Mocha Cherry Cupcakes

 

What's not to love, deep rich chocolate with hints of coffee and plump cherries enhance this super moist cupcake. I chose not to icing them as I found the cupcake itself was sweet enough for my liking, regardless you may icing or decorate these however you wish. And the lack of icing doesn't make them less enjoyable it just focuses more on the voluptuous cakey bit rather than the sweet icing bit.    

Mocha Cherry Cupcakes

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3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh cherries, pitted or frozen pitted cherries or canned pitted cherries, drained, for decorating

icing sugar, for decorating

grated dark chocolate, for decorating

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake papers or silicone baking cups.

In a medium combine and whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, add the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, olive oil, milk and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. 

Add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Place two cherries on top, they may sink into the cupcake, not to worry. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. There may be a bit of extra batter just repeat baking in lined muffin cups until all the batter is used up.

Once cupcakes are cool. Sprinkle with icing sugar and grated dark chocolate, and gently pierce the top with a piece of dark chocolate. We seemed to have an abundance of Terry's Chocolate Orange Dark in our house so I used those, gently inserting the thin side down of the wedge into the top of the cupcake.