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Mocha Cherry 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
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 20 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.