Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes
Perfect as a Valentine’s Day treat, these Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes are sure to fill anyone with love! These cupcakes feature a fudgy chocolate cupcake batter that is a breeze to make! The chocolate cupcakes are then filled with a store-bought cherry jam filling of your choice! The cherry chocolate cupcakes are, of course, finished with a sky-high piping of Cherry Rosewater frosting – adding a delicate floral note that pairs beautifully with the rich and sweet tones of cherry and chocolate!
A Valentine’s Day Recipe
The inspiration for these Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes came, of course, from Valentine’s Day! If you’re in need of a simple and quick dessert recipe that is still Valentine’s Day themed, then look no further! To give them even more love-day vibes, you could decorate them with heart sprinkles or use Valentine’s day themed cupcake wrappers!
HOW TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CHERRY FILLED CUPCAKES
1. Combine wet ingredients: Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cream, and oil, to a large mixing bowl, then beat together with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Bloom the cocoa: Add the sifted cocoa powder to the warm coffee. Mix until smooth, and then add to the wet mixture from above.
4. Add the dry & wet together: Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and whisk together until smooth. Try not to overmix though!
5. Add to pan & bake: Pour the Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes batter into a prepared cupcake pan, then place into the oven to bake! When done, allow the Chocolate Cupcakes to cool completely before topping with frosting!
The Cherry Filling
These Chocolate Cupcakes with cherry filling don’t require a bunch of work or effort for the filling – that’s right, these cupcakes just need a little cherry jam! With so many delicious cherry jams and preserves out there, its especially easy to just grab a jar at the grocery store and use that as your filling! As well, canned cherry pie filling can be used in these chocolate cupcakes!
How to Fill the Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes
There are several ways to fill these cherry chocolate cupcakes. Filling the cupcakes starts with coring out the centre to make room for the filling! There are several handy coring tools on the market for this exact purpose such as this one, however if you don’t want to buy a fancy tool for this, a simple paring knife works as well! Simply cut out a circle in the centre of the cupcake about halfway deep into the cupcake. Remove this cut out piece of cupcake then with a spoon scoop some of the cherry jam filling into the chocolate cupcake! It’s as easy as that (plus you get to enjoy all those little cut out pieces for yourself!)
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO ‘BLOOM’ COCOA?
You’ll notice in the recipe instructions that you have to add the cocoa powder to hot coffee before adding it to the batter. This is known as ‘blooming’ that cocoa. The reasoning behind this process is that the hot liquid dissolves flavor particles within the cocoa powder, making the final product taste more chocolatey! While we’re at it, you may also be wondering why these Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes as well as many other chocolate cake or cupcake recipes, are made with coffee. Again, the reasoning for this is because the coffee actually intensifies that chocolate flavor! Neat, huh?!
WHAT IS DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA?
This Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes recipe calls for Dutch processed cocoa as the cocoa powder. ‘What the heck is Dutch processed cocoa powder’, you ask? Dutch processed cocoa is created by alkalizing regular cocoa powder to bring it up to a pH of 7. This process sort of strips the acidic properties out of the cocoa powder, leaving it with a much more mild, less astringent taste. By removing the astringency, the flavor of chocolate is able to shine through more, creating the illusion that it tastes more chocolatey! Definitely what we want for a chocolate cake recipe!
Be warned, however, that regular cocoa powder and dutch-processed cocoa powder cannot always be used interchangeably. Recipes that include baking soda need an acid to activate the baking soda to induce rising. In many recipes this ingredient is cocoa powder (pH=5.3). Therefore, using Dutch processed cocoa powder, which has a neutral pH, wouldn’t activate the baking soda, and another acidic ingredient would be required. For example, in this Chocolate Cupcakes recipe, that other acidic ingredient is sour cream (pH=4.5).
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Filled Cupcakes with Cherry Rosewater Frosting
Ingredients
Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 ½ cups (300g) All Purpose Flour,, † measured correctly
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 3/4 cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, (regular cocoa can be used too)
- 3/4 cup Hot Freshly Brewed Coffee
- 1 ½ cup Cherry Jam,, for filling
Cherry Rosewater Buttercream
- 2 cups Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 7 cups Confectioners Sugar,, sifted
- 3/4 cup Cherry Jam
- 1 ½ tsp Rosewater
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 cupcake pans (24 total cupcakes) with cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, add eggs, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth and well combined.
- In a small mixing bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add the hot coffee and cocoa powder. Whisk together until well-combined and smooth. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then add the cocoa mixture into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream, etc.), then mix until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling 2/3 full, and bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Once cooled, using a cupcake corer or paring knife, cut out an approximately 1 inch deep piece from the top of each cupcake, and fill each with 1 tbsp cherry jam.
Cherry Rosewater Buttercream Frosting
- Add butter to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until butter is doubled in volume, and looks light and fluffy.
- Turn the stand mixer to low and slowly add the confectioners sugar. Beat until completely incorporated, then add in the cherry jam, rosewater, and salt. Beat until well-combined and fully incorporated.
Just made these- they are heavenly, I love how they are simultaneously light and rich. Thank you for this great recipe!
I left out the rosewater for my first half of cupcakes, worried my family might not like the floral flavor. I regret that, once I tried it with it added it gave a nice depth to the cherry flavor. Next time I will add it all!