Description
These Vegan Black Forest Cupcakes blend rich cocoa-flavored cupcakes with a luscious cherry filling and creamy vegan Swiss meringue buttercream. Perfectly moist and chocolatey, they are topped with grated dark chocolate for an indulgent treat that’s completely plant-based and ideal for celebrations or everyday delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- â…“ cup apple puree (or unsweetened apple sauce)
- â…“ cup olive oil (or neutral cooking oil)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup cacao powder or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cherry Filling
- 3 cups frozen cherries (or pitted fresh cherries)
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons Kirsch or Amaretto
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
Topping
- 1 batch vegan Swiss meringue buttercream
- 0.7 oz dark chocolate (grated)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F). Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cupcake liners to prepare for baking.
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: Combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle slightly, creating a vegan buttermilk substitute.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: To the vegan buttermilk, add apple puree, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Stir well and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cacao powder, soft brown sugar, baking soda, and sea salt to ensure an even distribution of dry components.
- Combine Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and whisk gently until just combined. Avoid over-mixing to maintain cupcake tenderness.
- Bake Cupcakes: Distribute the batter evenly among the liners. Bake for 22-25 minutes, testing doneness with a toothpick or knife which should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack for 30-40 minutes until fully cooled.
- Prepare Cherry Filling Paste: Whisk maple syrup, Kirsch or Amaretto, and cornflour in a bowl to create a smooth paste for thickening the cherry filling.
- Cook Cherry Filling: In a saucepan over low heat, add frozen cherries and cook until juice starts flowing, about several minutes. Stir in the cornflour paste and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to thicken. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes, then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Prepare Buttercream: While the cherries chill, prepare the vegan Swiss meringue buttercream according to your recipe or preferred method.
- Core Cupcakes: Use a cupcake corer or apple corer to remove the center of each cooled cupcake. Reserve the cut-out pieces for later use.
- Fill Cupcakes: Fill the hollowed centers with the chilled cherry filling and replace the reserved tops to seal each cupcake.
- Pipe Buttercream: Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle with the vegan buttercream and pipe generous swirls atop each cupcake. Add more cherry filling on top of the frosting.
- Finish with Chocolate: Sprinkle grated dark chocolate over each cupcake for an elegant finishing touch.
- Storage Advice: Serve cupcakes at room temperature for best texture. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days and bring to room temperature for 2-3 hours before serving to soften the buttercream.
Notes
- You can substitute apple puree with unsweetened apple sauce if preferred.
- Use neutral oil instead of olive oil to avoid any strong flavors.
- If you don’t have Kirsch or Amaretto, a splash of cherry juice or fruit brandy can be used as an alternative.
- Ensure cupcakes are fully cooled before coring to avoid crumbling.
- Vegan Swiss meringue buttercream requires aquafaba (chickpea water) for the meringue base and careful whipping for best results.
- Frozen cherries can be replaced with fresh cherries when in season, pitted before cooking.
- For a gluten-free option, substitute plain flour with a gluten-free flour blend suitable for baking.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
