From Denny: I like this chef's style! She loves the classics and she loves tinkering with the classics to update and experiment with new exciting flavors that are sure to be crowd pleasers. Cat Cora sure grabbed my attention with her chocolate recipes. The combination of cream cheese and chocolate is a classic people love. Another classic like Black Forest Cake is the combination of cherries with chocolate. Cat took both and paired them into one delicious chocolate bomb to explode all over our taste buds! :)
When you place the chocolate cake batter in the cupcake tin, you place only one third of the batter, add only one half teaspoon of the cream cheese filling on top of that, place one sour cherry on top of the filling and then cover with the chocolate cake batter and bake. Nothing could be simpler yet so elegant with that unexpected surprise as you bite into the confection.
This simple yet elegant cupcake would be divine for a birthday celebration or special day like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. OK, I'd make it any time being the shameless chocoholic that I am. :) I love how pretty it is and yet so simple and bursting with flavor. Check it out and see what you think. Provided also is a link to her book at Amazon which is now discounted too. This is not a dessert cookbook but rather has a wide range of recipes to enjoy.
Chef Cat Cora's cookbook - Classics with a Twist: Fresh Takes on Favorite Dishes
Sour Cherry–filled Cupcakes
Makes: 12 cupcakes
From Cat: The cream cheese–cherry filling pairs perfectly with the chocolate cake. You can use the small amount of leftover filling to make a little white-icing decoration on top of each cupcake.
Ingredients
Chocolate cupcakes
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk, well shaken
Cream cheese filling
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 canned sour cherries, drained
Chocolate–sour cream frosting
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, beating well. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.
4. Turn the mixer speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
To make the filling:
With a wooden spoon, beat together the cream cheese and the sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and stir until incorporated.
To bake the cupcakes:
1. Pour the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup about one-third full. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the filling in the center of the batter and top with 1 sour cherry. (You will have about 1/4 cup of the cream cheese filling left.)
2. Spoon the remaining batter into each cup, filling the muffin cups no more than two-thirds full. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops of the cupcakes are springy to the touch.
3. Let the cupcakes cool while you make the frosting.
To make the frosting:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, microwaving for 10 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir, then return to the microwave for another 10 seconds. Continue microwaving and stirring until the chocolate is smooth. (If you don’t have a microwave, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a skillet of simmering water.) Stir in the sour cream.
Spread the frosting evenly on each cupcake. If you want to decorate the cupcakes, spoon the remaining 1/4 cup cream cheese filling into a ziplock bag with a small corner snipped off or into a pastry bag fitted with a narrow pointed tip. Pipe a curlicue or 2 thin white lines down the center of the top of each cupcake. Serve.
Chef Cat Cora's cookbook - Classics with a Twist: Fresh Takes on Favorite Dishes
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