutes.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for about 15 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
Place cupcakes on cooling racks until cooled.
Cherry Frosting: (if piling this on real high like mine, you will probably want to double)
2 sticks salted butter, softened
10 oz jar maraschino cherries
4 cups powdered sugar
In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and four tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice from the jar until smooth. Slowly add four cups of powdered sugar and beat on low until barely mixed.
Gradually increase mixer speed and beat on medium high about a minute. Add some coarsely chopped cherries (I used half the jar–you could use more or less to suit your taste). Beat on medium high for another minute or so until frosting is light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add more cherry juice and beat just a bit longer.
Generously frost your cupcakes and place in the refrigerator until well chilled (about an hour) then make your glaze.
Glaze:
1/4 cup Coke
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons melted butter
Maraschino cherries/gummi Coke bottles for garnish
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the cocoa powder and Coke and whisk in well. Once the mixture just begins to boil, remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. Spoon the frosting over the cupcakes and top with a cherry and gummi Coke bottle before set.
Aren’t these cupcakes so cute and yummy looking? Definitely the work of a nice non-cherry stealing type of girl.
Great. I’m gonna be paranoid about hearing sirens all week long.
Have a happy Monday and thanks for stopping by!!
Sound so YUMMY!
hey i was going to make these for thankesgiving but i was wodering if you make the batter then add the other in gredients
Um. Had to check these out asap. These are genius. I'm addicted to diet cherry cokes (big, gigantic ones) from Sonic Drive In. I think I drink one every day – don't judge me. Absolutely can't wait to make these cupcakes!!! Does the coke flavor come through in the cake?
Hannah–it doesn't come through as much as I would LIKE, but they are very good!!
So fun!
I LOVE real cherries in coke! These are so cute :)
I'm so not a coke fan, but I love cherry coke. So I find these very intriguing.
Uhh, these look gross. NOTEVENALITTLEBIT!! I need to make them. Need. Thank you, as usual for making my eyes fat! :)
I have to make these for my husband! Thanks! P.S. How in the world do you always get your icing to look so fab! I am a cupcake newbie and mine always looks like a hot mess. I have tried a few tools. What would you recommend? You rock!
These are SO gonna be on the menu for the birthday party next month! And you know not a one of us will breathe a word of any cherriness to anyone!!
Oh girl… as someone who made a living working the the food service industry, I can tell you that it was odd to NOT have someone grazing!!! You were a saint to just be nabbin cherries! :)
LOVE these cupcakes by the way!
Adorable and so outside the box! Love it!
Fabulous as always! My husband loves a real cherry coke too and would be all over taking more cherries than necessary.
Do you really get 24 cupcakes iced the way you do with one recipe?! I always seem to have double the recipe. Thanks! :)
Yummy!!! I just made a Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake.Pretty darn good. One of these days I will try it with Cherry Coke.
Bluefunk–If I really pile it on, I do have to double it. Most people don't though, but thanks for reminding me!! I usually try to add a note to double if piping it on real high.
I always, always ALWAYS have a cherry coke when I go to the movies. Now… how to smuggle one of those cupcakes in.
(P.S. totally behind you on the twentyish-thirtyish cherries – LOVE maraschinos)
I'm not crazy about cherry coke, but something tells me I'd be crazy about these cupcakes. Yumee.
Wait when you say Coke you mean Coke as in Coca Cola, soda? Can that be added to cupcakes? This is amazing! I'm going to have to try this recipe!
Where do you get the gummy soda bottles? I love the look!
oh my!!!! These look amazing!!! Im making these for sure!
I love real cherry coke too. These cupcakes look to die for.
Oh me, oh my…I could go for one of these right about now.
Oh these are just FUN! I love the addition of the Haribo coke bottles. You know me and Haribo. Like it says on the bag, "Kids and Grown Ups love it so, the wonderful world of Haribo!". :)
Yum! Can't wait to try this recipe! All of my favorites in a cupcake!!! I hope they are as yummy as your chocolate covered cherry cupcakes!!! Glad to see you survived your camping trip!
I would love to had access to the cherries while I worked too.
*In my best Chandler impression* Could these…BE any cuter?!
Love these so much…Cherry coke is tied as my all time favorite soda with cherry limeaid… Hmmm. Think I have a thing for cherries?! Anyway, I can imagine that these are so incredibly delicious, but they're just stinking adorable too! Love!
OH MY!! I have definitely found what I am making my best friend for her birthday. While we were roomies in college we would take late night trips to Sonic to get cherry cokes. These would be perfect for her! Thanks so much for posting. I love love LOVE your blog!
Now this really is a confession of a cookbook queen! Love your cupcakes.
I've never had cherry coke with actual cherries in it!!
How fun! My first job was at a mom&pop kind of ice cream shop. We served coke w/ anything in it- chocolate syrup, cherry syrup, vanilla… it was awesome. These are such cute little cupcakes!
By the way, we're doing a gummy bear experiment for my son's 4th grade science project right now to see which liquids will dissolve gummy bears the quickest. He chose coke for one of his liquids, and FYI, it's a good way to create coke-flavored gummy bears!!
I'm making these on Thursday for my husbands nerdy clan of Dungeon and Dragon playing geeks. I wasn't invited to play, so I guilt them about it every week by making them delicious treats. Many of which come from this fabulous blog.
You know what the world needs? Cola flavored…uh, flavoring. I mean, they have root beer.
These are awesome! And I, too, LOVE maraschino cherries! I always put a few extras in my amaretto sours. Come on over to Texas, I'll make you one!
I love 'm!! I was just thinking about making some dr. pepper cupcakes soon…although I have no idea where to start. but seeing these makes me believe it's possible. they look super cute ;)
Oh these look SO yummy!
This is a revolutionary idea!!…right now I DIP my chocolate cupcake IN the cherry coke but this is genius…less floaties in my coke. Yet again, a brilliant idea. :)
Trish (http://sweetology101.blogspot.com)
I love Cherry Coke Too! These look amazing.
hello, gorgeous cupcake. i might switch this up for cherry doctor pepper, to support the needs of my addicted fiance!
Ooh… These look so good! I'm totally craving cupcakes now.
Cutest cupcakes ever!
These look insane!! I might work.up the nerve to try them soon…
Kristan!!!!!! Those are awesome! I love the little gummy coke bottle on them!! Your cupcakes rock!
hahaha, I used to do the same thing but I always got shirley temples (cherry and gingerale)I filled my cup up with cherries instead of ice and then put the cherry and gingerale in. :O) These cupcakes look so good!
I won't tell on you, promise. ;-) These are so much fun!!
These look amazingly good!
Fun to make I bet, with the kids! :)
Omg!!!! Im going to make these tomorrow…can I ask you a very dumb question…what butter do you use? Unsalted, salted or the cheap imperial sticks?? Thank you and im sorry for asking the question but I hate messing up recipes lol..
Mandy
Mmmmm I'm not a fan of coke at all but it kinda sounds good in the chocolate glaze and the cupcakes look amazing.
Oh my these look so tasty! I used to love cherry coke as a kid!
Cherry Coke makes me cough…and not just a little girly couch, but a hack up my left lung kinda cough. Fortunately things flavored with Cherry Coke do not make me cough! These look really amazing!!
Two words: yum and yum! If you go to jail, we'll bake you cupcakes with tiny files in them!
aw, cherry coke!! classic. this looks seriously great! thanks for sharing, lots of love happening for this and all your posts :)
-meg
@ http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com
Hi.
Am so gonna make this and probably today. You think it’ll work out fine if I were to use a chocolate cake recipe and not the cake mix one, since I am now no longer a big fan of boxed cake mix?
regards,