These Cherry Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes look impressive, but are incredibly easy to throw together. The vanilla cupcake is soft and moist, making it the perfect base for the sweet and tart fresh cherry buttercream. A dark chocolate ganache filling brings a bit of bitterness to the table, cutting through the sweetness. Some days, you just can’t beat chocolate and cherry.
It’s been a while since I’ve last posted a cupcake. Almost two years actually! (I think the last were these Piña Colada Cupcakes). They’re just not something that I make all that often anymore, which is crazy because I was all about cupcakes for the longest time.
These Cherry Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes (because I cannot think of creative/fun names for things–it’s a curse), are simple and delicious. The vanilla cake is based off the idea of a simple Victoria sponge. Instead of using milk, I added Greek yogurt to bring more moisture to the cake and added a bit more yogurt than I would milk. The result is an incredibly soft, tender, and moist vanilla cake. Let me just say, this surprised me in the best way.
I chose to fill these with a dark chocolate ganache because I wanted a bit of bitterness to cut through all the sweet. Using an American buttercream, it’s easy for these to veer into a territory of “too sweet.” The dark chocolate ganache cuts through all that sugar and brings a bit of balance to this cupcake. Plus, chocolate and cherries just pair so well together.
For the buttercream, if you have a cherry pitter, use it! I don’t, so I sat with a metal straw and popped the pits out of each cherry. It worked, but my hands also looked like I just walked off the set of a horror movie. That’s just to say, prepare to get messy while pitting these cherries. Since they get chopped into small pieces, you can also use a knife to slice them and pull the pits out.
The fresh cherries are sweet and somewhat tart. The buttercream perfectly complements the simple vanilla cupcake and the dark chocolate filling. Plus, the color is stunning.
| Cook Time | 20-22 minutes |
| Servings |
cupcakes
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- 383 grams unsalted butter softened
- 383 grams granulated sugar
- 6 eggs large, weighed in shells (by grams)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 250 grams all purpose flour
- 133 grams almond flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5-6 Tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
- 100 grams dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 50 mL cream
- 7 grams unsalted butter cold
- 300 grams unsalted butter softened
- 600 grams powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 grams cherries pitted, chopped small (about 25 cherries)
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Cherry Buttercream
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- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer on low and add the eggs, a little at a time, mixing until completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer (or set down your hand mixer) and sift about 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the batter making sure to circle around the bowl and then pull through the center. Gently fold in 2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt and repeat the sifting and folding process with the second 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Add in the another 2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt. Fold in the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients until just combined. Add in another 1-2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt. You should be left with a batter that drops off the spatula with a slight shake.
- Using a large ice cream scoop, fill each well of the pan about 3/4 of the way full/just below the top of the liner. You should end up with 24 cupcakes.
- Bake on the center rack for 20-22 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back slightly to the touch or a toothpick into the center comes out with just one or two crumbs. Remove from the oven and transfer the warm cupcakes to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely.
- Put the chopped pieces of chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a small pan, warm the cream until it just begins to scald/simmer. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Give the bowl a shake to evenly distribute the cream and let sit for about 1-2 minutes. Starting at the center, stir from the center out, until the chocolate is all melted and smooth. Stir in the cold butter until it melts. Set aside until the ganache firms up a bit and cools down.
- Once the cupcakes and the ganache have cooled, use an apple corer, knife, or the bottom of a piping tip to cut a hole into the center of the cupcake. You don't want to cut all the way to the bottom--go just about 2/3 of the way down. Remove the center from the cakes and save as snacking cake for later.
- Spoon the ganache into the center of the cupcake, filling it to the top.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium high for about 3-5 minutes until smooth. Turn the mixer down to low and add the powdered sugar, 150 grams at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and smooth between each addition. Mix in the salt and the vanilla. Slowly, a little at a time, add in the chopped cherries and any additional juices. Once everything is in the bowl, turn the mixer up to high and beat until you have a smooth and creamy buttercream.*
- Pipe or spread the buttercream over the filled cupcakes. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
*If the frosting is a bit too soft, place the bowl in the fridge and let cool until it firms up a bit. Just remove from the fridge and give it a good whip with the mixer using the whisk attachment.
**Sometimes, if you add the cherries too fast, it might cause the frosting to split. Add 1-2 Tbsp of shortening, mixing them in one at a time, and it should bring the buttercream back to life.
**This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. If I only need a dozen, I let of all the cupcakes cool, individually wrap them in plastic, then store them in an airtight container in the freezer. You can also freeze the ganache and frosting for another day.