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Hocus Pocus Cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

CAKE INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups tart cherry juice
  • 1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, very very soft
  • 6 tbsp honey
  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1-2 drops rose water*
  • 7 tbsp tart cherry juice
  • 1/8 tsp purple food coloring**
  • sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

PREP INSTRUCTIONS FOR CAKE

  • Measure the cocoa powders into a medium-sized, heat-proof bowl or pitcher.
  • Pour 2 cups cherry juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then gradually whisk the boiling cherry juice into the cocoa powder until smooth. Let mixture cool, stirring regularly. (You can leave it to cool on your counter, but you can also stick it in the freezer for 40-50 minutes.)
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CAKE

  • Preheat oven to 350F and line 2-3 cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, use a handmixer to cream together 1 cup of room temperature butter with the granulated sugar until thick and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs to the batter, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Then, beat in the vanilla extract.
  • Alternately add the flour mixture and the cooled cocoa/cherry juice mixture to the batter, beating well between each addition.
  • Use a cookie scoop to scoop batter into cupcake tins, filling each cavity almost to the top. You should have enough batter for 24-28 cupcakes.
  • Bake cupcakes at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cupcakes comes out clean.
  • Remove cupcake tins from oven to a cooling rack. Let cupcakes cool in the tins for about 20 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a large bowl fitted into a stand mixer (or, you can use a handmixer), cream together the softened 1 cup of very soft butter and the honey until smooth and homogenous.
  • Add the confectioner's sugar and beat until well combined.
  • Add the 7 tbsp cherry juice, the rose water to taste (see Recipe Notes below), and purple food coloring, and beat until everything is blended and a light, rosy purple.
  • Pipe or spread frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle with sprinkles if desired.

Notes

The cake recipe is an adapted version of Dark Chocolate Cake I.
*Rose water is amazingly strong, so I recommend starting with just 1-2 drops when first mixing up the frosting. Taste after each addition, adding more if you feel it's needed. I recommend using no more than 1/8 tsp. I used 1/4 tsp when I first made these cucpakes, and it was a bit too strong.
**I used Wilton Icing Color in Violet to help give these cupcakes their amazing color.