Cherry Lollipop Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

50 ml vegetable oil

2 tbsp yogurt

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp cherry essence
Red food dye

Buttercream

2/3 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
5-7 tbsp milk 
2 tbsp cherry essence
Red food dye
Cherry flavoured lollipops for topping

*Recipe makes about 20 cupcakes

Method

Cupcakes

1.   Pre-heat the oven to 160℃/320°F

2.   Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3.   In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Because there is more sugar than butter, it won’t cream together completely. Just make sure that it isn’t lumpy.

4.   Add the vegetable oil and yogurt and mix on medium speed until the mixture is white and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes.

5.   Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and and mix until well combined.
6. Add in the cherry essence and red food dye until you have the desired colour.

7.   Add in the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix.

8.   Line a cupcake tin with cupcake holders and fill them about ¾ of the way.

9.   Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Buttercream

1. Add the soften butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high until the butter becomes creamy and whiter in colour.

2. Sift the sugar and add it to the butter 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Add milk and continue mixing until the buttercream is the right consistency. Do not be afraid to overmix. It should be smooth and fluffy. Make sure that there are no small butter pieces left.

4. Mix in the cherry essence.

5. Set aside half of the buttercream and add the red food dye to the other half.

6. Pipe alternating stripes of red and white buttercream onto plastic wrap. Roll the buttercream stripes onto each other using the plastic wrap and place it into a piping bag.

7. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top each one with a lollipop!