These gluten free Black Forest Cupcakes bring together the taste of chocolate, cherries and whipping cream. According to German law this specialty must contain kirsch, a clear brandy traditionally made from a specific dark-coloured sour cherry from the Black Forest.

A fork digging into a gluten free Black Forest Cupcake with the cherry pie filling oozing out onto the plate.

This flavour combination has stood the test of time because it's magical. Fortunately, in your kitchen you make the rules. If there is no kirsch in the cupboard you can still make these cupcakes.

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Black Forest Cupcakes made with cooked quinoa is naturally gluten free.

Sponge Cake vs Quinoa Chocolate Cake

A traditional sponge cake is made with eggs, sugar and flour. Gluten free bakers need a repertoire of reliable cakes that they love and for me that quinoa chocolate cake is the substitute. It is made with eggs, sugar and cooked quinoa (instead of flour) and most importantly, this recipe is delicious and turns out every time. It is light like a sponge cake and can be transformed into many beautiful desserts.

A tray of Black Forest Cupcakes topped with maraschino cherries — Black Forest Cupcakes in paper liners -photo credit Jim Little

The two versions of this cake recipe that I have posted on my website are:

Homemade vs Store Bought Cherry Pie Filling

One can make just about anything at home but that doesn’t mean you need to do it every time. Pie filling is both easy to make and easy to buy, with many gluten free brands available.

But, if someone happens to give you sour cherries from their cherry tree you might want to make homemade cherry pie filling. That's what I did with a gift of two pounds of sour cherries at the end of the summer. Not only were they home grown they were delivered to my door from half way across the city. That gift was actually the inspiration for these Black Forest Cupcakes. Thank you Barb!

Get The Tools

Every kitchen needs some tools. You don’t really need anything special to make cupcakes but there are always tools that make each jobs easier. Here’s what I used.

Ideally a food processor will give you the smooth texture you need for this cake but if you don’t have one an immersion blender or Magic Bullet would work
I prefer a regular sized muffin tin for dainty cupcakes
I keep trying my silicone muffin liners when I bake everyday muffins but for cupcakes I use paper liners.
A little cupcake corer easily removes the center of each cupcake and makes a generous space for filling compared to removing the center with a knife.
I used a kitchen rasp with large holes to make chocolate shavings. The brand Microplane names their kitchen rasps as fine, coarse, extra coarse, large shaver and ribbon. Any boxed grater will do the job.
Reusable icing bags or disposable with a variety of tip sizes are great, even for occasional bakers, to make beautiful desserts.

Let me know in the comments below if you tried Black Forest Cupcakes and how they turned out. If you take a picture I'd love to see it.

Same Recipe, Different Presentation

Kirsch, the liqueur used in Black Forest Cake, is also used in a traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue. I often have a tiny bottle in the back of my liquor cupboard so might make these two recipes around the same time.

This is the same chocolate cake made as a whole cake.