Black Forest Cupcakes

I had some leftover cherry pie filling from making this cherry pie a few days ago, so naturally I had to use it to make these black forest cupcakes! Black forest cake is a decadent and delicious German dessert comprised of chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream. It looks fancy but it's actually super easy to make!

Cherry Filling

The fresh cherry filling is definitely the star of these cupcakes! It's super easy to make and can be made several days in advance.

In order to be true black forest cake, you have to use Kirsch which is a German cherry brandy. If you can't find Kirsch at your local liquor store, you can use regular brandy or just leave it out.

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, butter, vanilla, and Kirsch. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cherries begin to break down and the filling starts to simmer and thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
2. Can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge

Stabilized Whipped Cream

You can use just regular whipped cream if you don't have gelatin lying around, but for piping I always prefer to stabilize it so that it stays nice and pretty (aka doesn't start melting down the side of you cupcake after 12 hours).

You can also check out this blog post for all of my other tips for making good whipped cream!

1. Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
2. Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave for 5-10 seconds, until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low speed. Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture until well combined. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.

Decorating Tips

• To decorate all of my cakes and cupcakes, I use this Wilton Decorating Kit* and I love it! It’s super easy to use and has a ton of tips in different sizes. For these cupcakes, I used the 1A tip* to pipe smooth circles.
• If you like making filled cupcakes, shell out a couple bucks for a cupcake corer*! It will make your life much easier.
• Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!! After frosting, garnish with dark chocolate shavings.
• I just use a cheese grater to shave off pieces of a bar of dark chocolate, but it melts super easily. So pop the chocolate bar in the freezer before shaving and then place the shavings back in the freezer before topping!

If you make these black forest cupcakes, please leave us a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. Happy baking!

Black Forest Cupcakes

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Kyleigh Sage
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x

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Description

These black forest cupcakes have a moist chocolate base, homemade cherry filling, and a light whipped cream topping. They're simple yet decadent!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 ¼ cup cake flour (substitute all purpose flour)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk (substitute whole milk and 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
• ¼ cup full fat plain yogurt

Cherry Filling

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Kirsch or other cherry liquor (optional)

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons flavorless powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water

Top with

• fresh cherries
• dark chocolate shavings

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Instructions

Cherry Filling

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, butter, vanilla, and Kirsch. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cherries begin to break down and the filling starts to simmer and thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
2. Can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge

Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until combined.
4. Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the buttermilk, yogurt, and the remaining flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
5. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
6. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
8. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1. Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
2. Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave for 5-10 seconds, until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool slightly.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low speed. Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and mix on low until well combined. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
   • Note: if the gelatin mixture thickens up too much before you add it to the whipped cream, just pop it back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It should be a pour-able consistency. 

Assembly

1. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, use a cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake and discard (and by discard I mean snack on while you finish making the cupcakes).
2. Spoon the cooled cherry filling into each cupcake.
3. Transfer the stabilized whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1A tip and pipe swirls on each cupcake.
4. Top with a dark chocolate shavings and a fresh cherry.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American, German

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cupcake
• Calories: 305
• Sugar: 23.9g
• Sodium: 203mg
• Fat: 16.8g
• Saturated Fat: 10.2g
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Fiber: 1.8g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 76mg

Keywords: black forest cupcakes, black forest cake, cherry pie filling, cherry cupcakes, stabilized whipped cream, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cherry cupcakes

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