Recipe for Chocolate Chery Cola Cupcake with Red licorice filling

I'm going to be doing a little back tracking as I have never posted recipes of the cupcakes and all the other yummies that I have made. So, I will be re-posting some posts just so I can add the recipe. Disclaimer now: I have not made up any of these recipes and will say where I got it. I will eventually get so good that I can make up my own but for now, I'm still learning. Chocolate Cherry Cola Cupcake with Red licorice filling: What you will need: 2 cups granulated sugar 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 cup half-and-half 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup cherry cola, warmed in microwave for 1 minute Red Licorice Filling, recipe follows 2 cups crushed yogurt-covered pretzels Marshmallow Frosting, recipe follows Cherry Cola Glaze, recipe follows You will need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In an electric mixer on low speed, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, 1/2 and 1/2, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the warmed cherry cola until fully combined. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter (If I make these again, I will not fill more than 1/2, when 3/4 they overflowed badly) and bake until the cupcakes spring back when touched with your finger, 10-15 min. Let cool. Fill each cupcake with the red licorice filling. Sprinkle the crushed yogurt covered pretzels on top (I didn't have these, living in Small Town, USA, I was unable to find any around here) Top with Marshmallow Frosting and drizzle with Cherry cola Glaze. Red Licorice Filling: 5 ounces red licorice (about 10 jumbo pieces) (recommended: Red Vines) 2 cups water 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 egg yolks, slightly beaten Tear the licorice into 1 inch pieces and place in a saucepan with the water over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool. Whisk in the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until think and bubbly (I thought this took forever, it truly took about 15-20 minutes of whisking until right.) Continue to cook for 1 minute, and then remove from heat, cool to room temp. Marshmallow Frosting: 8 egg whites 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan with boiling water. Whisk constantly over the heat for 1-3 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks have formed, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cherry Cola Glaze: 3 to 5 teaspoons cherry cola 3/4 cup powdered sugar Add the cherry cola, 1 teaspoon at a time, to the powdered sugar until it has a good consistency to drizzle on cupcakes. Okay, here is what I learned in making this cupcake. If you want to save time with the cupcake, you can also use a chocolate cake mix and omit all ingredients and just use a can of cherry cola. I of course enjoyed trying a new recipe but I thought it was just an average chocolate cake, so this would be much easier and less time consuming. Try the whole thing if you want though. Also, the red licorice filling was very good. I had some extra and filled it with the white sour cream cupcakes that makes a million and topped with a butter cream frosting. To me, these were so much better than the combination with chocolate. If I ever repeat anything of this recipe again, it will most definitely be the filling! If you are looking for pictures again, you will have to go back to March's post of this process. I got this recipe from Food Network channel from the show Cupcake Wars.