Chocolate Cherry Cream Cupcakes

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The “Lazy Days of Summer” have yet to show up at our house.  Last weekend I helped with a baby shower and made Chocolate Cherry Cream Cupcakes.  It’s been a bit since I baked up a batch, they are so good I wanted to share the recipe again.

Chocolate Cherry Cream Cupcakes require a little extra preparation because the centers are triple filled with chocolate ganache, cherry cream and topped with cherry pie filling.  They would be perfect for Valentine’s Day or anytime you want to make someone feel extra special.

Chocolate Cherry Cream Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 small box instant chocolate pudding
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 C milk
• 3/4 C vegetable oil

Ganache filling

• 4 oz semisweet baking chocolate
• 1/3 C heavy cream
• 1 T light corn syrup

Cherry Cream filling

• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 2 T maraschino cherry syrup
• Regular sized can of cherry pie filling
• Extra powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan.

Combine chocolate cake mix, instant chocolate pudding, milk, oil, eggs until well combined.  Distribute into pan, filling 2/3 full.  There is enough for 24 cupcakes.

Bake until toothpick in center comes out clean, approximately 18 minutes.  I do 9 minutes on the lower rack and 9 minutes on the upper one.

Cool cupcakes completely.  (I mean completely, 100% overnight or in the fridge.  Otherwise you’ll melt the fillings).

To make ganache, coarsely chop semisweet baking chocolate.  Set aside.

Put heavy cream and corn syrup in microwave safe bowl.  Zap for 30 seconds.  Stir.  Give it about 30 more seconds.  Cream should be hot but not boiling.

Add chopped chocolate, stir until well combined.  Transfer into Ziploc quart sized freezer bag.  Leave on counter to cool.

To make cherry cream filling, use hand mixer to combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and maraschino cherry syrup.  No syrup?  No problem.  Use about 2 t of the thick gel from the cherry pie filling.

Whip until stiff peaks form.  Transfer into Ziploc quart sized freezer bag.

To assemble cupcakes, dust with extra powdered sugar.  Punch out centers.  Use a cupcake punch or a sharp paring knife to create a hole.

Pipe ganache into center of each cupcake.  I estimated about 1 t per cupcake.

Pipe cherry cream layer on top of ganache.  I estimated about 2 t per cupcake.

Use a spoon to scoop out 3 cherries from can of cherry pie filling.  Carefully set on top of cherry cream in cupcake.  Continue until all cupcakes are filled.  There are enough cherries in a regular sized can for the entire recipe.

Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.  This helps the layers to set.

Recipe adapted from “Cherry Cordial Cupcakes” by Erin at lemonsugar.com