Espresso Chocolate Cheery Cupcake 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:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. , Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls into paper-lined muffin cups. Place a rounded teaspoonful of pie filling in the center of each cupcake. Set remaining pie filling aside. , Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , Frost cupcakes; top each with one cherry from pie filling. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Refrigerate remaining pie filling for another use.

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter 18 oven-safe espresso cups and put them on a baking sheet.
• Put 2 tablespoons of the instant espresso powder in a large mixing bowl and stir in 1/4 cup hot water. Stir until the espresso powder is dissolved. Reserve.
• In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat until well combined.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• In the bowl that has the dissolved espresso, whisk in the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of the prepared hot fudge sauce. At low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the espresso mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared espresso cups, filling each about halfway full (about 2 tablespoons per espresso cup). Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Set the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Meanwhile, place the heavy cream in a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to whip until it holds soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Dissolve the remaining 1 tablespoon instant espresso in a small mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons hot water. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup hot fudge sauce. Spread evenly onto the cooled cupcakes, about 1 teaspoon per cupcake. Cover the top of each cupcake with whipped cream and a light dusting of cocoa powder, and garnish with a whole chocolate-covered espresso bean.

Steps:

• For the cake batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
• Sift together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, egg and 6 tablespoons water and mix until smooth and completely combined.
• Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake until cooked through and risen, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
• For the ganache: In a small saucepan, heat the cream just until it begins to boil. Put the chocolate chips in a small bowl and pour in the cream and espresso. Stir until creamy.
• For the chocolate frosting: In a medium mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup at a time, followed by the cocoa, and mix until completely smooth.
• To assemble: Cut out the center of each cupcake with a paring knife and fill with some cherries. Smooth a layer of the melted ganache over each cupcake, and frost with the chocolate frosting. Sprinkle the cupcakes with crushed espresso beans to taste. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes, adding almond extract to batter. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Just before serving, remove paper baking cups. Cut cupcake in half horizontally with serrated knife. On bottom half of cupcake, spoon 1 tablespoon cherry pie filling; top with 2 teaspoons vanilla pudding. Replace top of cupcake.
• Spoon frosting into small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 30 seconds. Stir thoroughly until very soft and smooth, microwaving 5 to 15 seconds longer if necessary. Spoon 1 tablespoon frosting over top of cupcake. Top with 1 cherry from pie filling.
• Repeat steps 2 and 3 with remaining cupcakes. Serve immediately.