Black Forest Cupcakes from Scratch
These decadent Black Forest Cupcakes are a miniature version of classic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. They're made from rich chocolate cupcakes, a dark cherry filling from scratch, homemade whipped cream & shaved chocolate!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Cherry Filling
- 15 ounces dark cherries in syrup (one can)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
Whipped Cream
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream (also called heavy cream) (about 2 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Toppings
- Bar or block of dark or bittersweet chocolate
- Fresh cherries (optional)
Instructions
Make the Cherry Filling
- Measure 3 tablespoons of syrup from the canned cherries into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pour the rest of the can of cherries and syrup into a small saucepan along with the sugar. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Use the back of your spoon to smash the cherries against the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cornstarch to the small bowl of the reserved syrup, and whisk with a fork until it’s smooth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the boiling saucepan of cherries, and continue to boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool and thicken.
Bake the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix it with a whisk or spatula until there is no dry mixture visible.
- Divide the batter equally in the muffin tin, filling each cupcake cup only about half full. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Prepare the Whipped Cream
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until it forms soft peaks.
- Sift in the powdered sugar, then beat on low until the powdered sugar is mixed in. Continue whisking the mixture until it thickens and forms stiff peaks.Set aside in the fridge until you're ready to use your whipped cream.
Decorate the Cupcakes
- Use a small knife or an apple corer to cut the center out of each cupcake. Carefully pour the cooled cherry filling into the center of each cupcake.
- Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream, and pipe it on top of each cupcake.
- Use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate onto the whipped cream. Top each cupcake with a fresh cherry (optional). Store the decorated cupcakes in the fridge until you're ready to serve them. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Fresh Cherries: If you want to swap in fresh cherries for canned cherries, I recommend removing the pits and slicing them in half so they break down a little faster. And add ¼ cup of water to the saucepan when you boil them, since they’ll need a little extra liquid.
- Whipped Cream: While store bought whipped cream from the can is a lot easier, it’s not nearly as stable as homemade whipped cream. Every time I’ve tried decorating cakes and cupcakes with the stuff from the store, it starts to melt and slide off within 15 minutes. Homemade whipped cream holds its shape for hours at room temperature, and even days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupcakeCalories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 137mgPotassium: 114mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 546IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg
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