Have you ever had Cheerwine before? It’s a North Carolina-based wild cherry soda (or “pop” as I call it since I’m from the Midwest). And not just any cherry pop, but a “soft drink legend!” It’s a regional product, but I was first introduced to it in Illinois at The Fresh Market, a grocery store chain that also has its roots in North Carolina. I was so excited when I moved to Virginia that I could find it not only in every grocery store, but also on the menu at many restaurants, as common as Coke or Pepsi.

Cheerwine floats with vanilla ice cream are phenomenal and I wanted to capture that cherry-cream flavor as a dessert. Enter Cheerwine Cupcakes. You can’t really taste the flavor of the pop in the cake portion, so I added cherry oil flavoring, but that’s optional. The frosting is the main source of cheer and one tester stated they’d never tasted frosting that melts in your mouth quite like this one does. If you can’t find Cheerwine, you can use any cherry pop that you love, but it might not be as good as Cheerwine!

Is there a local beverage in your area that’s hard to find elsewhere? Comment below and let us know!

Cheerwine Cupcakes

Cheerwine Cupcakes

Yield: 18

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Cupcakes that taste like the iconic, southern cherry soda Cheerwine.

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Ingredients

[b]For the cupcakes:[/b]

• 1 box white cake mix
• 12 ounces Cheerwine, room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cherry flavor
• Maraschino cherries

[b]For the frosting:[/b]

• 4 cups Cheerwine
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2-3 cups of powdered confectioner sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake pans with liners and set aside

Whisk together cake mix, Cheerwine and cherry flavor until combined. Pour into prepared pans about 2/3 or 3/4 full and bake according to package instructions, about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, boil down the Cheerwine until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Cool completely.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and 2 cups of powdered sugar on medium speed. Slow speed to low and incorporate Cheerwine reduction. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, adding additional sugar if needed to achieve desired consistency. Pipe onto cupcakes and top each one with a maraschino cherry.

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Linked to: Show Stopper Saturday @ Will Cook for Smiles, Saturday Night Fever @ The Weary Chef, Time to Sparkle @ Inside BruCrew Life