Black Forest Cupcakes
Rich chocolatey cupcakes, filled with kirsch roasted cherries, and topped with sweetened whipped cream, these black forest cupcakes are what dreams are made of. PLUS I made them with Wild Rye's Chocolate Cake Mix which means they're super quick, simple, and only made with the best ingredients!!!
Servings: 18
Equipment
- Muffin Pan
Ingredients
Roasted Cherries
- 450 grams cherries weight is with pits - I like to do half sour and half sweet cherries
- 3 tablespoons kirsch
- 40 grams granulated sugar
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 box Wild Rye Chocolate Cake Mix
Whipped Cream
- 500 milliliters whipped cream
- 125 grams powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Roasted Cherries
- Preheat the oven to 450 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Wash, dry, and pit the cherries.
- Add them into a medium mixing bowl and then add in the kirsch and sugar.
- Stir to combine and then pour the cherry mixture onto a baking sheet.
- Place the sheet with the cherries into the preheated oven and roast for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and roast for another 5 minutes.
- The liquid should be almost completely reduced (aka gone) if not, roast for another 3-5 minutes - just keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
- Once roasted, take the cherries out of the oven and transfer to a heat safe bowl. Set aside and leave to cool.
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and and place two racks in the oven so they divide it into thirds.
- Line about 18 muffin "spots" in muffin pans with paper liners or reusable liners. I recommend trying to space them evenly across both pans - leaving some gaps in between.
- Pour 1 cup of water, 3/4 cup of vegetable oil, and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk to combine and then dump in the chocolate cake mix.
- Whisk again just until all of the mix has dissolved.
- Use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop or ladle to divide the cake batter into the lined cupcake molds.
- Place the cupcakes in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate and swap the pans to ensure even baking and bake for another 10 minutes. Check to make sure they are done baking by inserting the complimentary cake tester into the center of one of the center cupcakes.
- When pulled out the cake tester should come out clean. If not, bake in 3 minute increments until it does.
- Once baked, take the pans out of the oven and place on wire racks to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While still warm, move on to the whipped cream and assembling.
Whipped Cream
- Pour the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Use a whisk attachment to whip the cream first on low, then increase the speed to medium high until stiff peaks form.
- If you need the cream to be a little more stable, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of instant vanilla pudding mix before the cream reaches stiff peaks. Store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Assembling Cupcakes
- While still warm, use a butter knife to poke large holes in the center of each cupcake. Use a spoon to spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the roasted cherry mixture into the hole of each cupcake. I like to stuff as much as will fit.
- Don't be afraid to add in any extra juices too!
- Set the filled cupcakes aside or place in the fridge to cool completely.
- Use a 1/4" cup cookie scoop, piping bag, or spoon to top each chilled cup cake with the whipped cream. Optionally top with leftover roasted cherries or fresh ones!
- Store extras in the fridge.
Notes
Roasting cherries works best with fresh cherries. I haven't tested frozen but I recommend letting them thaw completely, draining off the excess liquid and then trying.
The alcohol is cooked out when roasting the cherries but if you want to leave it out all together you can substitute it with water.
If roasting the cherries isn't for you, simply toss the cherries in a few tablespoons of flour and then fold them into the chocolate batter before scooping into the cupcake molds.
Don't overfill the cupcake molds. You want the chocolate batter to be between 1/2" and 3/4" from the top edge of the cupcake liner.
If you are filling with the roasted cherries, make sure they are finished before moving on to baking. That way you can fill the cupcakes while they are still warm.
The chocolate cupcakes need to be fully cooled before topping with whipped cream otherwise it will begin to melt.
I recommend waiting to top with whipped cream until you are ready to serve them. Until serving, store in an airtight container in the fridge.