Dark Chocolate Cupcakes With Cherry Buttercream Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• Stir flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Dig a well in the center and pour in buttermilk, eggs, butter, oil, and almond extract. Begin stirring, then use an electric mixer to make to a smooth, thick batter. Pour in cherry pie filling and stir until distributed.
• Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Try to distribute cherries evenly.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 23 to 27 minutes. Let cool completely.

Steps:

• Bring cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to a simmer in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove 2 tablespoons of cherry juice from the pot and place in a small bowl. Stir in cornstarch until thoroughly combined. Add cornstarch mixture to the pot and simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes more.
• Remove compote from heat and cool completely. Measure out 1 cup for the cupcake batter. Reserve remaining compote, about 6 tablespoons, for the frosting.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line or grease two standard 12-cup muffin tins.
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat brown sugar, butter, and white sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour in 1/2 of the sour cream and cooled coffee; mix until just combined.
• Continue alternating additions of the flour mixture with sour cream and coffee, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, until batter is smooth. Do not overmix. Gently fold in 1 cup cherry compote. Fill each prepared muffin cup 2/3 full of batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the cupcakes spring back lightly when touched, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the tins for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Prepare cherry buttercream while the cupcakes are cooling. Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of cherry compote and beat on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined. Repeat twice more with remaining cherry compote, beating well after each addition. Add heavy cream and beat until frosting is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Spread or pipe frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Line 24 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners.
• In a medium saucepan, combine butter, chopped chocolate, and cocoa powder.
• Cook over med-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth; cool for 15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs at high speed with a mixer until thick and pale.
• In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Gradually add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
• Stir in butter-chocolate mixture.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make buttercream--in the top of a double boiler, whisk sugar and egg whites until combined.
• Cook over simmering water until mixture reaches 140° on a candy thermometer; do not stir.
• Immediately pour mixture into the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer.
• Beat at high speed for 10 minutes; decrease speed to med-low.
• With mixer running, add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating just until combined after each addition.
• Add cherry-flavored syrup, beating until combined.
• Keep buttercream at room temperature until ready to frost cupcakes.
• Pipe or spread Cherry Buttercream over cupcakes.
• Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 5 days.