Black Forest Cupcakes

This cherry-packed chocolate cream cake is often found in old-school bakeries that specialise in European bakes, which is why it has the power to take me straight back to my days wandering around the German countryside in search of the local bäckerei. This is the ideal cupcake at Christmas, when a total of no-one is watching their waistline.

MAKES: 12 cupcakes
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 16-18 minutes
COOLING TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

For the chocolate cupcakes:

• 170g (6 oz) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 85 g (3 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 225 g (8 oz) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 50 g (1 ¾ oz) Dutch cocoa powder
• 110 g (3 ¾ oz) sour cream
• 1 tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in 130 ml (4 ½ fl oz) hot water

For the cherry filling:

• 200g (7 oz) pitted cherries
• 25g (¾ oz) caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cornflour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of cherry liqueuer (optional - I use kirsch)

For the cream frosting:

• 300ml (10 fl oz) double cream
• 1 tablespoon of icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 12 maraschino cherries, to decorate
• 25g (¾ oz) dark chocolate shavings, to decorate

METHOD

To make the chocolate cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (375°F). Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required.

4. On low speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, mixing until just combined.

5. On low speed, add the cocoa powder and mix until combined. Then add the sour cream one-third at a time, alternating with the dry ingredients. This ensures you do not over mix the batter, mixing until just combined. The batter will be thick at this stage.

6. On the lowest speed, slowly add the hot coffee, aiming to pour between the side of the bowl and the paddle attachment, scraping down the sides of the bowl as required.

7. Using a large ice-cream scoop, evenly portion the batter between the cupcake liners. Ideally, I like to fill the pans to just over halfway (to be precise, halfway between half-full and three-quarters full). Gently tap the cupcake pan on the bench before baking, to evenly distribute the batter.

8. Bake the cupcakes for 16–18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the cherry filling and cream frosting.

To make the cherry filling:

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until bubbling. Allow to simmer for 5–10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool completely

To make the cream frosting:

1. Place the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip until thick.

To assemble:

1. Using a round piping tip, core the centre of each cupcake and pipe a small amount of cherry filling into the cavity.

2. Place the cream frosting into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto each cupcake.

3. Decorate cupcakes with a maraschino cherry and a sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings.

STORAGE
Store iced cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

BROOKI'S TIP
The cupcakes and cherry filling can be made in advance, but the cream frosting is best made fresh on the day.