Cherry vanilla cupcakes

It has been a little bit since I've updated so to make up for it, here's a recipe for cherry vanilla frosting. I made these a few weeks ago with a vegan vanilla cake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but they would taste delicious with my chocolate Wowie cake recipe. I got this recipe from my cousin and used Earth Balance to make it vegan. Earth Balance costs a pretty penny (about$5-$6 a pound), but the Blue Bonnet Light margarine is actually vegan and only costs about $0.75.

Cherry Vanilla Frosting

• 1 stick butter, softened (or 1/2 stick Earth Balance and 1/4 c shortening to make it vegan, it will be too salty if you use all Earth Balance! Trust me on this one!)
• 1 lb powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• maraschino cherry juice

• optional garnishes: toasted almond slivers, sprinkles, cherries (make sure to let them drain on a paper towel to remove the liquid or else you'll get soggy frosting pools on the cupcake)

1.  Cream together softened butter (or Earth Balance shortening mix) and powdered sugar, adding sugar one cup at a time, until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and almond flavorings until incorporated. 
3. Add maraschino cherry juice by tablespoon until mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Frost and enjoy!