Black Forest Cupcakes for a Crowd

JELL-O


When you're short on time and need a no-fuss dessert for a crowd, whip together a batch of Black Forest-inspired cupcakes and you'll be good to go! JELL-O Black Cherry flavor gelatin is a versatile ingredient you can use to make a delicious, dessert-like frosting for chocolate cupcakes. Unlike a Black Forest layer cake that can take hours to prepare, these cupcakes can be made in less than 30 minutes.

Whether you're having guests over for a holiday event or just want to treat the kids to something new, use these tips to make some tasty Black Forest cupcakes for a crowd:

What you'll need:

1 package two-layer chocolate cake mix

24 cupcake liners

½ cup boiling water

1 package (3 oz.) JELL-O Black Cherry Flavor Gelatin

1 ½ cups COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

24 maraschino cherries with stems, drained

To make the dessert:

Prepare two 12-cup muffin pans by placing a liner in each cavity. I like to spray liners with a spritz of cooking spray so the cupcakes are easier to pull out of each liner. Make the cake batter according to the directions and then fill each liner 2/3 full with batter. Bake as directed on the box. Leave the cupcakes to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare your frosting. Mix the JELL-O Black Cherry flavor gelatin with ½ cup boiling water in a small bowl until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Leave this in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened. Use a small wire whisk to add the COOL WHIP to the JELL-O mixture until it's well blended. It will resemble pink marshmallow fluff before it starts to look like a spreadable frosting, so keep mixing!

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, you're ready to frost them. You can either spoon some frosting right on top of each cupcake and spread it with the back of the spoon or a knife, or, create a swirled effect like I did using a pastry bag and large decorating tip. When all the cupcakes have been frosted, top each one with a maraschino cherry. Plate them up and serve them right away, or store them in the refrigerator until party time so the frosting maintains its whipped texture.

These cupcakes are so easy to make and taste just like a slice of Black Forest cake! Use the recipe above to make a crowd-pleasing dessert for any upcoming event.

Content by Sabah Karimi.