Cherry Coke Float cupcakes by CocoBean

Cherry Coke Float cupcakes by Coco Bean.



Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes
adapted from Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'
makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 1/2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 Cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbs cocoa powder
3/4 Cup Coca-Cola
1/4 cup marachino cherry syrup
24 marachino cherries

Cola Icing
1 cup Icing sugar
2 tbsp cola

Preheat the oven to 350 F.In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in a second bowl. In a saucepan, boil the Coca-Cola, and cherry syrup gently for five minutes. Melt in the butter and cocoa powder. Pour into the dry ingredients, stir well with a wooden spoon, and then add the liquid ingredients, beating until everything is blended.
Pour into the cupcake pans and push a cherry into the center of each cupcake. Bake for 15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
When cool drizzle over the Cola Icing and let dry. Top with cherry buttercream and a cherry.



A friend of mine pointed out that CocoBean never left a recipe for the cherry buttercream, so here's one from Martha Stewart.

Cherry Buttercream

Makes about 15 cups

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 cups (12 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup pureed sour cherries

Directions

1. Put egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Bring milk and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk about one-third of the liquid into yolk mixture. Pour mixture back into pan with remaining custard; whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture registers 185 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat; strain. Refrigerate until cool.
3. Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in chilled custard.
4. Heat egg whites and remaining 1 cup sugar in the clean heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
5. Add egg-white mixture to butter mixture; beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; bring to room temperature, and beat before using.

Add 1/2 cup pureed sour cherries in step 5 (drain syrup from cherries before pureeing).