Pinkalicious Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

CUPCAKES:
In the bowl of a standing mixer combine the butter and sugar. Beat until creamy and well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and combine partially.

Add the milk and three drops of neon pink food coloring and one of the purple (more if you like!) . Beat until well combined.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees F for 17-20 minutes or until fluffy and just baked through.

Let cool before you frost.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Whip all of the ingredients together (except the food coloring) on high for about 3 minutes or until the frosting is very fluffy. (I added vanilla bean paste to create a really flavorful frosting- but extract is great too).

There should be about 4 cups of frosting, divide it into two bowls: 1 cup and 3 cups in each.

In the 1 cup of frosting, add 3 drops purple and 6 drops pink neon food coloring. Mix well.

In the 3 cups of frosting, add 3 drops of pink neon food coloring. Mix well.

Using a cupcake corer, take the middle out of each cupcake. Pipe or spoon the raspberry jam into the middle of each cupcake.

Frost the tops of the cupcakes with the lighter pink frosting and follow immediately with sprinkles.
Decorate the cupcakes with the rest of the dark pink frosting and top the cupcakes with a cherry!

Very Pinkalicious!