Watermelon Cocktail Cupcakes with Cherry Vanilla Frosting (Sunshine Cupcakes)

By flour_arrangements

Very fruity. These cupcakes taste great cold - they're a fun summer dessert :).

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 2 1/2 TBSP vanilla sugar
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cups pureed fresh watermelon
• 8 maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup Fruit cocktail 'juice' (from the can)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• zest of one small orange
• zest of 1/2 medium-sized lemon
• 1 1/2 TBSP maraschino juice
• Frosting
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 TBSP Vanilla Sugar
• 3-4 TBSP Maraschino cherry juice
• 3-3 1/2 TBSP softened Earth Balance Butter (left out of the refrigerator for about 15 minutes)

Details

Servings 14

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one large bowl.

Puree enough watermelon to have 2/3 cup watermelon puree. (Use a hand mixer or blender.) Then add 8 maraschino cherries - puree these along with the watermelon.

In a separate bowl from the dry ingredients, combine egg, sugar, oil, watermelon/cherry puree, and fruit cocktail juice. Mix together on low with hand blender or stir with fork.

Add 'wet' ingredients to the flour bowl. Add lemon and orange zest. Stir mixture together.

Line cupcake/muffin pan with liners. Fill 3/4 of the way with cupcake batter.

Bake for about 17 minutes at 350 :)

Let cupcakes cool for about 30-40 minutes before adding the frosting.

To make the frosting:
Put 2 cups of powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Add the maraschino juice and Earth Balance butter, stir with a fork or on low with a hand mixer (this will take awhile, depending on how soft the butter is). I like thicker frosting, but if you want it a bit lighter, add a TBSP or two of milk or soy milk.