Sasha's Kitchen: True Blood Vampire Bite Cupcakes

When you stake a vampire on HBO's show True Blood, the vampire explodes and blood and guts go everywhere. When a vampire bites on the neck, it makes a pronged red bite. I decided to take these two images from True Blood, one of my favorite TV shows, and turn it into a cupcake.

These cupcakes are almond cupcakes with an almond-vanilla buttercream. They are filled with vampire guts - a homemade cherry filling. You can see below that I "staked" one of the cupcakes to reveal the cherry inside. The top of the cupcake is simple - a vampire love bite! I really enjoyed the Season Three finale last weekend and am going to miss this show until it returns. But these cupcakes are pretty fangtastic, I'd say.

Sasha's Almond-Vanilla True Blood Vampire Bite Cupcakes (makes 11/12)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cups granulated sugar

Cherry "Vampire Guts" Filling
1 cup frozen sweet cherries, thawed, or fresh sweet cherries, pitted
2T granulated sugar
2 T pomegranate juice
1 T water
1 T cornstarch

Almond Buttercream
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
[Note: I used store bought red frosting to make the vampire bites]

To prepare these cupcakes, first combine the dry ingredients for the cupcakes.  Mix the vanilla, canola oil, coconut milk and extracts in a separate bowl. Combine well. Fill cupcake molds 3/4 of the way full. I used silicon cupcake molds with liners.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until toothpick done. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before filling.

To prepare the filling, combine the cherries, juice, water and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir for a few minutes. Mix the cornstarch and water and add the mixture. Reduce the heat and stir until thick.  Cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes before using.

Cut a whole in the top of the cupcake and fill with the cherry filling. Replace the top. It will look a bit patchwork, but the frosting will cover this up.  To make the frosting, combine the butter, confectioner's sugar and extracts in a mixer on high speed for several minutes. Frost with a frosting bag, and paint on the vampire bites with red icing.