Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes w Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting & a Bertolli Olive Oil Give Away

Looking for a super moist cake? Try replacing the melted butter or vegetable oil in your favorite recipe with olive oil. Mediterraneans have been baking with olive oil for centuries and producing some of the best baked goods around. Olive oil seems to work well in cakes, cookies or muffins that have fruity, nutty or savory tones. It also compliments chocolate; creating the most compelling flavor.

Another upside to baking with olive oil is that it is rich in monounsaturated fats; unlike butter and vegetable oil. Using olive oil helps cut back on the cholesterol and saturated fat content of your desserts.

Be sure to choose a mild flavored olive oil for baking; usually one of the less expensive bottles. Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil is a perfect example. It's delicate, barely there taste gives you all the health benefits without compromising flavor.

Though perfect for baking I wouldn't recommend the Extra Light variety to dress salads, or for use as a dipping oil. Bertolli makes other oils for this purpose; like their Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil In order to give you a chance to experience this for yourself my Virtual Potluck group has teamed with Bertolli to offer one reader a Prize Pack of 3 totally different Bertolli Oils. ***See contest details below.***

But first I'd like to share this recipe for Chocolate Cherry Olive Oil Cupcakes with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting.



Chocolate Cherry Olive Oil Cupcakes with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting
(printable recipe)

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Bertoli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons cherry extract
2 cups cold water
Maraschino Cherries for topping

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. With a hand mixer on low speed beat in the oil, vinegar, cherry extract, and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the cupcake pans.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake.

Put the cupcake pans on cooling racks and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely. Frost when cool.

Frosting
2 8-ounce packages Philadelphia Lite Cream Cheese, at room temperature
3 1/2 to 4 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon cherry extract (or syrup from Maraschino cherries)
Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth; gradually add in enough of the sugar to make a smooth frosting that is not runny. Stir in the cherry extract.

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