Black Forest cupcakes recipe

Dark chocolate, coffee granules, and buttermilk make these black forest cupcakes extra rich and moist.

Top with a Chantilly cream made from double cream, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and cherry brandy. These cupcakes are filled with a sweet, tangy black cherry conserve infused with cherry brandy. This cupcake recipe takes just 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake.

Ingredients

• 110g butter
• 110g dark chocolate
• 10g coffee granules
• 60g self raising flour
• 60g plain flour
• 10g cornflour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 240g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• 50ml buttermilk

For the Kirsch syrup

• Jar of black cherry conserve
• 3 tbsp of Kirsch or cherry brandy

For the Chantilly cream

• 200ml double cream
• 1tbsp icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Kirsch or cherry brandy
• Dark chocolate curls to sprinkle
• 12 cherries to decorate

Equipment

• Apple corer
• Piping bag
• Large 6-petal drop flower tip icing nozzle (Wilton 1B)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.
2. Place butter, chopped chocolate, coffee granules and 80ml of water in a large bowl over a pan of boiling water, stir gently until melted then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Add the beaten eggs, oil and buttermilk and the chocolate mixture, stirring with a large spoon until completely combined.
4. Fill cupcake cases to 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the Kirsch syrup by heating 2tbsp of black cherry conserve in the microwave on High for 30 seconds. Strain the hot conserve through a tea strainer and mix in 3 tbsps of Kirsch or cherry brandy into the strained jam. Leave to one side until you are ready.
6. Make the chantilly cream by whipping the double cream with the icing sugar, vanilla extract, and 2tbsp Kirsch or cherry brandy. Whip until thick. Attach the nozzle to the piping bag and add the Chantilly cream, filling no more than 2/3 of the bag. Leave in the fridge until you are ready to use.
7. When the cakes are cool use an apple corer to make a hole in each of the 12 cakes and fill (not too much) with cherry jam, placing the tops of the cakes back on after. Brush the tops of the cakes liberally with Kirsch syrup.
8. Pipe a swirl of Chantilly cream on the tops of the cakes: do this by twisting the top of the piping bag and holding the twist with your thumb and forefinger. Apply pressure to the top of the bag, squeeze and pipe a star in the centre of the cakes. Then, applying pressure again, pipe around the star, using the edge of the cupcake case as a guide. Gradually work the icing upwards into a swirl. To finish: release the pressure, push down slightly and pull the icing bag up and away quickly.
9. Finish by decorating each cake with a cherry and a sprinkling of chocolate curls.

Top tips for making black forest cupcakes

Opt for pitted cherries, just like our classic Black Forest gateau, to avoid having to deseed them before serving.

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