Food: Cocoa Cayenne Cupcakes with Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Icing

Last week, The New York Times ran an interesting article on the lost art of potlucks and bake sales- nobody actually bakes for these things anymore, the author lamented. If you’re attending a party with me, that’s good news – no one wants to eat my rock hard cookies. But, the point is well taken – making the time and effort to cook from scratch says a lot more than just grabbing something off of the grocery shelf. 

This recipe is for those of us that know our limitations yet still want to contribute, and the great news about these cupcakes is that they’re friendly to most special diet needs – low in fat, gluten free, and can even be vegan. The best news about these cupcakes is that they come from a box, so they are foolproof. (And SB-proof.)

I did make the icing from scratch, recipe below- this would also be fantastic on a regular chocolate cake, or maybe some vanilla poundcake.

Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Icing
1 8 oz package cream cheese
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar, divided into 2 equal portions
2 tbsp sour cherry spread (or just cherry preserves)

Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature, cream together with a beater. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, beat until combined. Add cherry spread, beat until combined. Taste, add more powdered sugar to your liking.