Jumbo Cherry Chocolate Chip Cupcake

I'll admit, I did not actually make this myself.  It was a surprise from my mother.  Generally, I do not like surprises...unless they are carefully planned...by me.  So when my mother tells me on the phone that she has a surprise for me, I kind of flip out.  However, I was glad to find a giant cupcake sitting on the kitchen counter.  I was even more glad to find out that it was a "real" cherry chocolate chip cake and not the box kind with the fake cherry chips.  The cake tasted amazing, and it was super moist.  Like, you-could-eat-it-without-the-frosting MOIST.  And that's impressive.  Because, if you know me, you know I generally like a little cake with my frosting...or just the frosting.  The recipe for the cake is below the picture.  I don't have one for the homemade butter cream frosting--you just throw a combination of butter, confectioner's (powdered) sugar, vanilla, and milk together until it's right...helpful, I know. 

Did I mention?  One of the best parts is you can take a piece from the back and nobody knows!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake:

1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix

1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla pudding mix

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained, dried and roughly chopped

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Baking Directions (for jumbo cupcake):

Preheat oven to 325*F.  Prepare Jumbo Cupcake Pan with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Stop mixer, scrape sides of bowl, and continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fold in chopped cherries and chocolate chips.  Pour 4 cups of batter into the bottom cavity of the cupcake; pour remaining batter into top cavity.  Bake 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of bottom cavity comes out clean.  Cool in pan 15 minutes; invert onto cooling grid and cool completely before decorating. 

Recipe courtesy of the back jumbo cupcake pan box!