Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcake with Valentine’s Toppers

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Hey there my crafty friends, today I have a little something different for you! I want to share how I make Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes!! I know you are all use to Cricut crafting projects from me, but I thought why stop there?? I would love to share all my DIY projects, from recipes to crafting to home improvements and party ideas! I’m usually creating things on a daily, so I decided to share my creations with all of you!

Now, I know what you might be thinking, Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes?? Really? And the answer is YES!! I ran a little cake business as a side job back in 2010. I teamed up with my sister, and we were self-taught fondant cake designers.  I remember a time when we had orders every week and business really took off! This was when themed dessert tables were a new trend!  I first made these cupcakes 12 years ago, when I heard of the recipe, so I decided to make my own version of theses cupcakes.  I made cakes for about 7 years, but now I just make them for my kids. One of my specialties was Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes!

If you love chocolate and Dr. Pepper like I do, then you will definitely love these!! Try them out for a Valentine’s day treat. You can use any chocolate cake box mix, but my 2 favorites are Devils foods and Triple Chocolate Fudge.  Below you will find the recipe I use, along with my cherry icing.  This is really easy to make, you don’t have to be a professional baker to make my Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes. And of course I have to include something crafty as well, below you will find my Valentine’s Day themed cupcake toppers SVG.  You can cut them out with your Cricut Machine.

Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes Ingredients: 

Cupcakes

• One Betty Crocker Delights Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 1 cup of Dr. Pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Optional Topping

• Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Syrup

Icing

• 4 cups Power Sugar (sifted) 
• 1/2 cup Crisco Shortening
• 5-7 tablespoons of water
• 2 pinches of salt
• 4 teaspoons of cherry maraschino syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract

Here are the steps to make the cupcakes.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and Dr. Pepper, into mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed, or whisk until contents are completely blended.
3. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 up.
4. Bake in the the oven on the top rack for 15 mins.
5. Let cupcakes cool before icing.
6. Punch holes in cupcake with a fork, and drizzle on Cherry Dr. Pepper Dessert Syrup. (This is optional, but I love the added Dr. Pepper flavor).

Here are the steps to make the cherry icing:

1. Place shortening in to electric mixer on slow speed for 1 minute.
2. Add two cup of sifted powered sugar to mixer on medium speed.
3. Add cherry maraschino syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt to the mix.
4. Then add the rest of the power sugar to the mix.
5. Add 1 tablespoon at a time to the mix until icing is creamy.
6. Set it to high speed for 3 minutes.

Tips for making the icing, make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl before you mix on high speed.  You can add more powered sugar if icing is to runny. Or add more water if icing is too chunky.

Next, you can ice your cupcakes any way you like. I filled my icing in a piping bag using a Wilton’s 1M tip. I started in the center of the cupcake and twisted it around the cupcake to look like a rose flower. You can watch my tutorial video below to see how I do this technique.

Don’t forget to download my free Valentine’s Day Cupcake Toppers SVG. These came out so cute with red glitter cardstock. You just need a toothpick and some hot glue to make the cupcake topper.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious cupcake tutorial! Watch my tutorial video below for full instructions on how to make these Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper cupcakes for Valentine’s Day!

Watch Cupcake Tutorial Video:

Watch this on Youtube!