Light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes stuffed with cherry jam and topped with a white chocolate buttercream.
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white chocolate cherry cupcakes
These white chocolate cherry cupcakes are absolutely filled with flavor and are super delicious. They start out with a super light and fluffy vanilla cupcake, get filled with a homemade cherry jam (though you could use store-bought to make these even easier), and are topped off with a white chocolate buttercream.
The inspiration behind these comes from black forest cake, but turning it into white forest cupcakes. These don’t quite meet the standards to be called white forest cupcakes because they don’t use Kirsch – but you could certainly add Kirsch into the jam or soak the cupcakes in them to make these a true white forest cupcake.
why you’ll love these white chocolate cherry cupcakes:
- They’re filled with flavor: I mean – they’ve got a ton of cherries packed into them and the white chocolate buttercream is *delicious*
- They’re small batch: like a lot of recipes you’ll see on my blog, these are small batch – yielding 6 delicious cupcakes
- They’re *super* moist and fluffy: the reverse creaming method and sour cream make these cupcakes super soft and fluffy.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cupcake batter:
It is super important to not over-mix the cupcake batter or you will end up with tough and chewy cupcakes. Using the reverse creaming method makes it more difficult to over-mix the batter, but it’s still good to be aware of how much you are mixing it. Only mix just until all of the ingredients are cohesive.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cupcakes while they bake:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 15 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for white chocolate cherry cupcakes:
Vanilla cupcakes:
- All purpose flour: gives the cupcakes their structure.
- Baking powder: for helping the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding that nice buttery flavor to them. You can substitute salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cupcakes. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
- Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
- Sour cream & whole milk: for moisture and for tenderizing the cupcakes.
Cherry jam:
- Cherries: the star of the show! I recommend using fresh, but in a pinch you can use frozen as well.
- Granulated sugar: we’ll use a little bit of sugar to sweeten up the jam.
- Corn starch & water: to thicken up the jam.
- Lemon juice: for a bit of acidity – fresh or bottled will work.
White chocolate buttercream:
- White chocolate: I highly recommend using a white chocolate baking bar for the best flavor, but chocolate chips will work too.
- Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream. Feel free to use salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt if using!
- Salt: helps balance and bring out the sweetness of the buttercream
- Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream. If you are looking for more of a melt-in-your-mouth texture, use organic powdered sugar!
how to make white chocolate cherry cupcakes
Here are a few images of the process of making these cupcakes. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post.
- Beat together the butter and dry ingredients.
- Then beat in the wet ingredients.
- Bake the cupcakes.
- Fill them with jam, top them with white chocolate buttercream & enjoy!
white chocolate cherry cupcakes recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – just double all the ingredients and distribute the batter between 12 cupcake liners. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely – I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. I’d recommend waiting to make the buttercream until you want to pipe it on to the cupcakes, to avoid needing to re-whip it.
how to store cupcakes
Like most baked goods, these cupcakes will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They’ll keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but will still be good for about 5 days after baking.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
White Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 41 g unsalted butter cubed, room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- 32 g vegetable oil (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 45 g sour cream room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- 55 g whole milk room temperature (¼ c.)
Cherry Jam
- 160 g dark sweet cherries washed and pitted (1 c.)
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp. corn starch
- 1 tbsp. water
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 113 g white chocolate (⅔ c.)
- 140 g unsalted butter room temperature (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 160 g powdered sugar (1 ⅓ c.)
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with 6 parchment liners.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and butter. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg white, vanilla, sour cream and milk. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the six liners. Bake for 15-20 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Cherry Jam
- Rinse the cherries and pit them.
- Add the cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir and mash down the cherries ocasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water.
- While constantly whisking the cherries, pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan. Continue to constantly whisk until the mixture thickens (~1 minute.)
- Remove the cherry jam from the heat and place it in the fridge to cool down before filling the cupcakes.
White Chocolate Buttercream
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the white chocolate and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter and salt for one minute.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined, then add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Beat in the melted white chocolate.
Cupcake Assembly
- Push down in the center of the cupcakes to make a divot for the cherry jam, or use a large round piping tip to scoop out the center of the cupcakes.
- Fill the inside of each cupcake with some of the cherry jam.
- Transfer the white chocolate buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice, and generously frost each cupcake.
- Top each cupcake with extra cherries. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
I made these for my family and we loved them. i’m not a fan of cupcakes because i’ve only ever had store bought but these cupcakes have made me love cupcakes they were soo good!!
Thank you so much Melanie, I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed them! 🙂