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Monday, July 4, 2011

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes


A triumph.

That's the best way I can describe this cake.  Why?

Grant is typically not a huge fan of from-scratch cakes.  He nearly always prefers cakes from a mix, whether doctored up or not.  After tasting these cupcakes, he declared that not only is this his favorite cupcake ever, it is also his favorite chocolate cake, EVER.  I could hardly believe it, except I felt the same way about it.  It's so incredibly moist, tender, chocolaty, you just don't want to stop eating it. The cake recipe is actually very similar to the Raspberry Chocolate Cake I made at Christmas last year, except it has more chocolate and a bit more buttermilk.
So what makes these cupcakes even more special?  When you bite into them, you find a delightful surprise of a rich homemade raspberry filling adding a burst of flavor to every mouthful.  Add to that a fluffy raspberry buttercream frosting, and you have one of the best desserts I have ever eaten.

Notes: The recipe I followed said it yielded 24-28 cupcakes, yet I got 36 full-size cupcakes out of the batter.
The filling was enough for about 24 cupcakes.  The cupcakes without the filling were also amazing, and some of the children preferred them that way.
I had a small amount of frosting left over, which like all homemade frostings, was delicious on graham crackers! 

Recipe: (Cake and filling from Smitten Kitchen, frosting adapted from Annie's Eats)

Cupcakes
3 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
1-1/4 t. salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup oil (canola)
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 t. vanilla extract

Filling:
1 (12 oz) bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. cornstarch


Frosting: 
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
6 cups powdered sugar
1 T. raspberry liqueur (optional)

I recommend starting by making the filling.
Put the thawed berries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Press through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan to remove seeds.  (This is time-consuming, took me close to half an hour).
Add sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Once it has thickened, remove from heat.  Chill while making the cupcakes.

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; add the hot coffee and let stand a minute or two, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until slightly thickened and pale yellow.  Slowly add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, mixing until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed  just until incorporated. 
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter and jam until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and beat after each addition.  Add the raspberry liqueur if desired.  Beat on high until light and fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes, place the raspberry filling in a pastry bag.  (I used a plain round small tip).  Stick the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze to insert a couple of teaspoons of filling into each cupcake.  When you can see the top moving upwards and the filling just starting to ooze out, stop piping! 
Place the frosting in another pastry bag (I used a 2D large star tip).  Pipe frosting onto each cupcake in desired pattern. 

Cupcakes do not need to be refrigerated.

This post is linked to the Ultimate Recipe Swap: Chocolate, and Finding Joy in My Kitchen

19 comments:

  1. With such a great review I am definitely going to try this one out next time i need to whip up a batch of choccy cupcakes, they sounds utterly delicious! The addition of the raspberry must take them to another level, lovely recipe :)

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  2. Procrastobaker - I hope they turn out well for you! Thanks for stopping by!!

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  3. Delightful, Rebekah! These look wonderful, as usual. Wish you could teach me how to make amazing desserts like you do :)

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  4. Thanks, SnoWhite! :) Baking is (obviously) my favorite thing to do in the kitchen....which is a bit unfortunate when I'm trying not to gain excessive pregnancy weight!

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  5. I can't wait to try these. I was thinking raspberry and chocolate the other night and these cupcakes will perfectly satisfy that craving!

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  6. Those look pretty and delicious. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog till Monday night and I'd love it if you'd come by and link your cupcakes up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweets-for-saturday-25.html

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  7. trying to make points with my daughter-in-law who loves, Loves, LOVES cupcakes when she visits this weekend... these look like something no normal woman can resist!

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  8. Anonymous, I hope your daughter-in-law loves them! Good luck!

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  9. Thanks, Christina! I love pretty food too. I guess that's part of why I like desserts so much!

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  10. They look amazing!

    Can you tell me what brand of cocoa powder you used?

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  11. @ Anonymous,
    I just use Hershey's or Nestle Cocoa powder, whichever is cheaper! Those are the only ones available where I shop and I've never ordered any speciality cocoa powders. Just use whatever you like!

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  12. I love the chocolate/raspberry flavor combination, These sound really tasty.

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  13. Made these cupcakes for a baby shower yesterday since the mother to be's favorite flavor combo is chocolate and raspberry. They were a major hit. I was a little worried about the batter since it seemed a little soupy to me compared to other things I've made but they cooked up beautifully. Thanks.

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  14. Rebekah, just lovely. It would be great if you linked in to Food on Friday: Muffins & Cupcakes. The showcases from this Food on Friday have not yet been selected. This link will take you to my home page where you will find a sidebar with links to all the different Food on Fridays. So that I know you have linked and can be sure to pin to the board I have for each one, please do leave a short comment. Cheers

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  15. I have made this filling and frosting several times and love it. Today was the first time I tried the cake. It was amazing. I made them dark chocolate by changing the cocoa powder and I got 38 cupcakes from this recipe. This will be my go to chocolate cake from now on thanks!

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