Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Ganache

What's better than chocolate and cherries? Perhaps putting it into cupcakes?

Two kinds of cherries in this one! I wanted the maraschino cherries, and the juice, and added in bing cherries. Make sure you have plenty of time to chop. This took awhile. Not much more to say this time.
Derived originally from the old fashioned chocolate cupcake recipe and ganache from Cupcake Bakeshop (if I recall correctly). I also highly recommend making the ganache first.

Chocolate Ganache

• 5 oz bitter sweet chocolate
• 2 oz unsweetened
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Chop the chocolate and put into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute and then stir until combined.
3. Add butter to chocolate, and stir.
4. Whisk together sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla.
5. Pour the sugar mix onto the chocoate and stir until combined and smooth.
6. Let it sit at room temperature until it has thickened. Stir occasionally.
7. Once at room temperature, beat with a mixer until fluffy.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks)
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 to 1 cup cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Roughly takes about 3 minutes.
3. Mix the vanilla and milk together in a cup.
4. Add one egg at a time, beating each for about 30 secs before adding the next.
5. In a seperate bowl, sift and whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and espresso.
6. Add about 1/3 of the dry to the butter and sugar, and beat to combine.
7. Add 1/2 of the milk/vanilla mix to the batter and beat to combine.
8. Alternate between the two, eventually ending with dry mix.
9. Add in your cherries and mix well.

Notes: Made about 2 dozen and went by quickly! I added some of the cherry juice into the batter. If you do this, make sure you add flour as needed so that the batter isn't too liquidy.