How to Make Black Forest Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 4½ oz (125 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3½ oz (100 g) gluten-free dark chocolate, chopped
• 11 oz (300 g) morello cherry jam
• 5 oz (150 g) caster sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs, gently beaten
• a pinch of salt
• 3½ oz (100 g) white rice flour
• 2 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 tbsp potato flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
• ¾ tsp xanthan gum

• 11 fl oz (300 ml) double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 lb 1 oz (500 g) fresh cherries, 12 cherries set aside, the remainder pitted and chopped

1. For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Grease a 12-hole cupcake tin with a little softened butter.
2. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Remove from the heat, then add the chocolate, stirring until smooth.
3. Add the jam, sugar, eggs and salt, beating together until smooth. Fold in the flours, cornflour, baking powder and xanthan gum until you have a smooth batter.
4. Divide the batter between the cupcake holes. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and risen. Remove to a wire rack to cool before turning out.
5. To decorate, lightly whip the cream with the icing sugar in a mixing bowl until softly peaked. Gently fold through half of the cherries before spooning the cream into a piping bag fitted with a starshaped nozzle.
6. Slice through the cupcakes about 2 cm (¾in) from their tops, reserving the tops. Pipe some of the cherry cream on top and stud the cream with the remaining chopped cherries.
7. Sit the reserved tops on top of the cream, pressing down gently to adhere. Pipe swirls of the remaining cream on top of the cupcakes and decorate with whole cherries before serving.