These cherry cupcakes have to be the perfect celebration of all things cherry season! Soft vanilla cupcakes with a hidden cherry center, and swirled with a fluffy cherry frosting. Absolutely delicious!
This recipe for cherry cupcakes is perfect to make during the cherry season. As it is a great way to celebrate the natural flavor of fresh cherries. Also, can we have a moment for the beautiful purple color that the cherries add to the buttercream?
If you love baking with cherries, have a look at this recipe for Cherry Jam, or try out this recipe for Cherry Frosting on your favorite chocolate cake or brownie recipe.
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Ingredients
To make these cherry cupcakes, you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Sunflower oil
- White sugar
- Extra-large eggs
- Self-raising flour
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Vanilla bean paste
- Cherries
- Castor sugar
- Lemon juice
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
Sunflower oil – for this recipe I recommend using sunflower oil, but you can also use any other neutral-tasting vegetable oil.
Extra-large eggs – for this recipe I have used extra-large eggs. These eggs weigh about 56 grams out of their shell. If you don’t have extra large eggs, rather weigh the eggs you do have and then work out if more eggs need to be added. Always use room-temperature eggs when baking.
Self-raising flour – I like using self-raising flour but you can use a combination of all-purpose flour and baking powder. For this recipe use, 290 grams of flour and 2 tablespoons of baking powder sifted together.
Vanilla bean paste – for extra vanilla flavor use a good quality vanilla bean paste, if you can’t find any use vanilla extract or essence.
Cherries – choose fresh whole cherries for this recipe.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make this cupcake recipe, follow the instructions below. First, you will make the fluffy cupcakes, then the cherry frosting, and then the cherry buttercream.
Instructions for cupcakes
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and line 24 cupcake cases into two 12-hole muffin pans.
STEP 2: Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
STEP 3: Add dry ingredients. Sift together the salt, and flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
STEP 4: Add milk and vanilla. In a jug combine the milk and vanilla bean paste, and slowly pour this into the cake batter with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
STEP 5: Bake. Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake cases using a jug or cookie scoop, filling each case two-thirds of the way up. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Instructions for cherry compote
STEP 1: Chop the cherries. Cut the cherries in half and remove the pip. Roughly chop the cherries.
STEP 2: Heat castor sugar, lemon juice, and cherries. In a small heavy saucepan set over medium heat add the chopped cherries, sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt.
STEP 3: Stir. Stir occasionally with a spatula and press the fruit against the sides of the saucepan to help it break down. Use a potato masher if needed.
STEP 4: Cool the compote. Once the sugar is melted and the compote has thickened, allow the cherry compote to cool to room temperature. Reserve ½ cup for the frosting and place the remaining cherry filling into a decorating bag.
Instructions for cherry buttercream
STEP 1: Beat the butter and icing sugar. Add the unsalted butter and icing sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add the milk and vanilla. In a small jug combine the vanilla paste and milk. Slowly pour this into the icing sugar and butter mixture with the motor of the mixer running. Once all of the milk has been added beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often while mixing.
STEP 3: Add the cherry puree. Add ½ cup of the cooled puree to the buttercream frosting. Beat briefly at low speed until combined. Fill a frosting bag fitted with your chosen nozzle with the buttercream.
STEP 4: Decorate. Use an apple corer to core out the center of each cupcake, fill the center of each cupcake with the cherry compote, and then swirl the cherry buttercream on top. Decorate the cupcake with fresh cherries and enjoy!
Hint: For perfectly decorated cupcakes always frost completely cooled cupcakes.
Substitutions
If you can’t find fresh cherries, this recipe can be made with frozen cherries.
To make this recipe with tinned cherries skip the step of making the cherry compote and instead, mash the tinned cherries with a fork before adding them directly to the buttercream.
This recipe can also be made with other fresh fruits like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
Equipment
For these cupcakes, you will need x2 12-hole standard cupcake pans, 24x cupcake liners, a large star tip nozzle, a wire rack for cooling, a disposable piping bag, a piping nozzle, and an electric mixer.
I prefer using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make the buttercream as they help ensure a fluffy frosting.
Storage
Cupcakes cool quickly and dry out just as quickly so try to frost them the same day that they are baked. If you don’t have time to decorate the cupcakes the same day as baking them, store them in an airtight container or cover the cupcake trays in plastic wrap until the next day.
Once these easy cherry cupcakes are frosted keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days out of direct sunlight. If the weather is particularly hot, choose to store them in the fridge and bring them to room temperature before eating them.
To freeze these fresh cherry cupcakes, place any leftover cupcakes in a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze them for up to three months.
Top tips
For the perfect cupcake, follow the tips below
- Use an oven thermometer to test the true temperature of your oven before baking.
- Never overfill your cupcake cases.
- Only decorate cooled cupcakes.
- For fluffy frostings make sure you are using room-temperature butter.
FAQ
If you don’t have self-raising flour, use a combination of all-purpose cake flour and baking powder. For this recipe use 290 grams of flour and two tablespoons of baking powder.
This frosting is made using fresh whole cherries without any red food coloring. The cherries naturally color the frosting a deep purple color. For red cherry frosting, you will need to use glace cherries or maraschino cherries instead.
Yes, you can use the eggs you have. My eggs weigh about 56 grams out of their shell, so weigh your eggs and decide if more need to be added.
These cherry cupcakes are the perfect bake, so pretty and easy to make! If you give this recipe a try don’t forget to send me some cupcake snaps on Instagram @with_love_kitty
Let me know what you think of this recipe by leaving a star review and comment below.
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Cherry Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2x 12-hole cupcake pans
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 120 ml sunflower oil
- 3 eggs
- 250 g white sugar
- 290 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 270 ml whole milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Cherry Compote
- 300 g cherries
- 40 g superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cherry Buttercream
- 500 g powdered sugar
- 160 g unsalted butter
- 30 ml whole milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup cherry compote
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 24 cupcake cases into two 12-hole muffin pans.
- Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
- Sift together the salt, and flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
- In a jug combine the milk and vanilla bean paste, and slowly pour this into the cake batter with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
- Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake cases using a jug or cookie scoop, filling each case two-thirds of the way up. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Cherry Compote
- Cut the cherries in half and remove the pip. Roughly chop the cherries.
- In a small heavy saucepan set over medium heat add the chopped cherries, sugar, and lemon juice. Allow the fruit to soften and the sugar to melt.
- Stir occasionally with a spatula and press the fruit against the sides of the saucepan to help it break down. Use a potato masher if needed.
- Once the sugar is melted and the compote has thickened, allow the cherry compote to cool to room temperature. Reserve ½ cup for the frosting and place the remaining cherry filling into a decorating bag.
Cherry Buttercream
- Add the unsalted butter and icing sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- In a small jug combine the vanilla paste and milk. Slowly pour this into the icing sugar and butter mixture with the motor of the mixer running. Once all of the milk has been added beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often while mixing.
- Add ½ cup of the cooled puree to the buttercream frosting. Beat briefly at low speed until combined. Fill a frosting bag fitted with your chosen nozzle with the buttercream.
- Use an apple corer to core out the center of each cupcake, fill the center of each cupcake with the cherry compote, and then swirl the cherry buttercream on top. Decorate the cupcake with fresh cherries and enjoy!
Julia Mack says
I made these Fairy Cup Cakes - the recipe was faultless so light and fluffy and very easy to follow - thank you