Heart Cutout Cupcakes

Indulge your hearts in this chocolate piece of delicious art and let the happiness sink in. Happy baking! <3 9.5" Square Red Plastic Dinner Plates, White Table Runner w Red Damask Flocking, and Baroque Flatware Value Pack Cutlery Set)

STEP ONE Bake the cupcakes using the recipe below or feel free to use your own as well. But make sure to fill the liners just a bit more than you might normally (about 1/2 inch below the top of the liner), since you need to have a bit of a dome above the top edge of the liners for the frosted heart engraving part etc. Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, as it is supposed to be).
5. Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (Tip: Pour the batter from a large measuring cup that has a pour spout into the liners.)
6. Bake cupcakes for approximately 18-22 minutes.
7. Cool completely on wire rack before decorating etc.

(Recipe source- Hershey’s) STEP TWO While the cupcakes are baking, prepare a batch of pink frosting. You can use the cherry flavor recipe below, or you can use any easy plain frosting recipe and just tint it pink with some food coloring. Canned (pre-made) frosting will work fine for these as well. Maraschino Cherry Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 4 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl smooth.

2. While the mixer is running, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

3. Then add 4 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice, one tablespoon at a time.

4. Continue beating, and add the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and chopped maraschino cherries. If desired, add a drop of pink food coloring (Nice color choice: Americolor electric pink).

5. Beat until fully blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Directions:

1. Use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the cupcake, using the top of the cupcake liner as a guide.

2. Use a small heart cookie cutter to cut out a heart shape from the cupcake dome.

3. Spread frosting onto the cupcake base, in a mounded shape.
4. Place top back on cupcake and press down a bit. If desired, sprinkle the cupcake dome with powdered sugar.