Black Forrest Cupcakes!

My niece Kayla came to visit us for a week before she had to start college classes again. I always try to bake something with her while she's here and since her birthday was the following week she picked out these for her birthday cupcakes.

This is my lovely niece Kayla. We baked Devil's Food Cupcakes and topped them with chocolate ganache. Kayla especially likes the ganache...can you tell? 

Once the ganache sets up and cools down on the cupcakes, we topped them with homemade whipped cream mixed with a wonderful dark cherry sauce topped with a stemmed cherry. They were so darn yummy the whole batch was gone in 24 hours. So naturally we had to make another batch. Recipe to follow in a separate post. I hope you all enjoy making and eating these as much as my family did! 

Devil's Food Cupcakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Spoon the chocolate glaze over the cupcakes. NOTE: I found that spooning the glaze over the cupcakes didn't work so well for me. I actually dipped the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache, swirling them around the edges of the cupcake to cover the entire top of each cupcake. Then I held the cupcakes sideways and let the excess run/drip off. I found that this leaves a shiny, smooth ganache topped cupcake. Aesthetically it just looks better.

Rich Chocolate Glaze:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp light corn syrup

Pinch salt

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

In a small saucepan combine the cream, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and let stand for about 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature and use right away. (The cooled glaze can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; before using, soften the glaze by gently heating it in a heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, simmering water in a saucepan.)

Dark Cherry Whipped Cream:

1 1/2 cups fresh Bing cherries, pitted and cut in half, plus 12 whole unpitted cherries with stems for garnish

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp kirsch

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 tbsp confectioner's sugar

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the halved cherries, granulated sugar, and kirsch. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries soften and the juice becomes syrupy 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day.

In a bowl, combine the cream and confectioners' sugar. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the cream holds soft peaks, 2-3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cherry mixture into the whipped cream, leaving streaks of red. Top the glazed cupcakes with the cherry-whipped cream mixture, garnish each with a whole cherry and serve.

All recipes listed are from: "Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski. Luscious bakeshop favorites from your home kitchen."