These Easy Black Forest Cupcakes are to die for. Soft, light, and moist and scrumptious chocolate cupcakes filled with a cherry compote and topped off with fresh whipped cream. And the cherry on top? They are ridiculously simple to make, needing less than 30 minutes of work!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Let's talk about why you absolutely need to try this recipe, especially if you like black forest:
- These cupcakes are light, fresh and perfect for warmer days. They're not heavy or dense, and you can easily have a few without feeling overwhelmed
- They have a wonderfully balanced flavor. Nothing overwhelms. The cupcakes are chocolatey without being too sweet, the cherry filling is just tart and sweet enough, and the cream is light and fresh to bring together everything else perfectly
- They are ridiculously easy to make. Seriously, every component is very fuss free and requires very few steps. You'll need no more than 30 minutes of work, and that includes the decoration
- They are perfect for parties & gatherings. These are great for serving large groups as you don't need to slice up a large cake or dirty many dishes
- Lastly, they are so cute. Maybe I am biased, but they do say we eat with our eyes!
COMPONENTS OF EASY BLACK FOREST CUPCAKES
These black forest cupcakes consist of three components:
- Chocolate cupcakes. These are made using my tried, tested and very popular Easy Chocolate Cake recipe. Only, I've made it even simpler by turning it into a one bowl dry ingredient / wet ingredient method. The cupcakes are chocolatey, moist and light
- Cherry compote. To make things very quick and easy, I make the cherry compote (or filling) using canned maraschino cherries instead of fresh cherries. This also means you can make this recipe any time of the year, even when cherries aren't in season!
- Whipped cream. A simply chantilly cream made with heavy cream, sugar and vanilla tops off the cupcakes to add a lovely lightness to them
You can then decorate with more cherries and shaved chocolate!
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Here is a quick video tutorial to show this recipe in action:
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PROCESS WITH PHOTOS
The detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
For the chocolate cupcakes, sift and mix all the dry ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients:
Whisk gently to combine. Then pour into a cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners:
Bake the cupcakes for ~15-17 minutes, and let them cool down:
Make the cherry compote by first cooking down the cherries with syrup and sugar, then adding some cornstarch and simmering:
Whip the heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until it forms stiff peaks:
To assemble, carve out the middle of the cupcakes using the back of a piping tip. I used a tip whose wider end was about ¾" wide:
Fill the holes generously with the cherry compote:
Lastly, pipe on the whipped cream using whichever piping tip you like. I used a ~½" round tip. Decorate with more cherries and enjoy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Although I have not tested this myself, you can try replacing the egg with a flax seed egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoon water).
Simply combine whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice to make buttermilk. The quantities are provided in the recipe.
The coffee helps enhance the chocolate flavor of the cupcakes; you don't taste it! However, if you don't want to add it, you can skip it.
The cupcakes are done baking when they look set on top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light moist crumbs attached.
This is a sign of overbaking; make sure not to bake the cupcakes longer than needed. Additionally, make sure you measure the flour accurately and don't add too much. It is most accurate to use a weighing scale.
Yes, you can! But you will need to chop and cook them longer with sugar and lemon juice before adding cornstarch.
Keep the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
RELATED RECIPES
Here are some of my popular recipes you will love if you like these cupcakes!
EASY BLACK FOREST CUPCAKES RECIPE
- Total Time: 45 min + cooling
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
Description
Soft, light, and moist and scrumptious chocolate cupcakes filled with a cherry compote and topped off with fresh whipped cream. These Black Forest Cupcakes are ridiculously simple to make, needing less than 30 minutes of work.
Ingredients
Chocolate cupcakes:
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (65g)
- ½ cup buttermilk (120g) -- mix ½ cup milk + ½ tablespoon vinegar to make your own
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- ¼ cup boiling water (60g)
Cherry compote:
- 1 can Maraschino cherries + more for decor if needed
- ¼ cup syrup from cherries
- 1-2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
Whipped cream:
- 1 ½ cups heavy, chilled (360g)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Chocolate cupcakes:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional; no fan) and line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and remove any lumps
- Add the egg, vegetable oil and buttermilk. Separately, mix the instant coffee with the boiling water, and pour into the bowl. Gently whisk all the ingredients together until they are just combined; do not overmix
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners
- Bake for ~15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out with light crumbs on it. Take care not to overbake
- Let the cupcakes fully cool down
Cherry compote:
- Strain a jar of cherries, reserving the juice. Set aside 12 cherries for decoration. Remove the stems from the rest and roughly chop them
- Add the chopped cherries, ¼ cup syrup and sugar to a saucepan. Cook and stir on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts to simmer
- Add the cornstarch and stir and cook on low heat for another 1-2 minutes until the syrup has thickened slightly
- Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool down
Whipped cream:
- Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whisk the heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until it reaches stiff peaks. Do not overmix
- Transfer to a piping bag fit with a large round piping tip
Assembly:
- Once everything has cooled down, it is time to assemble
- Use the back of a piping tip (~½ to ¾" wide) to remove the middles from the cupcakes
- Fill with the cherry compote generously
- Pipe on the whipped cream in swirls
- Decorate with the whole cherries set aside at the beginning
- Serve & enjoy!
Video Tutorial:
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Olivia Nixon says
These were soooo delicious, light and fluffy. chocolate and cherry are such a great combination.
Zoha says
I totally agree! Glad you liked them!
Janell says
do these have to be kept in the fridge, and if so do they hold up well overnight? I want to send them to my daughters school in the morning.
Steph says
Made and loved these. They were great and easy to make even as a inexperienced baker. And a fun twist on regular chocolate cupcakes! Thanks for the recipe.
Zoha says
Thank you so much, Steph!
Farzana says
Hi.. To make butter milk can i use semi skimmed milk.
Monica says
Can these sit out at room temp for a few hours at a party with the whipped cream?