For the Cherry Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 count muffin pan with liners.
2. In a medium sized bowl, use a wire whisk to stir all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined.
3. In a large bowl, use a wire whisk to combine granulated sugar, room temperature egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, maraschino cherry juice, and room temperature buttermilk together until smooth. If desired, add pink food coloring until desired, deeper pink color is reached.
4. Carefully, pour the dry ingredients into the larger bowl of wet ingredients and use a whisk to combine the batter. Only mix until you just see the dry ingredients disappear into the wet. Mixing far past this point could result in dense cupcakes.
5. Divide the batter between the liners, adding about 1/4 cup of batter to each cupcake liner. The liners should be about 2/3-3/4 full.
6. Bake the cupcakes for 17-21 minutes or until the tops are domed, the centers look shiny, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when poked with your pointer finger.
7. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.

For the Cherry Frosting

1. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer that is fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the room temperature butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until the two are thick and smooth.
2. Add the maraschino cherry juice to the frosting and mix until it disperses throughout the icing. Beat for an additional 2 minutes to create a smoother, lighter frosting. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl before mixing again to ensure the juice is spread throughout.
3. Add chopped cherries to bowl before mixing once more until the cherries spread throughout the frosting.
4. If desired, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice, a zippable bag with the corner snipped off for better control.
5. Frost cupcakes as desired before topping each one with a maraschino cherry. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or tightly covered for up to 4 days.