Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes, Pressure Cooking, and Rorschach Tests

Boring cupcakes are just that.  Boring.  For just a little bit more work, you can do something cool, so why not?  <<Sees heads nodding in agreement.>>  That's what I thought.  That's why I like you people.  Today let's do Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes.

These basically replicate an old-fashioned soda fountain float in that the cupcake is topped with whipped cream and a cherry ((which I keep mistyping as "cheery" which is really not in my wheel-house.)) 

The one in the center, hiding between the samoa cupcake and red velvet cheesecake.

 This recipe is slightly adapted from Nigella Lawson's, "How to Be a Domestic Goddess."

What you need for 12:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tbs cocoa powder

3/4 cup Coca-Cola

1/4 cup maraschino cherry syrup

24 maraschino cherries

1 can of Reddi-Whip ((because how can this possibly go wrong?!))

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line your muffin tin with muffin papers and make sure they are cute, dammit.

In one bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

All the dry, white stuff goes in this bowl.

In a second bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla by whisking the hell out of them.  Set aside.

All the wet, yellow-y white stuff goes in this bowl.

Take your jar of maraschino cherries and drain the juice into a small sauce pan.  ((Save the cherries!))  Add the Coke ((and use regular coke, not diet)), bring it to a boil, and let it boil gently for 5 minutes.  Boiling gently means there are still plenty of bubbles in the brew, but it isn't going apeshit.  Stir it occasionally, scraping the bottom, to be sure you aren't burning the cherry juice.

Bubbly Coke

After 5 minutes, remove it from the heat and throw in the butter and the chocolate.  It should melt the butter quite quickly, but if not, put it back on the burner for a couple of seconds to speed things up.  Keep stirring!

With the butter and chocolate

Pour the contents of the sauce pan into the bowl with the dry ingredients.  

Stir.

This is not a Rorschach Test ((however you spell that))

At this point, feel free to get a little concerned that this appears to be NOTHING like cupcake batter.  I did.  

Add the wet ingredients from Bowl #2 and stir.  Give a sigh of relief.

That's workable

Mix well and fill your cupcake liners.  

NOW.  These do not "fluff up" like some cupcakes do.  Go ahead and fill the liners at least 3/4's of the way full.  ((I use a 1/4 cup measuring doo-hickey to fill them.  It is about the right amount and the stuff doesn't slop all over.))  

((Pretend there is a picture here.  I was on such a picture-taking roll.))

Smush a maraschino cherry in the middle of each one and bake for 15 minutes OR until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean.  ((I want to say it took closer to 20 minutes for mine.))

Allow them to cool and then top with aerosol Reddi-Whip.  Use a lot.  Why?  It's fun.  Add another cherry on top.  

So cute.  And the cherry is off-center.

Now, let me say this because maybe this isn't obvious...  You need to "frost" these IMMEDIATELY before serving.  Otherwise, the whipped cream will basically melt all over.  Want more fun?  Have the kids ((or 30-year-old kids, whatever)) frost their own.  No party is complete without a can of Reddi-Whip anyway, right?  Oh what?  Um, hi relatives!  I don't know what I meant there either.  Disregard.

Nutritional Info: Who cares?!  Just kidding.  The buttermilk, butter, syrup, and chocolate situation made these into a situation.  Approximately 325 calories per serving.  Whoops.  Have one and have a salad for dinner.  

*****

Off to finish working on a tasting menu for a Bed and Breakfast that is interested in having me do events and weddings!  Gah!  PRESSURE!  Just kidding.  The pressure is good for me.  It keeps me honest.  And even if it doesn't work out, it is excellent practice for the next time.  We got this.