Easy Black Forest Cupcakes

5 from 4 votes

These easy black forest cupcakes are moist chocolate cupcakes that are filled with a cherry pie filling. They're topped with the best stabilized whipped cream frosting, chocolate shavings, and a cherry!

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Cool Time10

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 439kcal

Author: Karissa Parrish

Equipment

12-count muffin pan
Mixing Bowls
Electric Stand Mixer
Saucepan
Piping Bag & Tips

Ingredients

Cherry Filling

1 ½ cups cherries, fresh or frozen
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons corn starch
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup Lifeway Kefir Plain Lowfat Milk
⅓ cup warm water
⅓ cup vegetable oil (or canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Frosting

8 ounces block-style cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
chocolate shavings (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cherry Filling

Combine the cherries, sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, continuously stir the mixture until thick.
Remove from the heat and transfer the cherry filling to a glass bowl. Cool completely in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, Lifeway Kefir milk, water, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
Fill the cupcake liners ½ way full (about 2 tablespoons) and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer them over to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Whipped Cream Frosting

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until soft and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until thick (about 30 seconds).
Slowly add the heavy whipping cream (about ½ cup at a time) and beat on med-high speed until a thick consistency starts to form. Continue adding a ½ cup of the cream at a time until you have no more left and beat the frosting for an additional 1-2 minutes with smooth and creamy.

Assemble

Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping tip (or a small sharp knife) to carefully cut out the centers. Be careful not to go through the bottom of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake with the cherry filling.
Frost the cupcakes. I placed the frosting in a piping bag and used the Wilton 6B piping tip. Top each cupcake with the extra cherry filling and sprinkle on some chocolate shavings (I just finely cut chocolate chunks).
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Cherry Filling: Make the cherry pie filling first so it has plenty of time to cool before filling the cupcakes.
Baking Pan: Prep a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
Cupcake Batter: Evenly divide the batter amongst the cupcake liners, only filling them ½ way full (about 2 tablespoons).
Assembling: Use a piping tip to carefully core out the centers of each cupcake. Then spoon in the cherries into each hole.

Nutrition