These cherry cupcakes are soft, pink, and filled with chopped maraschino cherries, topped with a creamy maraschino cherry buttercream. They’re tasty, straightforward to make, and completely from scratch.
Maraschino cherry cupcakes are a nostalgic favorite—bright pink, studded with cherries, and finished with matching pink frosting. They look festive and taste delightful, and they don’t require any special equipment or advanced techniques.
Why you’ll love these cherry cupcakes:
- No stand mixer required—simple tools work fine.
- Most ingredients are pantry staples you likely already have.
How to make cherry cupcakes
- Beat room-temperature butter with granulated sugar until very light and pale.
- Beat in egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Add a touch of food coloring if you want a pretty pink hue.
- Fold in the dry ingredients alternating with whole milk until just combined.
- Stir in chopped maraschino cherries.
- Divide the batter into paper-lined muffin cups and bake.
Notes
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting; warm cupcakes will cause the frosting to soften and slide.
If you prefer not to use almond extract, substitute additional vanilla. Almond complements cherry nicely, but vanilla works well too. Clear vanilla keeps the color truer if you’re aiming for a bright pink cupcake.
How to make maraschino cherry frosting
- Beat room-temperature butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, maraschino cherry juice, extracts, a splash of milk or cream, and salt.
- Mix until smooth and adjust powdered sugar or milk to reach your desired consistency. Add pink food coloring if desired.
Pipe the frosting with a closed star tip for a decorative finish, or simply spread it on with a spatula—both look and taste great.
What are maraschino cherries?
Original maraschino cherries were preserved Marasca cherries kept in maraschino liqueur. Marasca cherries are a tart black cherry once common in the Dalmatian region. Over time, preservation techniques evolved and the modern maraschino cherry—mild, sweet, and brightly colored—became popular. The method widely used today was developed in the early 20th century and allowed cherries to be preserved without becoming mushy.
Can I use fresh cherries in these cupcakes?
Yes—you can substitute fresh cherries for maraschino cherries. Fresh cherries will be less sweet and yield a slightly drier cupcake, and you should omit maraschino cherry juice from the frosting. The cupcakes and frosting will still be delicious, just with a different cherry character.
A few more recipes you might like
Cherry Crumb Pie
Easy Chocolate Cherry Cake
Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes
Raspberry Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes
Did you make these cherry cupcakes? Share a comment and rating below, and tag your photos on Instagram so the author can see your creations.
Dessert
American
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear vanilla if you have it)
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract*
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- Pink food coloring (optional)
- 3/4 cup maraschino cherries, patted dry and chopped
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 to 6 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear if you have it)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pink food coloring (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 10 to 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
- Beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy and pale, about 3–4 minutes.
- Beat in the egg whites one at a time, then add vanilla and almond extract. Stir in food coloring if using.
- With the mixer on low, add one-third of the dry ingredients, then half the milk. Repeat, ending with the last of the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the chopped cherries gently.
- Divide the batter among the prepared cups and bake 15–20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- Beat the butter until very smooth.
- Add 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, maraschino cherry juice, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Mix until combined and add coloring if desired.
- Scrape the bowl, then beat on medium until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if too thin or more milk if too thick.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.
- You can substitute vanilla for almond extract if preferred.
- Clear vanilla helps maintain a bright pink color, but regular vanilla is fine.
- Store uneaten cupcakes covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.
Adapted from How to Bake Everything.