Black Forest Cupcakes

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pitted sweet cherries in syrup
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cherry brandy or 1/4 cup kirschwasser
• 1 tablespoon cherry brandy or 1 tablespoon kirschwasser
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• dark chocolate, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler
• fresh cherries, for topping

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. drain the cherries, reserving the cherries and syrup separately. combine the cherry syrup, chopped chocolate, sugar, butter, and the 1/4 cup brandy in a saucepan.
• 2 over low heat, stir until the chocolate has melted. pour into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the egg. sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder into a small bowl, then fold gently into the chocolate mixture.
• 3 fit 12 cups of a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with non-stick oil. pour the batter evenly into each cup. bake for 30 minutes, or until the cupcakes are firm to the touch. let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 4 mix the remaining 1 tablespoon brandy with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and stir into the whipped cream. cut a quarter-size hole into the top of each cupcake and fill with canned cherries, frost with the whipped cream and top with shaved chocolate, and a fresh cherry.