Are cupcakes now passé? I can’t keep up with dessert trends, but even if they are on the “out” list, I don’t care. I love cupcakes and I always will. For me, they’re the perfect ratio of cake to frosting. I’m not a huge cake eater, but cupcakes… irresistible.

These are a fairly straightforward devil’s food cake and are a good base for any frosting or glaze. They’re also perfectly delicious without frosting, to be honest. But frosting is kind of the point of cupcakes, right?

Black Forest is chocolate cherry, so a little divot of cupcake is removed from the top in order to add in a bit of cherry preserves that’s mixed with some kirsch. I ate all the divots (baker’s reward).

The frosting isn’t my most favorite – it’s a seven minute frosting, primarily egg whites and hot sugar syrup. It sets up nice and is pretty, but I’d prefer a buttercream. In fact, I think I’d like a cherry buttercream instead.

I ran out of time for decorating, so my batch didn’t get pretty chocolate sprinkles or a cherry on top. The bulk of them went to a lunch hosted by a co-worker (I’m a cupcake pusher).

For the recipe and to see how the other Baked Sunday Mornings bakers fared, head over to Baked Sunday Mornings.

• Black Forest Cupcakes (Baked Occasions, p. 104)