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Decadent double-chocolate, cherry-stuffed cupcakes feature a luscious and silky chocolate buttercream frosting swirled on tender, fluffy cupcakes that are filled with a juicy and syrupy sweet cherry pie center. It’s indulgent, gorgeous and an absolutely must-bake!

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes Recipe

I love this cupcake recipe because it doesn’t pretend to be polite.

It’s over-the-top, messy and generous.

You bite through the frosting first, thick and chocolatey, coating your mouth and ensuring that you notice it in all its richness and glory. Then the tender, chocolate cake gives way, soft and rich, with a subtle tang from buttermilk rounding out the chocolate crumb, and right when you think you’ve got this cupcake figured out, you hit the cherry pie center.

Sweet, sticky, a little sharp. It cuts through the chocolate and wakes everything up, making you want to go back for another bite before you’ve finished the first.

Cherry isn’t just a decoration or last-minute addition here; it is central to the flavor and experience of these cupcakes. If you want a double chocolate cupcake, that’s fine and you can use the recipe below omitting the cherry pie filling to achieve that… but if you want a show-stopping dessert that makes a big impression despite being incredibly easy and (relatively) quick to make, these cherry-filled chocolate cupcakes are ready to rock your world.

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes FAQs

Can I use fresh cherries instead of canned pie filling? Yes, pit them first, then toss lightly with sugar and a tiny amount of cornstarch to thicken the juice before filling. (You can also make your own cherry pie filling, if desired.)

How can I prevent the cherry juice from making the cupcake soggy? Use a thick pie filling or drain excess syrup. Adding a small cornstarch slurry or gently heating the filling will help.

How to store cherry-stuffed cupcakes: Bake and cool the cupcakes fully, fill with cherries, and store unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or refrigerate up to 3 days. (If frosted, they shouldn’t be left out at room temperature for longer than 1 day.)

Can I freeze these cupcakes? Freeze baked, cooled cupcakes without frosting or filling for up to two months. Thaw fully, then fill and frost. (Freezing the filled cupcakes will cause them to be very soggy when thawed – however, you can freeze the frosting and filling separately, if needed.)

Ingredients for Cherry-Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes

• All-Purpose Flour
• Cocoa Powder
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Vanilla Extract
• Buttermilk <– I always have this powdered buttermilk in my fridge to make instant buttermilk whenever I need it.
• Eggs, room temperature
• Boiling Water
• Can Cherry Pie Filling

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

• Butter, softened at room temperature

• Powdered Icing Sugar

• Cocoa Powder, or more as desired

• Heavy Whipping Cream, or more as desired
• Vanilla Extract
• Salt, optional

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: the real star here is the from-scratch chocolate frosting, so if you need to save time, swap a boxed chocolate cake mix for the cupcake recipe – but do not skip that frosting!

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Mixing Bowl
• Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
• Muffin Pans
• Cupcake Liners
• Silicone baking mat
• Piping Bag
• Large Star Piping Tip

How to Make Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line two muffin trays with 15 cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, oil, vanilla extract and buttermilk for 2 minutes until well combined and sugar appears dissolved.

Beat in the eggs, followed by the flour mixture.

Add the boiling water and carefully beat to combine.

Portion out the cupcake batter into the prepared liners, filling each 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Beat together the butter, powdered icing sugar and cocoa powder for 2 minutes until well combined.

Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and salt. Beat until buttercream frosting has a thick, smooth texture that holds still peaks.

Adjust the flavor or texture with additional powdered icing sugar, cocoa powder or heavy cream, as needed.

Scoop the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Set aside.

Use a cupcake corer to remove about 1 to 1 1/2″ out of the center of each cupcake. Fill with a tablespoon or so of cherry pie filling.

Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, starting in the center, working your way out to the edges and then back towards the center and up.

Scoop the excess cherry pie filling (without the cherries) into a piping bag and drizzle over the frosted cupcakes.

Garnish each cupcake with a few of the remaining cherries.

Pin this Juicy Cherry-Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Buttercream:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our cherry-stuffed chocolate cupcakes recipe:

I hope your family love this easy chocolate cherry cupcake recipe as much as mine does!

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