Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Prep 30 minutes Bake 12 minutes
Cool 30 minutes Stand 10 minutes
Oven 350°F Makes 24 cupcakes

1 package (18.25 ounces) butter-recipe chocolate cake mix,
Betty Crocker®
11⁄3 cups cranberry-cherry juice, Ocean Spray®
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 eggs
1⁄2 cup cherry pie filling, Comstock® or Wilderness®
11⁄4 cups white baking chips, Nestlé®
7 tablespoons heavy cream
21⁄2 teaspoons light-color corn syrup, Karo®
11⁄4 cups whipped fluffy white frosting, Duncan Hines®
1⁄3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, Nestlé®
1 jar (10 ounces) maraschino cherries with stems, drained

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twenty-four 21⁄2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, cranberry-cherry juice, butter, and eggs with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down side of bowl; beat for 2 minutes on medium. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter into each prepared muffin cup. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cherry pie filling on batter in each cup; top with another 1 tablespoon of the batter.
3. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups; cool completely on rack.
4. For white frosting, place white baking chips in a medium bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat until nearly boiling. Pour over white baking chips; stir until completely smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir cream mixture into white frosting until well mixed; set aside.
5. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave semisweet chocolate chips on medium for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Place maraschino cherries on paper towels to dry. Dip each dry cherry into melted semisweet chocolate; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet until chocolate hardens.
6. Frost each cupcake with white chocolate frosting; top with a chocolate-covered cherry.

Excerpted from the book, Sandra Lee Bake Sale Cookbook, by Sandra Lee
Copyright © 2011 SLSH Enterprises, Inc. www.sandralee.com