I’m quite certain that at some point or another, everyone has heard the term, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Some people take the phrase literally, others figuratively, but regardless of how one interprets the phrase; the meaning is still the same. I suppose it’s pretty easy to guess where I’m going with this…oh yes. Recipe titles. Sometimes you see the name of a recipe and, wow, that sounds good, right? Sometimes though, an enticing title can lead to a pretty disastrous dish. Other times however, the name of a recipe can be slightly misleading, putting people off from trying it out. For example, Cherry-Filled Almond Cupcakes; these cupcakes don’t live up to their name. Sure, they’re cupcakes, and they are cherry-filled, but almond flavored? Nope. Not the slightest hint of an almond taste, even though almond extract is one of the ingredients.
The funny thing about extracts though, is that no matter what the label on the bottle reads, or how wonderful they smell, it is entirely misleading. Take a whiff of vanilla extract, and your taste buds go crazy. Take a little sample though, and you are in for one nasty surprise. So despite its “almond” label, almond extract actually has no almond taste. Honestly, it’s just a really good combo with cherries. Some people probably do actually have the ability to detect the almond, but some people are just born that special. All in all, don’t judge a recipe – or anything, I suppose – based on a title, or a picture. It’s better just to give it a go, and hope for the best.
   

Cherry-Filled Almond Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal or extra ¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup coconut milk or milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Cherry Filling:
1 cup frozen sweet cherries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cranberry or pomegranate juice, or water
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Almond Buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
food coloring (optional)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or soy creamer
Directions
1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2.        Sift together flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together oil, coconut milk, vanilla and almond extract. Add sugar, and mix until incorporated.
3.        Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until relatively smooth (batter will be slightly lumpy).
4.        Fill cupcakes liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5.        For filling, add frozen cherries to medium saucepan along with sugar and juice. In another bowl, mix 1 tablespoon cool water with cornstarch and set aside. Bring the cherries and juice to a simmer, stirring occasionally and slightly mashing the whole cherries.  When cherry mixture starts bubbling, add cornstarch mixture and stir until filling is thickened and no longer “milky.” Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature, for 15 minutes. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
6.        Sift together flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together oil, coconut milk, vanilla and almond extract. Add sugar, and mix until incorporated
7.        For Frosting, cream butter in electric mixer until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar, until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla, almond extract and food coloring and mix until combined. Add creamer, and mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 2-4 minutes). Add more creamer and or/ powdered sugar as necessary. 8.       To assemble the final product, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the tops of the cooled cupcakes, approximately 3/4” in diameter and set aside. Fill cavities with cherry mixture; replace tops of cupcakes. Spread/pipe on frosting, and top with a cherry if desired. Enjoy!