Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Lately I've been having cupcake fever because I'm trying out recipes for my son's 1st birthday party coming up in May. I've already found one I like (Pink Lemonade). I am in the process of tweaking that recipe, though, which is why it's not up here. (Update: Recipe is now posted HERE.) In the mean time, I have a cupcake recipe for you that is yummy!
Who doesn't love a Coke float? And with cherries! Yummy! These cupcakes are very good. They aren't ridiculously sweet, which I like, AND they are adorable!! The only thing is, I don't get a very distinct flavor from the Coke. I think the Coke mainly adds to the light texture of the cupcake. My suggestion: enjoy one of these with an ice cold glass of Coke!
So, I know I said I was going to start posting pictures of each step & what not, but I didn't this time, because I made these when I was too tired. Then, I waited until after a long, MUCH needed nap, to decorate them. So, here ya go! Enjoy!!
Oh, & because I won't be able to get my dream camera any time soon...lol...I researched ideas on how to take great pictures with my digital camera. So, hopefully, my pictures will start looking prettier & nicer. This cupcake was the 1st one that I tried my new knowledge on. Tell me what you think! =)

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup Coca-Cola
• ¼ teaspoon maraschino cherry juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Maraschino cherries, stemless

For the glaze (optional):
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons Coca-Cola

For the topping:
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Maraschino cherries

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with foil or paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg until incorporated. In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, Coke, maraschino cherry juice, and vanilla extract; stir to combine. (This mixture may look disgusting and/or curdled – it’s okay!)
2. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture on low speed, alternating with liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. Drop 1-5 stemless maraschino cherries, depending on your taste, into each cupcake well and push them down into the batter. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the optional glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and Coke in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon or drizzle a small amount on top of each cupcake. Allow to set.
4. To make the whipped cream topping, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin whipping on medium speed, slowly adding the confectioners’ sugar and gradually increasing the speed to high as the cream holds soft peaks. Whip until the cream holds stiff peaks, being careful not to overbeat. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes, and top each with a maraschino cherry.
Yield: 10-12 cupcakes

Some of my notes:
1) In the 1st step, with all of the dry ingredients, I sifted them all together.
2) Also in the 1st step, it says just to add ¼ teaspoon cherry juice. In my opinion, I didn't get the cherry taste I was looking/hoping for. I will add ½ or even ¾ teaspoon next time. But, they were still very yummy.
3) So, where you are supposed to add the cherries to each cupcake, it says 1-5 because, in the recipe I found, she adapted from another website. The original recipe says just 1 cherry in each cupcake. In the recipe I found, she used one but said she might ad 4-5. What I did was take 1 cherry and halved it, and then pushed them into opposite sides of the cupcake. I think it tasted just fine w/o being overly cherry. I think 4-5 would be too much, this is just my opinion, because the more cherries you put, the less batter you get in there.
4) I do agree with Annie's Eats in saying that the glaze isn't really necessary. I think it's just there to add extra sweetness...not sure I will use next time. 
5) I put a spin on the whipped cream. When you think of Coke floats, you think vanilla ice cream. So, I wanted to amp up the whipped cream to make it better than just plain whipped cream. I added 3 capfuls of vanilla extract (about 1 teaspoon, give or take)....and can I say....WOW! It tasted JUST like vanilla ice cream. I was very pleased with that!