Black Forest Cupcakes w/ Cherry Filling
These black forest cupcakes are made with moist chocolate cupcakes, filled with a homemade cherry filling, and topped with fluffy whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Espresso powder
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 cup Espresso
For the cherry filling
- 2 cups Cherries pitted
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- ¼ cup Water
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Kirsch
For the whipped cream
- 2 cups Heavy cream cold
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Vanilla instant pudding mix
Instructions
Make the chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, sugar, room-temperature eggs, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda right into the wet mixture. Stir with a whisk or wooden spoon just until the flour mostly disappears. Don't overmix here!
- Add the hot coffee to the bowl and stir gently until the batter is smooth. The batter will be very thin, which is exactly how it should look.
- Fill each cupcake liner about ⅔ full. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for roughly 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the cherry filling
- Put the pitted cherries, lemon juice, and sugar into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the cherries soften and start releasing their juices.
- In a small cup, mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water until smooth.
- Pour this slurry into the simmering cherries while stirring constantly. Cook for another 2–3 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens up.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Kirsch. Let the filling cool completely before using (it will get thicker as it sits).
Make the whipped cream
- Add the cold heavy cream, instant pudding powder, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar into a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed for a few minutes until you get thick, stiff peaks.
Assembly
- Use a cupcake corer or a knife to cut a small well out of the center of each cooled cupcake (don't go all the way to the bottom!). Spoon a generous amount of the cooled cherry filling into the centers.
- Put the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a big swirl onto each cupcake.
- Drizzle some leftover cherry juice over the top, add some chocolate shavings if you like, and finish with a fresh cherry.
Notes
- Don't Skip the Coffee: The heat from the coffee brings out the absolute best flavor in the cocoa powder. The cupcakes will not taste like coffee at all.
- Let Everything Cool Completely: If the cupcakes or the cherry filling are even slightly warm, the whipped cream will instantly melt into a watery mess.
- Don't Overcore the Cupcakes: Only cut about halfway down into the cupcake. If you cut all the way to the bottom paper liner, the juicy filling will leak out and make a mess.
- Stop Whipping in Time: Keep a close eye on the whipped cream. The second it holds a sharp, stiff shape, stop mixing. Over-whipping will turn the cream grainy.
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 5gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 237mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 638IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg
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