Black Forest Cupcakes are equal parts rich, heavenly and delicious. When I realized Valentine's Day was coming up just around the corner, I knew I had to showcase some beautiful, easy-to-make, delicious sweets for you to have access to and give to your loved ones. Is there anything more beautiful than Black Forest Cupcakes?
These cupcakes are made with so much love, and I don't recommend skimping out on the whipped cream topping. That's really what brought all of the black forest cupcake flavors full circle.
Oh, and all those extra cake pieces absolutely must be used in a homemade milkshake. Or you can just eat them by the spoonful-- whatever makes you happy. Can you imagine a black forest cupcakes milkshake? Oh geez...!
They have been filled with a homemade cherry filling, too! I know the way to my man's heart. We each have our own way of expressing how much we care for each other. I'm sure it's obvious by this point how I prefer to express my love and gratitude for having him in my life... by making him delicious food to put into his belly- that's how! And I know the same can be said for a lot of people. That's why I have decided to put together an entire showcase of Valentine's Day recipe for you! I will be creating several dessert recipes this week leading up to the big day.
Those of you who are intimidated by baking, you can quit right now! I've made all of these recipes, keeping in mind that baking desserts and pastries can be quite the intimidating process. If you do have any questions before you tackle any of these showcased recipes, please reach out to me and I'll get back to you quickly. I want to ease your mind and ensure a successful execution for every one of these recipes, starting with one of my favorites: these black forest cupcakes!
Black Forest Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 40 grams (about ⅓ cup) almond flour or gluten-free flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup cacao powder
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- 65 grams (about 5 tablespoons) ghee or coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Filling:
- 2 cups pitted cherries I used frozen cherries and let them defrost!
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Topping:
- ½ cup whipped cream
- 12 cherries
- grated dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with 12 parchment baking cups.
- Mix together all of the wet ingredients for the cupcakes in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In another medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and add this into the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined and be careful not to overmix (I just used a fork and spent a few minutes carefully mixing until all of the dry powders were dissolved).
- Pour the batter evenly into the 12 parchment lined cups. This should leave you with each about ⅔ full.
- Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean for the most part. It's fine to have some crumbs to wet crumbs stick but you don't want raw batter on there!
- To prepare the filling, place the cherries in a medium-size saucepan and smash them with a fork or using your hand (yes, I did that). Add the raw honey and lemon juice to the smashed cherries and stir until well combined. You want to let this mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should thicken up slightly.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely before filling the cupcakes.
- Use a paring knife or a small spoon, cut about 1 inch deep into the cupcake and a 1 inch circumference. Put these cake bits aside, so you can throw them into a milkshake- duh. Now, fill the cupcakes with the cherry filling.
- Next pipe on some whipped cream on top of the cupcakes.
- Before serving the cakes, grate some dark chocolate and add a cherry on top of each one!
Notes
- These are best served chilled. They will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
- All those extra cake pieces absolutely must be used in a homemade milkshake. Or you can just eat them by the spoonful– whatever makes you happy
leigha says
Hi! Do you have conversions for the gram measurements?!
I apologize for not including one... I have updated the recipe to as of right now! I used grams because baking can be pretty finicky with certain ingredients, and I want your cupcakes to turn out as moist and perfect as possible 😉
leigha says
Thank you so much! A scale is my next purchase but I can't wait that long to make these, they look delIcious!!