Before you start screaming that I'm a month late and it's not cherry season anymore, just hear me out. Rather than juicy summer berries, these cupcakes get their tart cherry flavor from freeze-dried cherries folded into the frosting - available all year round! I picked up this freeze-dried berry frosting trick from my friend Maryanne (The Little Epicurean) - it's her smart way of infusing intense berry flavor into frosting without ending up with drippy soft icing that won't hold its shape.
So there you go - now you can have these Cherry Garcia cupcakes in the middle of September. Which is a good thing because there's absolutely no way I could hold onto this recipe until next July. That'd just be cruel. If you rush out now, you might even find a few end-of-the-season black cherries to plop on top for decoration.
Okay, now that we've moved past that hurdle, let's talk about the cupcake I want to eat for the rest of my life. The cupcake I want served at my funeral (someone please take note - there better be chocolate chip cupcakes at my funeral). This chocolate chip cupcake is the real deal - the star of the show, with the cherry cream cheese frosting as its trusty sidekick.
Imagine a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie in the form of a moist fluffy cupcake. A vanilla cupcake with a light crumb filled with pockets of melty chocolate chunks - all topped with a dollop of cherry cream cheese frosting to give it a refined tart flair.
On this episode of kids say the darndest things:
As most neighbors of food bloggers will probably confirm, they get a constant stream of homemade desserts to sample. More like: I pawn off sweets on my next-door neighbors to keep myself from hiding one cupcake after another in my bottomless dessert belly. There's a house for sale on our corner - they really should list "free desserts" as a selling point.
When the three-year old answers the door, my plate of dessert is always met with wide eyes and bright smiles as she quietly asks what I've brought and why, pretending she's oh-so shy. Don't let that coy smile fool you though - she once uttered the words, "Mom, I'm shy" before fearlessly insisting I join her for a dance party in her room.
While Lucas and his coworkers went ga-ga for the chocolate chip & tart cherry union, this pint-sized "shy" budding food critic stopped by a week after I'd brought over a half-dozen of these Cherry Garcia cupcakes to very matter-of-factly announce "usually I like the frosting best, but I did NOT like this frosting." Noted.
This is a cupcake for grown-up taste buds.
GOOD NEWS: MORE CUPCAKES FOR ME!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Cherry Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup white rice flour
- ⅓ cup gluten-free oat flour
- ⅓ cup millet flour
- ¼ cup sweet rice flour, also called mochiko; do not substitute white or brown rice flour
- ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk
- 6 tablespoons dark chocolate chips, chopped
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese (blocked), room temperature
- 6 tablespoons ground freeze-dried cherries, sifted
- 1-½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, oat flour, millet flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed.
- With the mixer on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one.
- Add the vanilla extract, mixing until just combined.
- Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in two batches, adding the milk in between, mixing until just combined.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout.
- Divide the batter among 12 lined cupcake cups, until about ¾ full.
- Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe cherry frosting on top and serve.
Cherry cream cheese frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter over medium speed.
- Add the cream cheese and whip until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar, in thirds, mixing on slow speed until combined.
- Add the vanilla and ground freeze-dried cherries, and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Transfer to a pastry bag to pipe onto cupcakes, or spread directly on cupcakes with a knife.
Julia Stearns @ Healthirony -
I had a similar cherry chocolate chip cupcakes at a restaurant recently and found myself craving it and wondering if I could recreate it today.
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky -
Gorgeous pictures. I made these cherry chocolate chip cupcakes for the super bowl party and it was a crowd favorite. I'm also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Maggie -
I just came across this excellent recipe and wondered if it is possible to make the icing with fresh cherries? The freeze-dried version is not available where I live.
Sarah -
Wow, these cupcakes are beautiful! And perfect in their matching polka dot wrappers.
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much, Sarah!
Kristen -
My favorite is strawberry.
Karen Matlock -
My favorite combinations are; cherry and chocolate and orange and chocolate :)
kelly - a side of sweet -
I love the idea of infused frostings! Oh the possibilities! The cupcake liners are lovely!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, lady!
Katie @ Sweet Society -
These look amazing! Chocolate and cherry is the best and these have officially made me hungry:)
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much, Katie!
Linda K. -
I like a rich dark dark dark chocolate cupcake. Another one not really for the kids...
Min -
Aww I want to have a "shy" 3 year old who knocks at my door and invites me to a private dance party! I probably won't have much to offer as I haven't been baking much as of late. Can I be that neighbor that pays you a visit daily or am I too old for that? You can NEVER be too old, right? ;). I don't think I've ever tried gf cupcakes so def pinning this recipe! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start, my sweet dear friend!
Sarah Menanix -
You're never too old for that. Come over ANY TIME. Bring dance shoes:)
Hope you're having a lovely week too!
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
Maybe this is why I'm fat... I don't bring sweets over to neighbors. We eat them all here. Oops. Hahahahaa... these cupcakes are stunning Sarah! Like, seriously. Normally I'm a big red velvet fan... but these might just take the cake (get it?) for my fave!
Sarah Menanix -
You're so punny! (See what I did there?). Maybe it's a good thing we're not neighbors or we'd just eat our way into oblivion.
bob -
VANILLA FROSTING 4LIFE #simplethings
Mallory @ Chocolate with Grace -
Gorgeous pictures! I love the cherry chocolate combination!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks Mallory - It's one of my favorite combos these days.
Amanda -
Thanks for liking a pic on my insta! Just discovered your page and love your photos.
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks so much Amanda!
Kayley | The Kitchen McCabe -
These cupcakes are beautiful and I love the freeze dried cherry frosting idea! Genius! Plus, I love that you made them gluten-free. Now that's an awesome bonus!
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you, Kayley! This freeze dried berry idea is definitely my new go-to frosting move.
Justin -
Do muffins count... I like banana nut muffins. Do they come in cupcake form - Annie will eat the frosting.
Sarah Menanix -
So...Awkward...
;)
Tina @ Just Putzing Around the Kitchen -
My favorite cupcake flavor is...either carrot cake or anything chocolate-based (duh) ;)
Angela -
Favorite cupcake flavor is carrot! :)
Diane -
These are the most delicious looking cupcakes I have ever seen in my life.
Oana @Through Oanas Lens -
I would love to move next door! Now, seriously, these cupcakes are just perfection. Have to try them!
Sarah Menanix -
I'll take more neighbors to eat my creations any day! Thanks, Oana! :)
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter -
These cupcakes are gorgeous Sarah! I love the pretty color of the frosting! Cherry season or not, I'd love these all year round :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, Kelly! That color comes naturally just from the freeze-dried berries! Yet another reason to put freeze-dried berries in your frosting:)
Suzanne @ Flour Arrangements -
Love the idea of using freeze-dried fruit in frosting. Brilliant! Your cupcakes look and sound delicious!
Suzanne @ Flour Arrangements -
My favorite cupcake flavor, by the way, is chocolate with salted caramel frosting.
Umm Haneefah @The Halal Gourmet -
You are one step ahead. You know everybody is going to say "but the cherries are out of season".
These are sooo cutesy-poo. Too pretty to eat.
Sarah Menanix -
Haha - in an ideal world, I would have gotten these posted well before cherry season was over, but...(insert really good excuse here).
Thank you so much!
Thalia @ butter and brioche -
How amazingly delicious are these cupcakes.. definitely craving a bite of one right now! My favourite cupcake flavour would have to be red velvet with a thick cream cheese icing..
Alyssa -
LOL! I love how honest kids are. You can't please everyone! I think they sound amazing though, and I want to be your neighbor.
Carla (@charliesue) -
LEMON cupcakes! With cream cheese frosting! (YUM.)
(P.S. I'm not THAT far away... ;))
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons -
I'm super boring and always go vanilla and chocolate as my fav [with carrot cake runner up!] haha - these look phenomenal! I have to buy buckets of Cherry Garcia for my husband and he would flip over these!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks Jenn! Please do tell me if you make them for him:)
Julie @ This Gal Cooks -
Oh I do not care that it is not cherry season anymore. Give me these cupcakes any time of the year and I'll be happy! They look amazing, Sarah!
Sarah Menanix -
Haha - clearly I don't either! Thank you, Julie! I'm still hanging onto summer with every inch of my being.
Annie | MontgomeryFest -
I was! I was like - wait. wasn't cherry season like a month ago?! silly Sarah. and then I read on and I only wanted to be your neighbor for even more reasons than I already did. there was a lot of emotions. but what I really came to say was - white cake with raspberry chambord filling. aka our wedding cake.
Ashley Pitt @ A Lady Goes West -
So I'd like to move next door to you then ...
Sarah Menanix -
You mentioned you were considering moving out of the city, didn't you? (Or did I make that up?) Well anyway, you should definitely come be my neighbor. I'll feed you cupcakes and you can help me work it off;)
Mira -
Cherry season - almost over, but thanks to you I'm saving and definitely trying this cherry cupcake recipe very soon. I love that they are gluten free! They look beautiful, and the cupcake sleeves are very cute.
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much, Mira! Please let me know if you make them!
Dee -
Absolutely, positively chocolate!
Sue -
Chocolate
Kristy @ Southern In-Law -
These cupcakes look absolutely amazing!
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much, Kristy!
Tyler -
These look amazing. My favorite cupcake flavor is chocolate bacon :)