Cherry Cordial Chocolate Cupcakes

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I always love the abundance of cherry cordials at the store during the Christmas and Valentines season. My mom would always get the best ones from a local chocolate shop and they weren’t just the tiny size ones, as a child these were probably bigger than my palm and they were oh so irresistible. I thought it would be equally as decadent, if not more, in cupcake form and I’d have to say that assumption was spot on. These cupcakes are divine! They are perfect chocolatey decadence topped with all the flavors of a cherry cordial filling and generous chocolate glaze drizzle, because why not? And don’t forget the cherry on top! Growing up I’d always ask for a cherry on top of my ice cream when we’d go through the drive through, some things never change because on occasion I’ll remember that and it really just makes ice cream that much better.

These chocolate cupcakes are one of my favorites. They are wonderfully chocolatey and the texture of their crumb is everything you look for in a chocolate cupcake – moist, soft and tender, with just enough structure to hold a buttercream frosting. And that frosting, oh that frosting, you’re going to love it!

Happy baking!

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Cherry Cordial Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (semi-sweet works too for milder flavor, I've tested both)
• 1/3 cup (29g) unsweetend cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed, I use regular)
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3/4 cup (116g) bread flour
• 3/4 cup (155g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
Frosting
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1- 2 pinches of salt, to taste
• 3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice, then more if needed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Red food coloring, optional
• 1/2 of the maraschino cherries from 1 (10 oz) jar, chopped and wrapped in paper towels to dry slightly
• 24 maraschino cherries, plus more for topping

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl, then pour hot water over chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through chilling, until cooled (or 10 in freezer stirring once).
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together canola oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture into oil mixture and stir until well combined, then add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
• Divide batter evenly among 12 paper lined muffin cups (about 1/4 cup in each). Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 17 - 19 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in baking tin several minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
• For the ganache:
• Add chocolate chips to a bowl. Heat cream to nearly a boil (either in microwave or on stove top) then pour over chocolate chips. Stir until melted and smooth. Let cool until thickened, either in refrigerator or or at room temperature (you just don't want it to be runny but still pipe-able).
• For the frosting:
• While ganache is cooling, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer whip butter and salt until pale and fluffy. Mix in 1 cup of the powdered sugar then stir in maraschino cherry juice, vanilla and desired amount of red food coloring if using. Mix in remaining powdered sugar and whip until pale and fluffy. Using a rubber or silicone spatula, fold in chopped maraschino cherries.
• To assemble cupcakes:
• Place two maraschino cherries (no stems) over tops of cupcakes. Dollop desired amount of frosting over cherries (I wouldn't recommend using a lot, this is a sweet frosting and a little goes a long way) then spread frosting around cherries. Transfer chocolate ganache to a small resealable bag, seal bag and cut a tip from one corner. Drizzle over cupcakes and top each cupcake with 1 cherry. Let cupcakes rest 1 hour (I felt this was best as it not only lets the ganache set but it seemed to lightly tone down the sweetness of the frosting as the flavors melded).
• Recipe source: cake portion adapted from Cooks Illustrated "The Science Of Good Cooking" pg. 431.

Cherry Almond Cupcakes

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The cherry and almond flavors were just meant to be together, right? Especially in cupcake form. Their tempting, nutty and fruity pairing makes for dessert royalty.

I just have to say it, these cupcakes are completely and utterly divine! Their texture is so soft and delicate and the almond-cherry flavored frosting literally just melts away in your mouth. They are reminiscent of the cherry chip cake you get at the grocery store, but they are much better than a box mix of course. These are something like, I want to say, sweet, blissful cherry clouds (if you can only imagine what that would taste like). With a fluffy cake and a decadent almond and maraschino cherry flavor, you might just very well find these to be a new favorite cupcake. Enjoy!

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Cherry Almond Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 18 maraschino cherries, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature*
• 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice
Frosting
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature (I used 1/2 cup unsalted 1/4 cup salted)
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• Few drops red food coloring (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 30 seconds, set aside. Cut 6 maraschino cherries into halves and set aside (these will later be placed in cupcake batter. If they're small you can use whole ones but make sure you'll have enough to top the cupcakes, you'll need 24 total if using whole cherries). In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg then add in egg white, almond extract and vanilla extract and blend until combined. In liquid mearuing cup used to measure buttermilk, combined buttermilk with maraschino cherry juice. With mixer set on low speed, working in three separate batches beginning and ending with flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition. Divide mixture among 12 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 1/2 full. Place one cherry half in the center of each cupcake (it will sink to the bottom during baking). Bake in preheated oven 17 - 19 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Run a butter knife around edges to loosen cupcakes (unless yours didn't go to the edges like mine) and allow to cool in muffin tin 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely then pipe or spread Cherry Almond Frosting over tops. Store in an airtight container. Top each cupcake with a maraschino cherry just before serving.
• For the frosting:
• In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 7 - 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl (if you have the beater blade paddle scraper attachment, about 5 minutes). Add in powdered sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice and almond extract. Blend on low speed until combined, then add food coloring if desired and additional cherry juice to thin as desired (adding 1 tsp at a time), and increase speed to medium-high and whip until pale and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes longer (about 4 minutes with scraper attachment), occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl.
• *To bring my eggs to room temperature I usually always just let them rest in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy, inspired by BHG

Black Forest Cupcakes

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Mothers Day dessert, look no further! My Mom loved these cupcakes, and seriously who wouldn’t? A chocolate cupcake with a cherry pie filling, topped with a sweetened whipped cream and chocolate, yeah no one could turn it down. These decadent cupcakes are perfectly chocolatey with a soft and moist crumb and that cherry pie filling, well try not to eat it by the spoonful before you fill the cupcakes. In a way these remind me a of a ding dong type cupcake but with of course the bonus of that delicious filling. I think they would also be good with a raspberry or strawberry pie filling if you are wanting to switch it up a bit, but try the cherry version at least once.

Everyone is going to love the surprise pie filling inside! Enjoy!

Now lets see what’s inside…

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Black Forest Cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 19 minutes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup unsweetend cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Filling and Topping
• 1 1/4 cups cherry pie filling, store bought or homemade
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Finely chopped chocolate or real chocolate sprinkles, for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl, then pour hot water over chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through chilling, until cooled (or 10 in freezer stirring once).
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together canola oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture into oil mixture and stir until well combined, then add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
• Divide batter evenly among 12 paper lined muffin cups (about 1/4 cup in each). Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 17 - 19 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in baking tin several minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
• Cut a hole in the centers of each cupcake (big enough to fit 1 1/2 Tbsp filling, mine was slightly heaping out the top). Add about 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp cherry pie filling to holes in cupcakes.
• In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Pipe whipped cream over cupcakes then top each with a cherry and garnish with finely chopped chocolate or sprinkles. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator, allow to rest at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Satiny and shiny, airy and perfectly smooth, every bite of this stable buttercream is like a candy cloud.

Thanks to its superb smooth texture, Swiss meringue buttercream is perfect for cupcakes or cakes such as rose or ruffle. You can add pretty much any flavor to it: purees, melted chocolate, zest, instant coffee granules, or any flavorful extract.

Note: There are 3 types of meringue buttercream: Italian, French, and Swiss. In all methods, meringue is whisked first, then the butter and flavorings are added. In both the Italian and Swiss method, the egg whites are cooked. In the French method, egg whites and sugar are whisked together as is, meaning that the final product includes raw egg. In the Italian method, sugar and water are heated first to make a syrup, then the syrup is slowly poured in a steady stream into the meringue (i.e., the egg whites) while whipped. In the Swiss method, egg whites and sugar are heated together until warm, then whipped. I find the Swiss method to be easier, which is why I use it. All three methods produce a slight difference in texture, but they are all delicious, sweet, airy, shiny, and stable.

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Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yield: about 4 1/2-5 cups, enough to frost 48 standard-size cupcakes

Ingredients

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams/8.8 ounces) granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 pound (4 sticks/450 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt, and set mixture over a saucepan of simmering water, keeping heat on low. Constantly yet gently whisk mixture by hand until warm to the touch and smooth, and sugar has completely dissolved. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should reach 150F/65C. Remove from heat.

Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg white mixture until stiff peaks form and meringue is thick and glossy, about 10 minutes (start with low speed and gradually increase to medium-high). Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t warm before adding the butter, otherwise it will melt.

Switch to paddle attachment. On low speed, add a few tablespoons of butter at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. Once all butter has been added, keep beating until very smooth. If at some point the mixture curdles, keep beating until smooth again. Add vanilla and beat on low speed until combined. At this point, you can add any additional flavor (such as extracts), then beat until smooth.

Frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Before using, bring to room temperature and whisk by hand for a few seconds until satiny and smooth.