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1
First, preheat your oven to 350.
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2
Whisk the dry stuff: flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Make sure you sift the cocoa powder first to get the chunks out of there.
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3
Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium for 2-3 minutes, until they're light and fluffy.
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4
Mix in the eggs one at a time.
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5
Mix in the vinegar, food coloring, vanilla, and cherry flavoring. Make sure you go REAL easy on the cherry stuff; it's a lot stronger than your everyday vanilla extract. Add a bit too much and it's gonna taste like you're eating cherry rubbing alcohol.
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6
Mix together the cheerwine and buttermilk in a seperate bowl. Yes, it will look disgusting, don't worry about it.
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7
Add in the dry stuff and the cheerwine/buttermilk mix, alternating between the two until both are fully mixed in.
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8
Pour the batter into a cupcake tin with cupcake liners, and bake for about 25 minutes.
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9
Take the cupcakes out, cool for 5 minutes, then cool completely on the cooling rack while you make the frosting.
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10
First, melt the chocolate over a double boiler, then move it to a seperate bowl to cool. You can also microwave it in 10 second intervals in a glass bowl if you want, stirring between intervals.
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11
Stir in the cocoa powder as the chocolate cools.
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12
Cream your butter for 2-3 minutes on medium.
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13
Mix in the heavy cream, followed by the vanilla. Don't worry if it isn't fully mixed, it'll come together in the end, I promise.
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14
Mix in the chocolate, then the powdered sugar, both on low. Once the sugar is fully mixed in, crank up the mixer to high for 15 seconds to get a nice, whipped texture.
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15
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost those bad boys and top with some blue sprinkles and a couple flakes of fleur de sel.
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16
Eat.
