This Black Forest muffins are inspired by the classic German Black Forest cake. They have a moist chocolate base studded with chocolate chips and have a center stuffed with cherry filling! A dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream on top pulls all the flavors, making these a perfect breakfast treat.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Double chocolate muffins- These muffins are flavored with cocoa powder and a little espresso powder to make the chocolate flavor deeper. They have melty pockets of chocolate chips in every bite too!
- Black Forest flavor in a portable form- These muffins are stuffed with cherry filling and have a cloud of whipped cream on top, just like a traditional Black Forest cake!
- Super tall, domed muffin tops- This recipe uses a few tricks to get those tall, bakery-style muffin tops we all know and love. Baking only 6 muffins at a time in every other well allows the hot air to circulate evenly and push the batter up. Baking at 425ยฐF for 5 minutes also gives the muffins a head start rising, and finishing the bake at 350ยฐF ensures that the muffin tops rise high and don't burn.
For more Black Forest-inspired desserts, try this black forest ice cream, chocolate cherry tart, and chocolate cherry bundt cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Granulated sugar sweetens the muffins and helps keep them soft. Whisking it with the oil helps dissolve the sugar and creates a smooth base for the batter.
- Vegetable oil keeps the muffins extra moist and tender. Oil-based muffins stay softer longer than butter-based muffins. Use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola.
- Regular unsweetened cocoa powder does the trick here, but Dutch-processed cocoa powder will yield an even richer chocolate flavor. Whisking it with the flour helps break up any clumps before it goes in the batter.
- Make sure to use instant espresso powder. Regular ground espresso will be too gritty.
- For the whipped cream topping, it's important to use heavy whipping cream. Half and half (and other low-fat options) won't hold their shape when whipped.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Black Forest Muffins
Step 1: Start by whisking the sugar and oil together in a large bowl.
Step 2: Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Then mix in sour cream and whole milk until well combined.
Make sure your eggs, sour cream, and milk are room temperature! They will blend together much more smoothly, creating muffins that bake up evenly. Pull them out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours before you start baking.
No sour cream? You can use Plain Greek yogurt instead!
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt together.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until a few dry streaks remain, then fold in the chocolate chips until just combined. I used a combination of dark chocolate chips and chopped milk chocolate.
Use a kitchen scale for baking! I test all my recipes in grams, so using a scale will yield the most accurate results. Plus, it's easy to overmeasure flour by packing too much in your measuring cup, which will make the muffins dry.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 425ยฐF. Then line every other well of a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and fill them ยพ full with batter.
Step 6: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and continue baking for 10-13 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely before filling.
Rest the batter while the oven preheats. This gives the baking powder a head start activating, giving your muffins those domed, bakery-style tops.
Step 7: Fill each muffin with cherry filling. You can use canned cherry filling or make your own cherry cake filling at home (pro tip- add a splash of Kirsch for a more authentic black forest flavor).
I used a piping bag fitted with a round metal piping tip, but you can also cut out the center with a butter knife or cupcake corer and spoon the filling in.
Step 8: Make the whipped cream by beating heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean paste together until stiff peaks form. Then dollop about a tablespoon of cream on top of each muffin and garnish with chocolate shavings and a cherry.
I made the chocolate shavings by holding a bar of chocolate on a cutting board and scraping the edge of a sharp knife across it. The pressure creates thin curls that are perfect for sprinkling!
Storage
Store the filled Black Forest muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Because they're topped with whipped cream and have cherry filling, they need to be kept refrigerated.
For the best texture, you can also store the muffins and toppings separately. Keep the unfilled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, then fill and garnish them with the cherry filling, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and cherries just before serving.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Black Forest Muffins with Cherry Filling
Equipment
- 1 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners
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Ingredients
Muffins
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 112 grams vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 226 grams sour cream room temperature
- 80 grams whole milk room temperature
- 200 grams all purpose flour
- 40 grams cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 170 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 226 grams cherry filling homemade or store-bought
Whipped Cream
- 240 grams heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
Muffins
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and vegetable oil until smooth and well combined.200 grams granulated sugar, 112 grams vegetable oil
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in the sour cream and milk until fully incorporated and no streaks remain.226 grams sour cream, 80 grams whole milk
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. This helps evenly distribute the leavening and breaks up any cocoa powder lumps.200 grams all purpose flour, 40 grams cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ยฝ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula until a few dry streaks remain.
- Add the chocolate chips and continue folding just until the batter is fully combined. Be careful not to overmix, which can make the muffins dense.170 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 425ยฐF. Line every other well of a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners so the muffins have space to rise taller. Fill each liner about ยพ full with batter.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF, then reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF and continue baking for 10-13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
- Once the muffins are completely cool, fill them with cherry filling. Insert the tip of a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip into the center of each muffin and pipe the filling inside.226 grams cherry filling
Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.240 grams heavy cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pipe about a tablespoon of whipped cream onto the top of each muffin. Garnish with chocolate shavings and a cherry before serving.
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