1-Gathering Your Tools: Before you begin, make sure you have a mixing bowl, a whisk, a muffin pan with liners, and a spatula on hand. These basics help everything go smoothly and keep the fun in baking. Once you’re set up, it’s time to get mixing.

2-Preheat and Prepare: First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cupcake pan with paper liners. This step ensures your cupcakes bake evenly and come out looking great. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to blend the dry ingredients well.

3-Cream Butter and Sugar: Next, in a separate large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. This creates a base that’s full of air for a soft cupcake. Beat in the egg whites one at a time, making sure each one mixes in fully before adding the next, then stir in the clear vanilla extract and almond extract for that extra flavor pop.

4-Mix Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the whole milk, and mix just until combined to keep the batter light. Gently fold in the chopped maraschino cherries to spread them out without mashing them. Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full so they have room to rise.

5-Bake and Cool: Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

6-Prepare Frosting: For the frosting, beat the unsalted butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream, maraschino cherry juice, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt, mixing until creamy. Add pink food coloring if you want a fun color.

7-Frost Cupcakes: Once cooled, spread or pipe the frosting on top for that sweet finish.