Hey everyone, it’s Cupcake Hero time again! This month the theme is cranberries–too bad I used that last month, right? But not to be discouraged, I came up with something new! I wasn’t sure if these guys would work out, but I was very pleasantly surprised–the sweetness of the cake and frosting was the perfect counterpart to the tartness of the cranberries. This isn’t a flashy cupcake, but boy is it yummy!

Cupcakes (makes about 12):

- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1 7 oz. (200g) package marzipan, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
- Cupcake pan and baking cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop up butter and marzipan, and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar, and blend until fairly smooth. You will probably need to scrape the sides of the food processor a fair bit to get it all mixed. Add almond and vanilla extracts, and mix again. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Finally, add the flour, and mix briefly to incorporate.

Slice cranberries in half until you have 3/4 cup, then pat dry and dust with flour. Mix cranberries into the almond cake batter. Divide into the baking cups in the cupcake pan, filling about 3/4 full. The tops of the cupcakes will rise a fair bit during baking, but once they are cooled, the tops settle down again, so don’t worry if they look too poofy in the oven.

Place filled cupcake tray in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. The tops should be golden brown, and a toothpick or cake tester should come out clean. Move to a wire rack to cool before frosting.

Barely Cranberry Buttercream Frosting:

- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2-3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp. cranberry juice

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, then gradually add 2 cups confectioner’s sugar. Add 3 Tbsp. cranberry juice. Adjust amount of sugar and cranberry juice for desired consistency.

The frosting comes out a very pale pink, and just barely tasting of cranberries. Because the cranberry flavor from the berries in the cupcakes is so strong, I think the milder flavor of the frosting works well with it. And of course, pink decorations are the best!