Place the cherries with the sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium skillet and bring to medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a spatula, for 8 minutes until the cherries fall apart a little.
Add the vanilla extract with the lemon juice, stir and cook for 2 more minutes until the consistency is thick. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the sauce to cool down completely before using.
For the chocolate cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 356º F (180° C). Place cupcake liners in a 12 cupcake pan. Also, in a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the instant coffee to the boiling water and stir with a spoon to dissolve. Set aside until needed.
Separately, in a large bowl add the melted butter with the two types of sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and milk. Beat with a hand whisk or electric mixer for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the flour mixture in two additions, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to get a smooth mixture. Finally, add the boiling coffee and beat just until it is completely integrated into the mixture.
Carefully pour the mixture into the 12 muffin cups, filling each one 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes at 356º F (180° C) for approximately 18-20 minutes or until they are lightly browned and a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Take the cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool down completely before decorating.
For the frosting:
In a large bowl, place the very cold whipping cream along with the powdered sugar, powdered milk and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form. It is important to beat only up to this point and not too much because otherwise the cream may start to curd.
Once ready, place the whipped cream in a piping bag or ziploc bag with a round or star-shaped piping tip and set aside in the refrigerator until needed.
To decorate the cupcakes:
Using a small knife or cupcake corer, carefully remove the center of the cupcakes and set aside. Fill each cupcake with 2 teaspoons of the cherry sauce and then place the removed piece on top again.
Decorate each cupcake with the whipped cream using the piping bag. To decorate the cupcakes, grate some semisweet chocolate on top of the whipped cream and then top with a fresh cherry.