Cupcakes

• Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160C (320F) or 180C (356F) for a conventional oven. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt. Turn mixer on low speed and allow it to mix for a couple minutes to help everything combine well (alternatively you may do this by sifting the ingredients together). Add the softened butter and let it mix until it resembles a fine sand like texture.
• Next, add cherry juice, milk, eggs, yogurt, oil and vanilla extract in a large jug and whisk well.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl, add cherry brandy essence, pink and purple food dye and mix for another 20 seconds.
• Fill each cupcake with 4 cherries, then scoop batter into cupcake liners filling 3/4 of the way (using an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter into the cupcake liners makes this a quick and easy process otherwise you can use two tablespoons).
• Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
• To prepare the buttercream frosting add both food dyes and cherry brandy and mix until well combined.
• Fit the end of a piping bag with an open star tip and frost in a swirl. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Frost another swirl on top using a Wilton #32 tip. Then top with a maraschino cherry.