The first pan that changed my life was my Almond Cake Pan. Now another pan is changing my life, my Fillable Cupcake Pan from Germany just arrived and I have been so excited and inspired to start baking and filling these cupcake tins will all kinds of goodies. You fill the cupcake pan with batter, then when you take the cakes out of the oven and flip them over, there’s an indentation in the cakes just waiting to be filled with something out of this world yummy!
I have a dozen ideas in my head but decided to bake these Black Forest Cherry Filled Cupcakes because they are so delicious, look so pretty and I have the perfect cherries right here in Door County! Actually, the cupcakes made in this pan are really more like little gourmet tortes that make you feel like you are in famous bakery somewhere in Germany…but we’ll call them cupcakes for now.
These cupcakes remind me of the many times I was in Germany’s Black Forest, a region known for its sour cherries and Kirsch or Kirschwasser (a double distilled, clear cherry brandy) Combine these cherries with the Germans love of chocolate, and you have this wonderful chocolate confection with cream and cherries. The base for these cupcakes is a light sponge chocolate cake which is then filled with a tart Door County Cherry compote, topped with chocolate frosting and whipped cream. The cherries and frosting have Kirsch Brandy added which enhances the chocolate flavor and makes these cupcakes taste like the original authentic Black Forest cake.
There are a few components to these cupcakes but don’t let that put off…they are really simple to make once you get all the ingredients organized. Before I even start, I measure all the ingredients, set them on a tray so they are all ready to assemble. It’s a good idea to make the cherry compote first so you can let it cool before filling the cakes. I used Door County frozen cherries which are available all year round. It’s also helpful to drain the maraschino cherries and set them on a double layer of paper towel while the cupcakes are baking. Pat them dry. Then they will be all ready when you assemble the cupcakes.
That first bite is so heavenly. The cake is moist, the cherries are tart and sweet with a hint of Kirsch, the frosting is light and creamy and the whipped cream with the maraschino cherry is…well, the icing on the cake. All the flavors harmonize into the most delicious cupcake you’ve ever eaten.
Black Forest Cherry Filled Cupcakes
Cupcakes:
2/3 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 oz. unsweeted chocolate, melted & cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Kirsch
Tart Cherry Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
3 cups fresh or frozen Door County tart cherries
4 teaspoons Kirsch
Chocolate Butter Frosting:
1/3 cup softened butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 or more Tablespoons milk
Splash of Kirsch
1 teaspoon Pipka’s Vanilla Extract
4 1/4 cups powdered sugar (add more as needed for piping)
Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Maraschino cherries with stems.
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter and flour Pipka’s Fillable Cupcake Pan
3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add melted chocolate and vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and water to the butter mixture. Stir in Kirsch.
4. Spoon batter into Fillable Cupcake Pan, 3/4 full. Gently tap batter into sides of each cupcake form. Bake 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes then turn pan over to remove cupcakes. Let cool completely.
5. For the cherry filling: put sugar, cornstarch, water, Kirsch and cherries
into a pan and cook until thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat, place in a glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Fill the cavity of each cupcake with 1 Tablespoon or more of cherry filling.
6. For the frosting: Beat butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa powder the unsweetened chocolate until well combined. Add milk and vanilla.Slowly beat in 3 1/4 cup powdered sugar and beat til creamy. Add more milk to the frosting until it’s fluffy and piping consistency. Pipe frosting over the cherry filling in each cupcake.
7. Make the whipping cream. Pipe a star on top of the chocolate frosting and add a maraschino cherry with stem. Store in fridge until ready to eat. (They keep well in the fridge so you can even eat them the next day, if you can wait that long.)
Black Forest Cherry Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup softened butter
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 oz. unsweeted chocolate, melted & cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup water
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Kirsch
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 cups fresh or frozen Door County tart cherries
- 4 teaspoons Kirsch
- 1/3 cup softened butter
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 2 or more Tablespoons milk
- Splash of Kirsch
- 1 teaspoon Pipka’s Vanilla Extract
- 4 1/4 cups powdered sugar (add more as needed for piping)
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Maraschino cherries with stems.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Butter and flour Pipka’s Fillable Cupcake Pan
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add melted chocolate and vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and water to the butter mixture. Stir in Kirsch.
- Spoon batter into Fillable Cupcake Pan, 3/4 full. Gently tap batter into sides of each cupcake form. Bake 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes then turn pan over to remove cupcakes. Let cool completely.
- For the cherry filling: put sugar, cornstarch, water, Kirsch and cherries into a pan and cook until thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat, place in a glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Fill the cavity of each cupcake with 1 Tablespoon or more of cherry filling.
- For the frosting: Beat butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa powder the unsweetened chocolate until well combined. Add milk and vanilla.Slowly beat in 3 1/4 cup powdered sugar and beat til creamy. Add more milk to the frosting until it’s fluffy and piping consistency. Pipe frosting over the cherry filling in each cupcake.
- Make the whipping cream. Pipe a star on top of the chocolate frosting and add a maraschino cherry with stem. Store in fridge until ready to eat. (They keep well in the fridge so you can even eat them the next day, if you can wait that long.)
