Black Forest Cupcakes

Black Forest Cupcakes are the million-dollar dessert for your next celebration! Rich chocolate cupcake, juicy cherry pie filling, sweet whipped cream frosting, flaky shaved chocolate topping, and the gorgeous cherry on top? Irresistible! Try this for your Valentine’s Day dessert or treat a loved one!

Sure, these are great for Valentine’s Day, but even better? Mother’s 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 sweetened whipped cream and chocolate, yeah, no one could turn it down.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Have you ever had a towering slice of layered Black Forest Chocolate Cake? It ruins all other chocolate cakes for you. The combination of chocolate and fresh cherries is always delicious, but the textures and moisture in a cake make it even more drool-worthy. These decadent Black Forest 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.

Be careful not to overmix your cake batter, especially if you are using an electric mixer. You know I almost always use a whisk attachment in the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a way, these remind me of a ding-dong type cupcake, but with the bonus of that delicious filling. I’ll take juicy cherry pie filling over cream filling spilling out of the center of the cupcake any day! I recommend using a transparent or a dark cupcake liner for these treats so they still look dark, chocolatey, and pretty.

Black Forest Cake Ingredients & Substitutions

• Bittersweet chocolate
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Bread flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Baking soda
• Canola oil
• Eggs
• White vinegar
• Vanilla extract
• Cherry pie filling
• Heavy whipping cream
• Chocolate shavings or sprinkles (for garnish)
• Fresh black cherries (for garnish)

I see a lot of people asking about maraschino cherries to top their Black Forest cake or cupcakes, but I recommend the deep black cherries for decoration. Not only do they have better flavor, but they also lean into the lovely dark colors.

All purpose flour will work, but you won’t have quite as chewy and rich of a cake (this is why many chocolate cake recipes use bread flour).

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. Black Forest Cake is a classic for a reason!

Perfect Party Treat

Everyone is going to love the surprise cherry filling inside! These cupcakes are perfect for parties—and adults especially love the Black Forest flavor. We like to make them for my mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day, and the chocolate-cherry combo is also perfect for Valentine’s Day!

I recommend serving with a tall glass of cold milk! Enjoy!

Now let’s see what’s inside…

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe

Black Forest Cupcakes

These cupcakes of the best blend of flavors! Rich fluffy chocolate cake meets fruit cherry pie filling, and they're finished with a simple creamy whipped topping.

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Prep30 minutes minutes

Cook19 minutes minutes

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

Instructions

• 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.

Notes

Cake recipe portion adapted from Cook's Illustrated via Brown Eyed Baker

Nutrition Facts

Black Forest Cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 344 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 68mg23%

Sodium 178mg8%

Potassium 143mg4%

Carbohydrates 35g12%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 19g21%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 527IU11%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 35mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Black Forest Cupcakes

Author: Jaclyn