Let’s talk about Black Forest Cupcakes – because who can say no to the combination of rich chocolate, whipped cream, and juicy cherries?
I’m obsessed with how these little cupcakes capture all the flavors of the classic Black Forest Cake in a fun, individual-sized treat.
They’re perfect for everything from birthday parties to a casual dessert to enjoy with your afternoon coffee.
Trust me, once you try these, you’ll be hooked!
Also, try my chocolate cupcakes frosted with chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Why will you love this black forest cupcakes recipe?
- Rich chocolate flavor: These cupcakes are packed with a deep, indulgent chocolate taste that chocolate lovers will love.
- Perfectly Moist: I have perfected the balance of moisture and fluffiness, making each bite feel like a little piece of heaven.
- Whipped cream & cherries: Match made in heaven. The light, creamy frosting combined with the cherry compote on top gives that authentic Black Forest experience.
- Easy to prepare: No complicated steps or special tools are required. You’ll be enjoying these in no time, whether you’re a beginner or a pro in the kitchen.
- Impress your guests: They look as stunning as they taste! These cupcakes are a showstopper, perfect for any occasion – birthday parties, picnics, or just a sweet treat to enjoy with coffee.
How do you make a black forest cupcakes recipe?
As we always do, let us understand the overview of the recipe before deep diving into a detailed step-by-step recipe.
| Sr. No. | Steps |
| 1. | Make chocolate cupcakes. |
| 2. | Prepare cherry compote. |
| 3. | Whip the frosting. |
| 4. | Assemble and serve. |
Black forest cupcakes ingredients
Chocolate cupcake ingredients
- Milk – Use regular full-fat (3.25% milk). I do not recommend replacing it with low-fat milk or 1% milk.
- Vinegar – Reacts with baking powder, making cupcakes to rise.
- Oil – We use oil instead of butter in this recipe to make them extra moist. Replace only half the quantity of oil with butter if you wish to.
- Water – Simply use room temperature plain water 🙂
- Caster sugar – Use regular caster sugar for this. This is also referred to as granulated sugar or sugar.
- All-purpose flour – Use regular all-purpose flour of your favorite brand. It is ok to use cake flour in this recipe, as we want light cupcakes here. Skip the cornstarch if you used cake flour.
- Cornstarch – We will need just a few teaspoons to mix with regular all-purpose flour. Skip out entirely if you are using cake flour.
- Baking soda – Reacts with cocoa powder, vinegar, helping the cupcake to rise.
- Salt – Just a 1/2 teaspoon but do not skip as it will enhance the cupcake flavor. Skip out completely if using salted butter.
- Coffee (optional) – I always use coffee in all of my chocolate treats, be it a cake or a cupcake, because I feel that coffee brings out the chocolate flavor. So, it will make it more chocolatey without actually tasting like a coffee. Feel free to skip if you do not wish to add.
- Cocoa powder – Use regular cocoa powder or any brand. Strict no-no to Dutch processed as they are not interchangeable. We need to adjust the rising agent based on the cocoa powder uses. Hence, do not just replace it.
Cherry compote ingredients
- Cherries – This is our main ingredient. Use fresh or frozen; both are fine.
- Sugar – This adds sweetness to the sauce and also balances the flavor. Use regular sugar, granulated sugar, or caster sugar. All works fine.
- Lemon juice – This adds the tangy flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Cornstarch – Our recipe is incomplete without this, as this is the one that turns the liquid sauce into a thickened sauce. Do not replace this with cornmeal (yellow in color) as they are both different.
- Water – To mix with cornstarch and make a cornstarch slurry.
Whipped cream frosting ingredients
Whipping cream – Use any cream with a minimum 35% fat percentage, such as whipping cream or heavy whipping cream, or double cream.
Icing sugar – This is to add sweetness. You can also use icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar. They are all the same, just named differently in different parts of the world. If you are in a hurry and do not have time to go out, then you can use homemade powdered sugar.
Any substitutes?
Sugar – Replace sugar with allulose or monk fruit sweetener in a 1:1 quantity in cherry compote recipe.
Tools needed
- Mixing bowls – to make the cupcake batter, whipped cream frosting, and cherry compote.
- Measuring cups/ spoons – to measure ingredients.
- Weighing scale – to precisely measure ingredients.
- Whisk – used while mixing.
- Piping bags/piping tips – to pipe the frosting and piping tips to remove the center part of the cupcake and to frost over cupcake.
- Cupcake pan – to bake the cupcakes.
- Saucepan – to make the cherry compote.
- Hand beater – to make the whipped cream frosting.
Black forest cupcakes (step-by-step) recipe
Chocolate cupcake step-by-step recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C for at least 10 minutes. Line the cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Keep it aside for a few minutes. Mix it with a spoon to see if the milk has curdled.
- In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt ). This will remove any lumps from cocoa powder, evenly distribute the rising agents, and also incorporate the air.
- In another bowl, combine sugar, coffee, and all wet ingredients (oil, curdled milk).
- Beat with a hand whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Slowly pour wet ingredients over dry and gently stir until it is just mixed. DO NOT OVERMIX. It will create gluten, making dense cupcakes.
- Now add hot water and mix until it turns into a smooth batter.
- Divide the chocolate cupcake batter into 12 cupcake liners. Make sure they are not more than 2/3rd of their capacity so that they have enough space to rise.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Perform the toothpick test. The toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Once the chocolate cupcakes are out of the oven, keep them on a wooden board for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Now, transfer to a wire rack to cool them down completely.
Cherry compote step-by-step-recipe
- In a mixing bowl, add water and cornstarch. Mix until smooth.
- In a saucepan, add 1 cup of cherries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over low to medium heat. Stir constantly until the cherries have broken down and start to release juice. This will take approximately 3 minutes. Frozen cherries will take a little longer.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry (made in step 1) into the pan. Stir frequently for approximately 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Use it as a filling in our chocolate cupcakes.
Whipped cream frosting step-by-step-recipe
- Keep the glass bowl in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. You can also keep it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes if you are in a hurry. Add chilled whipping cream to a chilled glass bowl.
- Start whipping cream using a hand beater or stand mixer. But I prefer using a hand beater as it goes to the over-whipped stage in just a couple of minutes, and you have better control of a hand beater. Use a stand mixer if making in large quantities.
- After 1-2 minutes of whipping, add icing sugar to the cream.
- Continue whipping on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, and your whipped cream is ready.
Assemble and serve
- Use the other end of a piping tip to remove a little bit of the cupcake from the center. Set aside to cover it later.
- Fill the center with cherry compote made above, and cover the filling with the removed part of the cupcake.
- Finally, frost with whipped cream frosting.
- Garnish with chocolate shavings and a cherry. Serve, Enjoy!
Watch me making it (video)
Storing and freezing instructions for the black forest cupcakes recipe
Have any leftovers? Don’t worry! Follow my tips to store it for a long duration. As this is using whipped cream frosting, you can store them in the refrigerator.
Storing instructions
Store them in an airtight container and then refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezing instructions
I do not recommend freezing the frosted cupcakes, as whipped cream might lose its consistency because of temperature change.
Thawing instructions
Same as above :).
Variations
Please have a look at my triple chocolate cupcake recipe for all the different variations using the basic chocolate cupcake recipe. But substitute cornstarch with all-purpose flour.
Secret tips to make the black forest cupcakes recipe
Chocolate cupcake secret tips
- Use high-quality ingredients – Use high-quality ingredients to make the cupcakes.
- Room temperature ingredients – Use room temperature ingredients so that they mix each other to create a smooth batter.
- Do not overfill – Always fill your cupcake liners only 2/3 of its capacity so that they have enough space to rise. They could either sink or overflow if you overfill.
- Cool the cupcakes – Do not fill or frost cupcakes when they are hot or warm. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack; otherwise, frosting (any frosting) will start melting.
Chery compote secret tips
Do not skip cornstarch – Without cornstarch, cherry compote will be runny and hence, difficult to use. So, do not skip it.
Adjust cooking time – Cooking time will vary for fresh and frozen blueberries (frozen will take more time, of course). So, adjust your cooking time accordingly.
Cook enough – After adding cornstarch, cook enough so that the sauce will become thick. Do not rush the process.
Use frozen cherries as is – Use the frozen cherries without thawing. They will release water (if thawed) and hence will need more cornstarch.
Whipped cream secret tips
- Do not overwhip – Whip the cream and sugar only until it forms stiff peaks; otherwise, it will split and turn the cream into butter. Do not start the mixer and do other chores. I recommend using a hand mixer over a stand mixer.
- Use chilled cream and bowl – For the best results, please make sure to use chilled cream. Also, keep your mixing bowl, hand beater handles in the freezer for 4-5 minutes. Alternatively, whip the cream over a bowl of ice cubes to expedite the process.
FAQs
If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop a comment below, and I will be happy to answer them.
Want to try some other cupcakes recipes?
I’d love to hear from you!
Over to you, my friend! Have you tried making these Black Forest Cupcakes as explained here or added your twist? I’d love to hear about your variations and thoughts in the comments below.
Your feedback matters a lot! So, keep pouring your comments, variations, suggestions in the comments below.
Do not forget to tag me @dessertkatta if you post it on Instagram or just use a hashtag #dessertkatta or #dessertkattarecipes
Recipe card
Black Forest Cupcakes
Description
Rich, chocolatey, and perfectly balanced with whipped cream and cherries, these Black Forest Cupcakes are a true indulgence. They’re the ultimate crowd-pleaser, combining the classic flavors of Black Forest cake in an easy-to-make, individual-sized treat that everyone will love!
