Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Happy Birthday Blog! I can hardly believe it but my little blog officially celebrated its first birthday this week. When I started this project last March I had a few goals in mind. Among them, 1) create a space to tell stories and document some of my family’s history, 2) share delicious recipes supplemented by, 3) the best photography I could muster, and; 4) make it in the blog world at least one year.

Though I still consider goals 1-3 constantly in progress, I am so happy to check number 4 off of the list! It’s been challenging to say the least as this year has been full of ups and downs, demands on my time that pulled me out of the kitchen, and chock full of many days when I just didn’t feel like baking, icing or kneading. But in the end I’m most happy that despite the setbacks and crises of willpower, I’m still having a blast showing up here every week. And as long as it’s fun, I see no good reason to stop. So here’s to turning one, looking forward to two, and more great recipes to come!

A cupcake recipe this week seemed fitting for a birthday celebration on the blog. However, in reality these were made for my best friend’s bridal shower this past weekend. Apologies for the lack of cupcake photos but in the chaos of hosting a shower, detailed shots of raspberry filling tend to fall by the wayside.

Instead, I hope you enjoy some other fantastic photos, courtesy of Ash, of the event as a whole. As usual, she mastered the savory side of things, I focused on decor and cupcakes and my oh-so-talented friend Kate put together the fabulous flowers. If anyone in the Richmond, VA area needs flowers for their next event – I’ve got your girl!

I used Martha Stewart’s One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with a few modifications. I reduced the cocoa and added in 1 Tb of instant coffee as coffee always makes chocolate cake taste more like chocolate. The raspberry filling recipe is pretty basic, though mine turned out a little thin and was difficult to pipe – so make sure you thicken your version sufficiently with the cornstarch. The chocolate icing recipe is a basic, fake buttercream that I whipped up on the spot, tinkering with the ingredients just until it tasted good.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 12-15 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tb instant coffee powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup warm water

3 Tbs canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the raspberry filling

1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

1-2 Tb cornstarch

For the chocolate icing

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup milk (aprx)

6-8 cups powdered sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, sift together cocoa, instant coffee, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, oil, water and vanilla. Stir gently to combine completely. Pour batter into lined muffin pan, filling cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or just until the tops spring back when touched. Cool 5-10 minutes in the pan and transfer to a wire rack.

2. In a blender, puree the thawed raspberries and strain through a fine wire strainer to remove the seeds. Transfer to a small saucepan, add the sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil over medium low heat. Cook until mixture thickens – you want it thick enough to pipe into the cupcake centers. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

3. In the bowl of a mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, beat the two sticks of butter until soft and smooth. Add half the milk, 4 cups of the powdered sugar, the cocoa and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add more sugar and/or more milk until you reach the taste and consistency desired.

4. Fill a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip with the cooled raspberry filling. Gently insert the piping tip into the cupcake and squeeze out a small amount of filling. Continue with remaining cupcakes and clean any filling that may have oozed out the top with a butter knife or offset spatula.

5. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with chocolate icing. Decorate to your liking. I used sugar flowers I picked up from a local cake supply store. They can also be purchased online at various cake supply websites.

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