recipe courtesy of the cake mamas, cupcake wars 2011

preheat oven to 325°F. Grease or put 24 liners in cupcake pans.

Cream the butter & sugar for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Scrape the sides & add eggs 1 at a time. Add the almond extract & food coloring.

In a separate bowl, combine absinthe & heavy whipping cream. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder & salt.

turn mixer on to the lowest setting, then add the almond meal, flour mixture & absinthe mixture - alternating the ingredients, starting w/ dry & ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl to make sure all ibgredients are fully combined. Add the currants, cherries & poppy seeds & fold by hand into the batter.

fill cupcake liners with 2 and 1/2 ounces of batter. Bake for 21 minutes. After cooling frost with port wine & black currant buttercream. (directions follow)

Preserves: Combine & dissolve all preserve ingredients in a saucepan. Cook on med to med high heat, stirring constantly. When mixture comes to a boil, continue cooking for 2 minutes. Cool in refrigerator.

Buttercream: Dissolve sugar, egg whites, salt & vanilla bean seeds over a double boiler. Lightly whisk until the egg white mixture is hot to the touch. pour the hot whites into a room temp mixing bowl & whip with a whisk attachment on high until stiff peaks form & mixture has doubled in volume.

Cut butter into 2-inch pieces. Change to a paddle attatchment & slowly add a few pieces of butter at a time. Continue beating until mixture begins to look light & fluffy. Stop & scrape the bowl. Reduce speed to low & add the vanilla extract & cont. to beat on low for 45sec.

Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the port wine & 1/2 cup black currant preserves, then beat on med to high speed until all ingredients are fully combined, an additional 45-60 seconds.