Photo: Chocolate Cherry Cola Cupcakes with Red Licorice Filling and Marshmallow Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup cherry cola, warmed in microwave for 1 minute
- Red Licorice Filling, recipe follows
- 2 cups crushed yogurt-covered pretzels
- Marshmallow Frosting, recipe follows
- Cherry Cola Glaze, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 regular size cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, half-and-half, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the warmed cherry cola until fully combined.
Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake until the cupcakes spring back when touched with your finger, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pans for a few minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Fill each of the cupcakes with Red Licorice Filling. Sprinkle the crushed yogurt covered pretzels on top. Top with Marshmallow Frosting and drizzle with Cherry Cola Glaze.
- This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
Red Licorice Filling:
- 5 ounces red licorice (about 10 jumbo pieces) (recommended: Red Vines)
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
Tear the licorice into 1 inch pieces and place in a saucepan with the water over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool. Whisk in the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbly. Continue to cook for 1 minute, and then remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature.
Marshmallow Frosting:
- 8 egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan with boiling water. Whisk constantly over the heat for 1 to 3 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and beat with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks have formed, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Cherry Cola Glaze:
- 3 to 5 teaspoons cherry cola
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Add the cherry cola, 1 teaspoon at a time, to the powdered sugar until it has a good consistency to drizzle on cupcakes.
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By ginger1147
on October 21, 2012
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Yummy, but very sweet! I agree it was hard to taste the cherry cola. It's one of my favorites, though! Love the filling especially! Definitely make the glaze, because that's the most cherry cola flavor you can get.Will make again!
By mmmcupcakes01
on March 18, 2012
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These are ALOT of work! Granted the were good in the end..but VERY sticky! For you Canadians, as cherry cola is almost impossible to find in Canada, the only place I could find anything of the sort was the Co-Op brand of cherry cola (it is called something else though and it worked very well. The cupcake itself was very moist and delish. I found I could taste the coke put I also mixed 1/4 c coke with 3/4 c cherry cola. And as for the marshmallow topping, I attempted the recipe TWICE..and failed epically both times. I opted to buy jet puff in a jar and use that instead. It worked well but they have to be eaten quickly..it just melts and makes a huge mess (still tastes the same though!. O, and the filling made WAY too much for me. I would suggest cutting it in half or even 3/4. That way you don't put too much in and they aren't too sweet. All in all, pretty good if you have LOTS of time ;
By theartsyone
Beaverton, OR
on December 24, 2011
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I second that the cake portion of this recipe is great--I've never made such moist cupcakes. They have no cola flavor whatsoever so calling them anything else but chocolate cupcakes is a flat out lie. The frosting is very sticky so it's messy to handle and it’s so sweet I didn't add the glaze. In the end, I just piped small buttons of the frosting on the cupcakes and topped them with a chocolate dipped cherry and they went over well. Another note about the frosting, this recipe makes a HUGE amount of frosting that if piled on the cupcakes would be disgusting. I truly missed the cola flavor so if I were to do these cupcakes again, I'd fill them a cola-reduction filling or even use an extract in the a batter with a reduced amount of coca powder to so that there is some apparent cola taste with the chocolate.
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