Choco-Cherry Cupcakes, a fence post and a black cat!

My frig is full of sweet cherries, Bing and Rainier, and I had wanted to try a cherry cupcake. So I went to work and cut down Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake recipe for a small batch, mixed it up, diced the cherries and popped them into the oven. So far everything is going like clockwork! As I mixed the batter I knew my cupcakes were going to be more brownie-like and Joe would love 'em and he did.

I thought I would make a red and white cupcake and photograph it against the gorgeous blue summer sky. How perfect for a July cupcake! So I finished my cupcakes and headed for our east pasture. It was after 3 pm and time to feed my barn cats so as I walked both my cats, Celia and Tinkerbelle, were in close pursuit.

I was snapping pictures and really just concentrating on looking through my camera lens and suddenly the gorgeous blue sky turned black!




Tinkerbelle has such a fun personality but she is most definitely a working cat! She's small and only weighs 7 lbs but she cleared out our 82'by42', 2-story mouse-infested barn in less then a week. And then proceeded to de-mouse my neighbor's 4-story barn too. We've not had a mouse on our property in 6 years! Tink is the best and keeps me company in my office during the day, but at night she's on guard duty in the barn!! And she takes her job very seriously. We love her!

Choco-Cherry Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Baking: From My Home to Yours"

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/8 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
10 sweet cherries, pitted and diced

Garnish:
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 whole cherries with stems

Makes 8 cupcakes

Shift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With a sharp knife cut fruit from pit. You want as little juice as possible so carefully dice the fruit. Set aside

Working with a hand mixer in a small bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is blended into the butter. Add the egg, beating for 1 minute and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula. Again with a spatula fold in diced fruit. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into their centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes before unmolding them. Cool to room temperature on a rack before frosting.




I think I'm going to put the cat attack picture on Tastespotting and see what Sarah does with it! LOL!!!!

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