Gluten free Black Forest cupcakes

I hadn't made cupcakes in ages and wanted to try something new for Christmas so I decided to use Black Forest Gateaux as my inspiration. Instead of the traditional layers of chocolate cake, cherry liqueur sauce and whipped cream I made chocolate cakes with a cherry liqueur sauce filling topped with whipped cream.

Gluten free Black Forest cupcakes (makes 24 cupcake size cakes)

Ingredients

• 125g butter, softened
• 100g Hotel Chocolat dark chocolate buttons
• 160 ml (2/3 cup) semi-skimmed milk
• 2 eggs
• 175g caster sugar
• 200g gluten free self-raising flour, sieved
• 2 tablespoons Hotel Chocolat organic cocoa powder, sieved
• 125g/4½oz butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F)
2. Line muffin tray with paper cases
3. Place chocolate and milk in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth
4. Beat butter, eggs, and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour
5. Stir in flour, cocoa, and warm chocolate mix until mixed thoroughly
6. Divide mixture among cases
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes
8. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool

To Fill & Decorate (24 cupcake size cakes)

What you will need

• 200g black cherries, pitted and pureed
• 60 caster sugar
• ½ tsp cornflour mixed with a little water to make a smooth paste
• 2 tbsp cherry liqueur
• 300ml/10fl oz double cream
• Pink food colouring
• Fondant snowflakes

Instructions

1. Place cherries, sugar, cherry liqueur and cornflour mixture in a small saucepan and, over a medium heat, stir until just boiling
2. Remove from heat and stir until mixture thickens, leave to cool
3. Using a cupcake corer, remove centre of cooled cakes
4. Spoon cooled cherry mixture into the hollow of the cakes
5. Whisk cream and pink food colouring until you have soft peaks in an even colour
6. Fill piping bag fitted with a star nozzle full of pink whipped cream
7. On top of the cakes, starting at outside edge, pipe a swirl of pink whipped cream
8. I decorated the top of mine with sprinkled sugar snowflakes and some with a fondant snowflake

Here they are on my Winter Wonderland dessert table:



Have a sweet day!