Almond Flour Black Forest Cupcakes

These gluten-free Almond Flour Black Forest Cupcakes are made with almond flour chocolate cupcakes, homemade cherry filling and a stable whipped cream frosting!

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings cupcakes

Calories 363kcal

Author Leanne Combden

Ingredients

For the cherry filling:

1 ½ cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and chopped into pieces
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract

For the cupcakes:

2 cups fine blanched almond flour
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs room temperature
½ cup brown sugar, loosely packed
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the whipped cream frosting:

6 tablespoons full fat cream cheese cold and cubed
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
¾ cup heavy whipping cream cold
¼ chocolate shavings for topping
12 fresh cherries for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the cherry filling:

Add the cherry filling ingredients to a small saucepan and stir to combine.
Heat over medium heat until the cherry mixture thickens, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. Set aside to cool.

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325F and line a 12-cavity cupcake pan with parchment liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer set to medium-high speed to beat together the eggs and brown sugar for 30 seconds until the mixture is frothy with bubbles on top.
Add the oil, maple syrup and vanilla and beat for another 15 seconds until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Don't overmix.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion the mixture out into the cupcake liners, filling each ¾ full. Don't overfill.
Gently tap the bottom of the pan off a hard surface to help remove any air bubbles.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to fully.
Cut a circle into the top of each cupcake, about 1-inch deep. (You can use a knife, a cupcake corer or a piping tip).
Spoon or pipe some of the cherry filling into each of the cupcakes. (You'll use about half of the filling).

Make the whipped cream frosting:

Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip together the cold, cubed cream cheese and almond extract and then beat in the powdered sugar. The mixture will resemble runny cream cheese frosting.
On low speed, gradually add in the cold whipping cream until it's mixed into the cream cheese mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form.
Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, leaving a center in the middle and then spoon or pipe in the remainder of the cherry filling.
Top with chocolate shavings and a fresh cherry.

Notes

Chop up cherries. I usually keep cherries whole or cut them in half for recipes. But, since we're adding the cherry filling to cupcakes, I like to chop up the cherries. They also cook a little faster this way.
Let the cherry filling cool. You don't want to add warm filling to the cupcakes as it will cause the whipped cream topping to wilt or melt.
Piping bag. For me, it's easier and less messy to pipe the cherry filling into the cupcakes instead of spooning it in. You can definitely use a spoon if you prefer.
Gradually add the heavy cream. When making the frosting, gradually adding the heavy cream to the cream cheese mixture will ensure they blend together smoothly before you start whipping the frosting into stiff peaks.
Don't over whip the frosting. Heavy cream can thicken and curdle quickly, so keep an eye on the frosting in the mixer. Once it hits stiff peaks, the frosting is ready.
Chocolate shavings. You can buy chocolate shavings or curls, but I just use a vegetable peeler and shave some chocolate off a dark chocolate bar.

Nutrition