Blackforest Cupcakes

           I love, love, love blackforest cake. To me it combines the best of everything into one food - chocolate, whip cream, and cherries. Since I'm doing weight watchers, I need a VERY special occasion to make these. What better event than a coworkers birthday? I made 24 and brought every single one of them to the office to share. They were a huge hit, and they looked gorgeous - I highly recommend making them for a special occasion like a shower or a birthday. Here are photos of the process, since some of you amateur bakers might not know where to start. I promise that they are actually quite easy.

The final product!

Using a paring knife, cut the centre out of the cupcake

Put the cherry pie filling in

Add the top back on

Delicious.

Ingredients:

For the cake:


1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour


2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted


1½ tsp. baking soda


1 tsp. salt


1 tsp. espresso powder


8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature


1½ cups sugar


2 large eggs


1 tsp. vanilla extract (pure, not artificial if possible)


1½ cups buttermilk (whole milk + 1tbsp lemon juice will work)

Filling: I used store-bought cherry pie filling

Frosting:


1 cup heavy cream


6 tbsp. sifted confectioners’ sugar


1 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Garnish:


Fresh (or maraschino) cherries


Chocolate shavings


Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350° F.  Place a large,  heavy bowl in fridge or freezer to chill with beaters for hand mixer (this is for the whipped cream)

2.    Line 24 cupcake wells with paper liners & spray with Pam.

3.    In a medium bowl (NOT the one that is chilling), combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder together; whisk to blend, and set aside.

4.     Cream together the butter and sugar with wooden spoon until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in the vanilla extract.

5.     Mix in the dry ingredients with the buttermilk and wet ingredients, about 1/2 of each at a  time. Mix each addition just until blended, do NOT overmix.

6.    Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7.    To fill the cupcakes, use a paring knife to remove a portion from the center of each cupcake.  Spoon in about 1 ½ tbsp of cherry filling. Slice bottom of cupcake top and then put top back on. *see photo*

8. To make the whipped cream frosting, use a large chilled bowl with a beater. Start beating whipping cream on medium-low speed, slowly increasing as the cream begins to thicken up to medium-high speed.  While the cream is being whipped, gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar a spoonful at a time.  Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the vanilla extract. This process takes about 10 minutes. Put the whip cream in the fridge for about ½ hour to chill.
9. Frost the filled cupcakes with the whipped cream just before serving if possible.  Garnish as desired with a cherry and chocolate shavings.  Refrigerate until ready to serve (it is preferable to frost just before serving, if not, no more than 24 hours - cupcakes will keep but I find that the frosting keeps its form and texture best within the first 24 hours). 

Source: Adapted from Annies Eats