Cherry and almond is one of my favorite flavor combinations! These rainier cherry and almond cupcakes have a light, nutty almond cupcake base filled with sweet rainier cherries, and are topped with almond flavored stabilized whipped cream! They're the perfect summer dessert!
I love using rainier cherries in desserts because they're just so pretty! They have a short growing season so you can typically only find them during the summer, but it's just so exciting to get your hands on a bag!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make these summery rainier cherry and almond cupcakes!
Cake Flour - I always use cake flour in my cupcakes because it makes them super soft and tender, but all purpose flour also works great!
Almond Flour - I love substituting a portion of the flour for almond flour in all my baked goods! It helps keep the cupcakes super moist and tender! It's totally optional, but if you keep almond flour on hand it's a must.
Rainier Cherries - Rainier cherries are my favorite type of cherry! I just love the flavor and beautiful orange color! However, if you can't find rainier cherries, regular sweet cherries will work just as well. I also highly recommend using a cherry pitter to remove the pits.
Whipped Cream - I love topping these cherry almond cupcakes with homemade whipped cream! To make the whipped cream more stable, I like to add powdered gelatin to it but that's completely optional.
Kirsch - Kirsch is a Germany cherry brandy that adds awesome flavor to the cupcakes. If you can't find Kirsch you can substitute other cherry liquor or brandy, or just leave it out.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cherry Almond Cupcakes
The fresh rainier cherry filling is definitely the star of these cupcakes! It's super easy to make and can be made several days in advance.
In a large pot over medium heat, combine the rainier cherries, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cherries begin to break down and the filling starts to simmer and thicken, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract and Kirsch. Allow to cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
Can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract together until combined.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the remaining flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting and filling.
How to Make 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!
- Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
- 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.
- 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 almond 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.
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Cupcake 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 rainier cherry and almond 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 sliced almonds and fresh rainier cherries.
Recipe FAQ's
These cupcakes will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Technically no, but you should! If you use regular whipped cream it will only hold it shape for a couple hours and will melt quickly. It will work if you plan on eating all the cupcakes immediately after making them.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Cherry Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Rainier Cherry and Almond Cupcakes
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¾ cup cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup whole milk
Cherry Filling
- 2 cups rainier cherries, substitute sweet cherries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Kirsch, optional
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons flavorless powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoons water
Top with
- fresh rainier cherries
- sliced almonds
Instructions
Cherry Filling
- In a large pot over medium heat, combine the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cherries begin to break down and the filling starts to simmer and thicken, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract and Kirsch. Allow to cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
- Can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract together until combined.
- Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the remaining flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
- Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Add the water to a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
- 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.
- 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 almond 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
- 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).
- Spoon the cooled rainier cherry filling into each cupcake.
- Transfer the stabilized whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1A tip and pipe swirls on each cupcake.
- Top with a sliced almonds and a fresh rainier cherry.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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