Black Forest Cupcakes

This month is my month to choose the cupcake for the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club.  How could I resist this one?  It's my favourite kind of cake, so I had to try the cupcake.  I even broke my no-treat rule and had 1/2 a cupcake tonight...and it was worth it.  As was the 1 or 2 (or 3 or 4) tastes of batter I had earlier!

Let's talk cupcake.

First, the cake...a chocolate sour cream wonder.  The batter was really thick...the kind that you just scoop up and put into the pans...not the kind that you have to pour and it makes a mess.  And remember I talked about having a few tastes...it was a very fudgey batter.  YUM!  I thought the baked cakes were light yet solid...does that make sense?  I liked them.  Very chocolatey, but not too devil's food like...which I don't have a problem with devils food, but this was a lighter chocolate taste that went well with the filling.

After baking, the cakes were sliced in two, brushed with the juice from a jar of cherries (I omitted the step of mixing it with some kind of alcohol which I don't drink...click here to see why not), and then filled with the cherries and a pastry cream.  Finally, a chocolate ganache was poured on top.  I also sprinkled it all with some "snow" as Will called it...icing sugar for the rest of us.  (Unless you are American then it's called powdered sugar).

Now let's talk about the pastry cream...I'm not a big fan of pastry cream.  However, this one was quite tasty and had a smooth and creamy texture.  My problem with pastry cream is when it is too custardy or too set...then it kind of grosses me out.  [Like, grody to the max for you 80's children -  I got James satellite radio for Christmas and we've been listening to the 80's station].   But, like I said, I enjoyed the texture of this one, but felt that although it did add to the overall deliciousness of the cupcake, something better could have been used.  I'm thinking a nice sweetened whipped cream.  Or...that yummy filling from inside a Hostess Cupcake...or...have you ever had a creme filled Krispy Kreme?  Not the custard filled, the creme (as they spell it??)....that's what I'm talking about.  That would have taken this yummy cupcake and made it FANTASTIC!!

Finally...the icing...chocolate ganache.  No need to expand.  Pure chocolately delight.  BUT...to be completely honest, I forgot to buy cream...so I just heated up some hot fudge sauce and spooned it on top. 

Final verdict...tastes like mini Black Forest cake...so, if you love BFC, you'll like these.


I hope everyone else bakes my treat too!!