Black Forest Cupcakes

By mariannefeldman

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/06/black-forest-cupcakes.html

Ingredients

• Makes around 16 cupcakes
• 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
• 2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 1/2 C white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t coffee extract (This is optional. I just threw it in to add a little depth of flavor. Coffee extract is a handy thing to have around. You can buy it on Amazon.)
• 1 1/2 C buttermilk

Preparation

Step 1

CupCake
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and extracts.
Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 F for twenty minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.

Cherry Filling Recipe and How to Fill The Cupcake
Many black forest cake recipes call for using a store-bought cherry pie filling. If you can get your hands on some fresh cherries, there is no excuse to not make the filling yourself. Making your own filling is easy. It's just three ingredients. The recipe below makes more filling that you will need. You can reduce the recipe or use the leftovers to top ice cream or to mix in with yogurt.
1 lb cherries, washed, pitted, and destemmed
1/4 C water
3/4 C sugar
Throw all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and let mixture simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.
Remove from heat and let cool.

To fill the cupcakes, use a paring knife to cut a hole out of the top of each cupcake and place two cherries and a few teaspoons of the juice into each hole. Then, replace the tops.
Soaking the Cupcakes

Your cupcake will be pretty moist after filling it with the cherries and juice. However, for even more oomph, you can pour some liqueur (maraschino liqueur or Kirschwasser) over the cupcakes. Poke some holes in the cupcake to help it go down if you need to, but the cupcakes are airy enough that you probably won't have to.

Whipped Cream Recipe
The frosting on black forest cupcakes is not very sweet. It's basically a simple whipped cream with a touch of flavor.
2 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 t vanilla extract
3 T maraschino liqueur or Kirschwasser
Whip the whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
Mix in the vanilla extract and liqueur.
The Cherry on Top
I highly recommend topping these black forest cupcakes with homemade maraschino cherries! I also used chocolate sprinkles, but you could use chocolate shavings.