My university roommate loved Cherry Coke to the point it was almost comical. The worst thing you could ever do to her was drink her last can – something a guest once did and I don’t think she ever quite forgave it. For her birthday all those years ago, I developed this Cherry Coke Cupcake recipe and I surprised her with them again last weekend!

My favorite way to make Coke Cupcakes is just to mix a box of chocolate cake mix with a can of Coke, but my friend preferred vanilla cakes so this cupcake just has a hint of Cherry Coke flavor.

This recipe creates perfect moist and soft cherry-vanilla cupcakes with a perfectly balanced cherry-vanilla buttercream. I don’t like heavily artificially-flavored foods, and this recipe is okay for me. The cupcakes actually smell more like cherry than they taste!

You could alternatively make these cupcakes with cherry extract – but you’re going to want to use considerably less. To replace the 2 Tablespoons of Cherry Coke, instead use 1 1/2 Tablespoons of milk or cream and then 1 teaspoon cherry extract. (And the same goes for the frosting.)

How to Make Cherry Coke Cupcakes

First, gather your ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 egg whites
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoon Cherry Coke
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cherry Coke Cupcake Directions

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with your favorite paper liners. Ella picked out these fun cupcake liners.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or using your stand mixer, beat butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and Cherry Coke to the butter and beat until well combined. Add egg white while the mixer is still running. Then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

After you have the batter mixed well, alternate adding in a bit of the flour mixture and buttermilk. Start with 1/3 cup flour mixture to the butter mixture followed by adding 1/3 cup of the buttermilk on low speed; add 1/3 cup flour mixture again then add 1/3 cup buttermilk keeping your mixture on low. Continue adding 1/3 cup of flour and add the rest of 1/3 cup of buttermilk until thoroughly blended. Take your time adding the flour and buttermilk to be sure your batter is smooth and creamy.

Spoon batter into prepared cupcake liners until they are half full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted cupcake comes out clean. Once they are done, allow the cupcake to cool in the cupcake tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cherry Coke Frosting Recipe

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Cherry Coke
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Red gel food coloring

Frosting Directions:

Add butter and powdered sugar to mixing bowl. Beat until light and creamy. If it doesn’t cream, add several drops of the Cherry Coke. The goal is to have the frosting form and hold stiff peaks. If frosting will not hold stiff peaks, add more powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

Divide frosting equally into two bowls. The first bowl will remain white. Add several drops of red food gel to the second bowl and mix well.

Scoop the red frosting into a pastry bag with a 13 inch round frosting tip, then add the white frosting. Twist the open end of the pastry bag to push the frosting to the tip and test to make sure the combination of red and white frosting comes to the tip at the same time.

Frost cupcakes from the outside edge to the center of the cupcake in a swirl moving in a circle stacking frosting on top of the frosting start at the outside edge.

Once you are finished adding the frosting to each of the cupcakes, add a garnish of your choice.

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
2 egg whites
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Cherry Coke
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting Ingredients

1 cup soft unsalted butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Cherry Coke
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Red gel food coloring

Instructions

Cherry Coke Cupcake Directions
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with your favorite paper liners. We love fun cupcake liner designs!
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl.
In a large bowl with a hand mixer or using your stand mixer, beat butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and Cherry Coke to the butter and beat until well combined. Add egg white while the mixer is still running. Then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
After you have the batter mixed well, alternate adding in a bit of the flour mixture and buttermilk. Start with 1/3 cup flour mixture to the butter mixture followed by adding 1/3 cup of the buttermilk; add 1/3 cup flour mixture again then add 1/3 cup buttermilk mix on low speed. Continue adding 1/3 cup of flour and add the rest of 1/3 cup of buttermilk mix in low speed until thoroughly blended. Take your time adding the flour and buttermilk to be sure your batter is smooth and creamy.
Spoon batter into prepared cupcake liners until they are half full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted cupcake comes out
clean. Once they are done, allow the cupcake to cool in the cupcake tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting Directions
Add butter and powdered sugar to mixing bowl. Beat until light and creamy. If it doesn't cream, add several drops of the Cherry Coke. The goal is to have the frosting form and hold stiff peaks. If frosting will not hold stiff peaks, add more powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
Divide frosting equally into two bowls. The first bowl will remain white. Add several drops of red food gel to the second bowl and mix well.
Scoop the red frosting into a pastry bag with a 13 inch round frosting tip, then add the white frosting. Twist the open end of the pastry bag to push the frosting to the tip and test to make sure the combination of red and white frosting comes to the tip at the same time.
Frost cupcakes from the outside edge to the center of the cupcake in a swirl moving in a circle stacking frosting on top of the frosting start at the outside edge.
Once you are finished adding the frosting to each of the cupcakes, add a garnish of your choice.