My brother-in-laws birthday was on Sunday. I also work with him, so I decided to make cupcakes to take to the office on Monday. I decided to go a little bit Sandra Lee on the cupcakes, and just got a box of white cake mix and spruced it up with almond extract and chopped maraschino cherries. The almond flavoring made a HUGE difference! I will never make a plain boxed cake without adding it.
1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1 and 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 or 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) almond extract
1/4 cup or so maraschino cherries, chopped
1 tub store bought vanilla frosting
Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions. Add in the extract and chopped cherries. Divide the batter into the lined cupcake pan and cook according to the package directions. Test by sticking a tooth pick or a piece of spaghetti into the center. They are done when it comes out clean. Let the cupcakes completely cool before icing. I did half of the cupcakes with plain vanilla frosting and topped with a cherry. I mixed half of the frosting with about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the cherry juice. It gave it great flavor and a fun color.
Enjoy!
Hang Onto your fork 