Black Cherry Cupcakes
When I got back from my brilliant day out in Paris – more of that next time – it was straight back to baking. I made another Black Forest Gateau, this time for my lovely friend over at Wallsfour; check out her wonderful gardening blog if you have a minute. I “accidentally” ended up with some extra black cherries for some cupcakes.
Black cherries and chocolate are one of those tried and tested combinations and it’s one of my favourites. Instead of making Black Forest Cupcakes (very tempting!) I wanted to try baking the black cherries in the cake mix. I chose to decorate them with chocolate buttercream, a cherry and some chocolate sprinkles.
These would be even better with fresh black cherries but here in the UK they are out of season at the moment and even when they are in season, they are far too ridiculously expensive to bake with.
So if you don’t like the texture of the tinned cherries as a decoration, you might prefer to top them with a dark glacé cherry instead.
Black Cherry Cupcakes
Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
175g butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g SR flour
50g cocoa powder
425g tin black cherries (use 200g drained, chopped cherries plus some whole to decorate)
2 tablespoons juice from the black cherries
Chocolate Buttercream Icing
300g icing sugar, sieved
100g butter, room temperature
40g cocoa powder
40ml milk or water
Chocolate sprinkles to decorate
Method
Set the oven to 180ºC and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases. You will get 12-14 cupcakes depending on the size of your paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the flour and cocoa powder and fold in carefully.
Add the 200g of chopped cherries and the two tablespoons of juice and mix in.
Spoon into the paper cases and bake for around 20-25 minutes, until well risen and firm to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Cupcakes ready to ice
Make the buttercream icing:
Beat the icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder together in a freestanding mixer until the mixture comes together.
Slowly add the milk or water on a low speed.
Once it has all been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high and beat until the icing is light and fluffy.
When your cupcakes are completely cool, pipe or spread your icing and top the cupcakes with a tinned, fresh or glacé cherry.
Finish off with your favourite chocolate sprinkles or some grated dark chocolate.
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Categories: Baking, Cakes, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Fruit, Recipes, Uncategorized
lovinghomemade 
Look really yummy! Glad you enjoyed your trip.
They look delicious! Love the plate too.
Thanks – my plates come in handy every now and then!
Yum! Cherries are in season in Sydney. If I was making these cupcakes with fresh cherries, would you recommend changing the recipe or go with what you’ve posted?
I would just substitute the tinned for fresh and add a couple of tablespoons of milk or water and would expect that would work perfectly. If you do make them with fresh would love to hear what you think. Enjoy your fresh cherries, not jealous at all!
These look so yummy! I also love the blue-ish plate they are sitting on!
Thanks very much – I go to ceramics evening classes (with Ela) and it’s one of the ones I’ve made. I try to get them into photos every now and then!
Oh that is so neat! You are very talented!