American Black Forest Cupcakes with Morello Cherry filling and Whipped Creamy Buttercream

Oh man, these really do make me sing!!!! Just gorgeously amazingly delightful!!!! Creamy buttercream with dark, moist chocolate cake and tart but sweet Cherry filling....my mouth is watering just telling you about these Cupcakes.
People love these because they are sweet and decadent, but they have that break in the middle with the Cherry Filling. I would also serve these at a dinner party as a desert and grate dark chocolate over the top....awwwww total indulgence.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Yeilds 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Dutch Cocoa
2 eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoon cooking oil (I used salad and cooking oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 dark chocolate drops or buttons

Preheat oven to 150° Fan bake. (See "The Oven" tab on my blog before starting your oven).
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder and set aside.
Add together eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, warm water and chocolate drops and mix until smooth.
Put the dry ingredients on your mixer and slowly add the wet ingredients until just combined.

Divide the mixture between the cupcake papers, but ONLY fill half way as these rise considerably.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Test with a baking skewer and if the skewer comes out clean then the cupcakes are ready. Once out of the oven remove to wire racks immediately. Once cooled cut out a crater of the cupcake ready for the Morello Cherry Filling.
Source: Devonport Chocolates.


Morello Cherry Filling

Ingredients:
680g jar of Morello Cherries (I used the brand Delmaine Pitted Cherries)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons cornflour

Put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring gently to the boil for 2 minutes. Then bring off the heat and let cool. Once cooled add a heaped teaspoon into the cupcake craters.

Creamy Dreamy Whipped Buttercream

Ingredients:
215g butter
700g approximately icing sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 cup thickened cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter and icing sugar until combined.

Then add the boiling water and vanilla extract. Then add the thickened cream and beat until creamy and dreamy. You may need more or less icing sugar, until you get it to the consistency you want. Then pipe onto cupcakes.

Happy baking xxx

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Peppermint Meringue Buttercream

Well these cupcakes are quite dense, I love them, don't get me wrong, but they are very heavy. The Peppermint Meringue buttercream is just delicious to make and very easy. I did eat a lot before it even made it to the cupcake hehe!!!!
If I'm honest, these would make a really fine desert, rather than a eat it up Cupcake. I would serve this with a decadent adult coffee and a smidge of fresh whipped cream. Oh now we are talking. The other awesome thing about this Buttercream is that you can add other flavorings to go on other Cupcakes. Lemon, Strawberry, anything that your tastebuds like.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup strong hot coffee
3 teaspoons instant coffee
3/4 cup cocoa (I used Dutch Cocoa)
160g unsalted butter
400g brown sugar
3 eggs (large)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 150° fan bake. (See "The Oven" tab on my blog before starting your oven).
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Whisk the coffee, instant coffee, and cocoa into a paste and set aside.
In a bowl cream the butter until light and fluffy and then add the sugar and beat further until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time making sure you scrap down the bowl after each egg. Then add 1/3 of the flour mixture  and 1/2 the buttermilk. Repeat, and make sure you end with the flour, and mix until just combined.  Add the cocoa/coffee paste and fold in the mayonnaise.
Divide mixture into the prepared tins and fill up to 2/3 of the cupcake papers. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the baking skewer comes out clean. Once out of the oven move to wire racks to cool.

Peppermint Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/2 tsp Creme de Menthe Liqueur (optional)
Green food colour (optional)

Fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil.
In your mixing bowl hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar until just combined.
Then pop the egg mixture over the boiling water and hand whisk for about 4 minutes (note: this is very hard and sore on your wrist, but hang in there). Your egg whites will become frothy and the sugar should be completely dissolved.
Then take your bowl and attach it to the mixer and whisk the egg whites until thick and glossy (this can take up to 8-10 minutes). Once the mixture is completely cooled remove the whisk and add the paddle attachment, and slowly add the butter one piece at a time making sure the beater is on slow. then add the vanilla, peppermint and Liqueur (and the food colour). Once this is mixed pipe immediately over your cupcakes.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Yields 24

Ingredients:

24 Oreo Cookies

2 ¼ c flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

130g unsalted butter

1 2/3c sugars

3 egg whites

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 150°C Fan Bake. (See "The Oven" tab on my blog before starting your oven).
Line the trays with 24 cupcakes papers.

Place Oreo halves in the bottom of each liner. I used a palette knife to slit them in half. Use the other part of the left over Oreo Cookie to be added into the mixture at the end.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Beat the butter for 2 minutes, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, this should take about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the egg whites for another 2 minutes. Make sure you scrap the bowl down a few times.

Beat in the vanilla extract. Then add half the dry ingredients and half the milk and beat being careful not to overbeat, as the mixture will get tough. Then repeat using the other half of the dry ingredients and the remaining half of the milk. At this stage you can gently fold in the left over oreo cookies (make sure they are broken up).

Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake papers and bake for 12-15 minutes depending on your oven.

You will know when they are baked as when you use a baking skewer it will come out clean.

Remove the cupcakes immediately onto wire racks and once they have cooled you can pipe on the buttercream.

Whipped Cream Buttercream

215 g butter (softened)

950g icing sugar

2 tablespoons boiling water

1/2 c thickened cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream butter for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 the icing sugar and the boiling water and mix until creamy. Add the remainder of the icing sugar, thickened cream and the vanilla extract and beat until creamy. You made need a little more icing sugar, will depend on the consistency you are after.
Source: annies-eats.com.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are just beautiful to look at, very captivating to the eye. But in saying that, they also taste wonderfully rich, and they live up to their name Velvety Cupcakes, cause they are just that - Velvety. I urge you to try these and just see people's faces when you hand them around the workplace or to your family and friends at home. They will also be captivated by these amazing little blessings.

This recipe is adapted from eatblogsleep.com. I have modified it very slightly to meet my baking measurements. Instead of the Cream Cheese Buttercream, sometimes I frost with Whipped Cream Buttercream and I have added that recipe at the bottom in case you prefer that way. I will eat them either way hehe.


Yeilds approximately 30 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons red food color
120g unsalted butter
1 1/2 c caster sugar
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven 150° degrees fan bake. (See "The Oven" tab on my blog before starting your oven).
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Then combine the cocoa and the red food coloring in another bowl and mix into a paste.
In your mixer beat the butter for 2 minutes then add the sugar and beat a further 2 minutes or until the mixture is light and creamy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure you scrap the bowl down after each egg.
Then add the cocoa and red food coloring paste and beat together.
Add 1/2 the flour mixture and beat until just combined, then add 1/2 the buttermilk and mix to just combined. Repeat this process one more time by adding the remaining flour and then the remanding buttermilk. Do not over beat as the cupcakes will get tough.
In a small bowl mix the vinegar and baking soda. When mixture has stopped the fizzing , add it to the batter and gently beat through but only until just combined.
Then fill the cupcake papers 2/3 with the batter.
Then bake for about 15-20 minutes approximately. You will know when they are baked as when you use a baking skewer it will come out clean.
Remove the cupcakes immediately onto wire racks and once they have cooled you can pipe on the buttercream.

Cream Cheese Buttercream
125 g butter
400 g cream cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice (approx)
700g icing sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, usually this takes me about 2-3 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and 1/2 the icing sugar.
Beat for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
Then sift in the remaining icing sugar and beat until creamy.
You may need to add more or less icing sugar, depending on the consistency you need. Then pipe onto cooled cupcakes and decorate.





Whipped Cream Buttercream
215 g butter
950g icing sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 c thickened cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream the butter in electric mixer. Then add half the icing sugar, the boiling water and 1/2 the thickened cream and the vanilla extract. Beat until creamy. Then add the remaining icing sugar and thickened cream. You may need a little more icing sugar and or water to the buttercream until you get your desired consistency.

Happy Baking xxx