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Black Forest cupcake on a wooden board.
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5 from 6 reviews

Black Forest Cupcakes

These black forest cupcakes are moist chocolate cupcakes. They are filled with cinnamon cherry pie filling. They are dunked into chocolate ganache and topped with a whipped cream cheese.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time20 minutes
Chilling Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 348kcal
Author: Stephanie Rutherford

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Buttermilk room temperature
  • 1/4 cup Oil
  • 2 Large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Hot water

Cherry Pie Filling

  • 2 cups Fresh cherries pitted, washed, cut in half.
  • 1/4 cup White granulated sugar
  • 2 TBSP Cornstarch
  • 1 TBSP Lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

  • 1/2 cup Chocolate chips semi-sweet
  • 1/4 cup Heavy cream

Whipped Cream Cheese

  • 12 oz Cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • 2/3 cups Heavy cream cold
  • Cherries for decoration
  • Chopped chocolate optional for decoration
US - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
    1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, 3/4 cup White granulated sugar, 1 tsp Baking soda, 1/4 tsp Baking powder, 1 tsp Salt
  • In a separate mixing bowl, mix the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix until combined. Heat the hot water on the stove until steaming. Slowly pour into the batter. Go slow to not to over heat the eggs.
    1/2 cup Buttermilk, 1/4 cup Oil, 2 Large eggs, 1/2 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 1/2 cup Hot water
  • Fill the muffin liners 2/3rds full with cupcake batter.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes. The cupcakes are done baking when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before decorating.

Cherry Pie Filling

  • In a sauce pan over medium heat, combined cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir continuously.
    2 cups Fresh cherries, 1/4 cup White granulated sugar, 2 TBSP Cornstarch, 1 TBSP Lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • Stir until the cherries start to release their juice and soften. Lightly mash the cherries using the back of a wooden spoon. Stir until it starts to thicken slightly. Take off the heat and let it cool.
  • Use a cupcake corer or sharp knife to cut a hole 2/3rds down the cupcake. Fill the cupcakes to the top with cherry filling. Toss the tops of the cupcake.

Chocolate Ganache

  • Pour chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until steaming. Pour heavy cream over chocolate chips.
    1/2 cup Chocolate chips, 1/4 cup Heavy cream
  • Let it sit for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and silky. If any chocolate chunks remain, heat in the microwave for 10 second intervals.
  • Dunk the cupcakes into the chocolate. Place cupcakes in the fridge to set the chocolate.

Whipped Cream Cheese

  • Place metal bowl with whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes to get cold. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on high for 1 minute.
    12 oz Cream cheese
  • Add in the sifted powdered sugar. Mix on low until combined. Switch to high and beat until smooth. Add in the vanilla.
    4 cups Powdered sugar, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • In the cold bowl, beat the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Be gentle and careful to not over mix. Place whipped cream cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes until firm.
    2/3 cups Heavy cream
  • Frost the cupcakes. Optional, using your offset spatula, dip it in the cherry pie filling. Then, swirl it on top of the cupcakes. Top with a cherry and chopped chocolate.
    Cherries, Chopped chocolate

Notes

Flour- Make sure the flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cupcakes.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 1 TBSP of flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 665IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg