Cherry Chiffon Cupcakes

I found this recipe on cakewalker.blogspot.com and with my cherries ripening up, it was a great opportunity to use some. The cupcakes turned out super moist, but the cherry chunks sunk to the bottom. I think next time I'd chop them up even finer in hopes they might suspend better in the batter. Great flavor though! I used my cream cheese frosting recipe from the Coconut Cupcakes posting back in April, but it was a little overpowering for the delicate cake. I think next time I'd use a buttercream frosting.

Cherry Chiffon Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
7 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
3/4 pure cherry juice
1/2 cup minced fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325˚F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Create a well in the middle of the mixture. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks to combine; pour them into the well. Add the oil, cherry juice and vanilla to the well of the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on low until combined. Scrape the bowl and continue beating on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth. Fold in the minced cherries. (This step can be mixed with a hand mixer. For the next step, if you don't have a stand mixer or an extra pair of beaters, you'll need to thoroughly wash the beaters ensuring they are oil/grease free before proceeding.)

If available, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment add the egg whites and cream of tartar (or use a clean bowl and clean beaters with hand mixer). Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently add the egg whites to the batter in thirds using great care to slowly fold the whites in using a spatula with each addition. The whites lighten the batter—folding them in with more than a gentle hand may deflate the air volume of the egg whites and potentially thwart the cake's rising power in the baking process. The cake should rise over the top of the pan by a couple of inches but it will recede slightly as it cools.

Using an ice cream scooper, pour batter into a cupcake tray with liners in place. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Cool for a couple hours and frost. Top with a cherry!