Mocha Cherry Cupcakes

If baking is your love language, you need to try these delicious Mocha Cherry Cupcakes this Valentine’s Day! Moist chocolate cupcakes infused with Camp Coffee Essence for that irresistible mocha flavour. The cupcakes have a secret black cherry purée filling and are crowned with ultra-soft cherry buttercream swirls. These cupcakes are the perfect way to treat yourself, spoil loved ones, or share a little sweetness with friends!

This recipe was created in partnership with Camp Coffee. I only ever recommend products that I personally use, love and trust!

Ingredients To Make Mocha Cherry Cupcakes

• Self-raising flour – Gives the cupcakes structure and rise. Can be swapped for 150g plain flour + 1.5 tsp baking powder.
• Cocoa powder – For that rich chocolatey flavour. 100% cocoa powder is best.
• Baking powder – Gives the cupcakes an extra lift for a fluffier texture.
• White caster sugar – Sweetness the sponge and keeps it soft and tender.
• Light brown sugar – Adds a hint of caramel sweetness and moisture to the cupcakes.
• Eggs – Binds everything together and makes the cupcakes fluffy. This recipe uses two large eggs.
• Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and depth of flavour.
• Vegetable oil – Keeps the cupcakes moist and tender.
• Buttermilk – Creates a super soft crumb.
• Boiling water – Enhances and blooms the cocoa powder for a richer flavour.
• Camp Coffee Essence – The star ingredient used to infuse the cupcakes with that gorgeous mocha flavour. Camp Coffee can be found in all main UK supermarkets, plus on Ocado and Amazon.
• Black cherry purée – Super simple to make using canned pitted cherries and cornflour.
• Cherry buttercream – A classic combination of butter, milk, icing sugar and salt. Flavoured with our homemade cherry purée for freshness and a naturally pink colour.

Let’s Start By Making The Mocha Cupcakes

We start by making my easy chocolate cupcake mixture. It uses the ‘blending’ method’ which consists of two mixtures, one with wet ingredients and one with dry ingredients. The two are then combined to create one chocolatey bowl of goodness. Then we add two secret ingredients:

• Boiling water – It will feel odd pouring boiling water into the cake mixture, but just trust me on this! The hot water ‘blooms’ the cocoa powder, drawing out the flavour and making it more intense. The mixture should have a thin consistency.
• Camp Coffee Essence –  A delicious blend of coffee and chicory, the essence is stirred into the mixture for a bold coffee lift. Chocolate + coffee = mocha heaven!

Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases, filling each one almost to the top – not halfway, not two-thirds, but almost to the top (leave roughly 1cm space)! These cupcakes are extra moist, meaning they will rise a little but not too much. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes, until beautifully risen and springy to the touch.

Cherry Purée Filling

To make the purée, you’ll only need two ingredients: one tin of pitted black cherries in light syrup and cornflour. It’s simple to make but results in a fresh, fruity, not-too-sweet cherry purée that pairs beautifully with these mocha cupcakes. To make the purée:

1. Pour the tin of cherries and syrup into a saucepan. Heat until the mixture is bubbling and the cherries are super soft (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and use a potato masher or fork to break them up, releasing their juices.
2. Strain through a sieve into a jug, so the syrup is in the jug below and the mashed cherries are in the sieve above. Pour the syrup back into the saucepan and blitz the mashed cherries in a blender or processor until puréed.
3. Tip the puréed cherries into the saucepan with the syrup and add the cornflour. Heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened. The purée should coat the back of a spoon without running off in a stream. Remember, it will also continue to thicken up as it cools down.

Once the purée and mocha cupcakes are cool, remove the middle of each using a cupcake corer, apple corer or piping nozzle. Then fill with cherry purée until level with the top. Remember to save some purée for the buttercream!

Best Ever Buttercream (new technique!)

Buttercream, but not as you know it! I recently discovered a new way of making buttercream that results in the softest, creamiest, smoothest, cloud-like texture. It’s very similar to the texture of Swiss meringue buttercream, but without eggs and all the faff! Let’s dive in:

1. First, heat milk in the microwave for 1 minute until piping hot. Then stir in icing sugar and salt until fully dissolved (no flecks or lumps!). Set the bowl aside for now.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer until super soft, whipped and almost white. This can take anywhere between 5-10 minutes.
3. Now combine the two by adding the milky sugar mixture and the cherry purée bit by bit, beating well after each until the buttercream is smooth, fluffy and combined. This way you can also control the sweetness by taste testing throughout (you don’t need to use all the milky sugar mixture if preferred). Optional: if you would like a pinker buttercream, feel free to mix in a little bit of colouring at this point.

Spoon the cherry buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, and pipe lovely tall swirls on top of your mocha cupcakes. Add the finishing touches and that’s it, enjoy your beautiful Cherry Mocha Cupcakes!

Mocha Black Cherry Cupcakes

If baking is your love language, you need to try these delicious Mocha Cherry Cupcakes this Valentine's Day! Moist chocolate cupcakes infused with Camp Coffee Essence for that irresistible mocha flavour. The cupcakes have a secret black cherry purée filling and are crowned with ultra-creamy cherry buttercream swirls. These cupcakes are the perfect way to treat yourself, spoil loved ones, or share a little sweetness with friends!

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Prep: 1 hour hour

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

For the mocha cupcakes:

• 150 grams Self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 40 grams Cocoa powder
• 100 grams White caster sugar
• 100 grams Light brown sugar
• 2 large Eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 80 millilitre Vegetable oil
• 150 millilitre Buttermilk room temperature. You can also make your own buttermilk by mixing 150ml milk with 0.5 tbsp white wine vinegar/lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes then use as per the recipe.
• 50 millilitre Boiling water
• 3 tablespoons Camp Coffee Essence

For the black cherry filling:

• 1 large can (~400-500g) Pitted black cherries in light syrup I used Cooks & Co
• 1 tablespoon Cornflour

For the cherry buttercream:

• 50 ml Milk
• 150 grams Icing sugar
• 0.5 teaspoon Salt
• 300 grams Unsalted butter room temperature
• 4-5 tbsp Cherry pureé we'll use the pureé we make for the filling

For the decoration:

• Fresh cherries whole and halved
• Dark chocolate to grate on top
• Chocolate hearts

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Start by making the mocha cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cases.
• In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together to combine.
  150 grams Self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 40 grams Cocoa powder, 100 grams White caster sugar, 100 grams Light brown sugar
• In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (apart from the boiling water and Camp Coffee Essence) together to combine.
  2 large Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 80 millilitre Vegetable oil, 150 millilitre Buttermilk
• Fold the wet into dry until smooth and combined. Now stir in the Camp Coffee Essence and boiling water.
  3 tablespoons Camp Coffee Essence, 50 millilitre Boiling water
  
• Divide between the cases, filling each one almost to the top (leave 1cm space). Tap the tin to remove any air bubbles. Double-check that the cases are still straight and haven't moved.
  
• Bake for 20-22 minutes until the cupcakes have risen and the middle of the sponge springs back when lightly pressed. Don't worry if the cupcakes have cracked on top, this is normal. Let them sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
  

Make the black cherry filling:

• Pour the can of cherries and syrup into a medium-sized saucepan. Heat over medium-high until bubbling up and the cherries have softened (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and use a potato masher or fork to break up the cherries.
  1 large can (~400-500g) Pitted black cherries in light syrup
• Strain through a sieve into a jug. Pour the clear syrup back into the saucepan. Blitz the mashed cherries in a blender until puréed.
• Add the puréed cherries and cornflour to the saucepan. Heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the purée has reduced and thickened. Leave to cool and thicken further.
  1 tablespoon Cornflour

Make the cherry buttercream:

• Microwave the milk for 1 minute until piping hot. Stir in the icing sugar and salt until fully dissolved.
  50 ml Milk, 150 grams Icing sugar, 0.5 teaspoon Salt
• In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter for about 5 minutes until soft, whipped and almost white.
  300 grams Unsalted butter
• Gradually add the milk mixture and cherry purée, beating well until the buttercream is smooth, fluffy and combined. Keep taste testing until you're happy with the sweetness. Optional: if you would like a pinker buttercream, feel free to mix in a little bit of colouring at this point.
  4-5 tbsp Cherry pureé
  
• Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

Assemble and decorate the cupcakes:

• Remove the middle of each cupcake using a piping nozzle or cupcake corer. Fill the cupcakes to the top with the cherry purée.
  
• Pipe tall swirls of buttercream on top of each cupcake.
  
• Finish with grated dark chocolate, fresh cherries, and chocolate hearts. Enjoy!
  Fresh cherries, Dark chocolate, Chocolate hearts
  

Video

Notes

Store these Mocha Black Cherry Cupcakes in a baking tin at room temperature for 1-2 days. Then keep in the fridge.