Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

As much moaning and belly-aching as I've been doing about 1.) chocolate and 2.) raspberries, I decided the best course to take would be to make a dark chocolate raspberry cupcake. I've never claimed to be logical, and I don't believe anyone's ever accused me of such, either. At any rate, I figured it was like one of those songs that you can't get out of your head until you play it (although in my case it went on for years and I had no idea it was the instrumental part of the Pogue's "Fairy Tale of New York" until just fairly recently).

I'm dragging my feet about these. I don't really know why. They certainly were no more complicated than the really chocolate-y cupcakes I made earlier this week. In fact, now that I used a different tool for the raspberries, the whole process is a great deal more simple.

Oh, yes! So the cupcake, from the bottom up, is a chocolate cookie, slightly salty from the salted butter, then a very rich and dense dark chocolate cake, filled with fresh raspberry puree, then topped with a sour cream buttercream flavored with more raspberry puree and drizzled with dark chocolate ganache. Then topped off with a fresh raspberry. Nice, no? These would be nice for Valentine's Day...for other people. I seem to mess up Valentine's Day every year, but if you want these for yourself let me know and I'll be glad to whip up a batch. Promise to not let me Valentine's Day storm cloud rain on your cupcakes. ;)

Shall we get started, then?

 ~ For the cookie bottoms ~

1 1/4 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (about 2/3 of a package of chocolate wafers)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Line 24 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners.

Combine together the chocolate cookie crumbs and melted butter until the mixture is damp and crumbly but holds together when squeezed into a ball. Place about a tablespoon of the crumb mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing as evenly as possible among the 21. Press down gently with your fingers to cover the bottoms in an even layer. Sprinkle over with the chopped chocolate. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until the chocolate melts a bit. Let cool for 10 minutes before filling with the cupcake batter.

The cake - well, the cake is not a recipe of mine, but it is one seriously good chocolate cake recipe. It's moist and dense (wow, have you ever thought about how those descriptions are only ever going to sound good if they're about a cake? Like, a potential date - those would not be positives) and you don't even need a mixer! So the full recipe is here and I'm just going to copy it (mostly) for ease of use for this recipe. It's awesome, though.

~ For the chocolate cupcakes ~

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add the heavy cream, brewed coffee and vanilla extract. Heat until just barely simmering. Remove from heat and allow to cool as you prep the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs.

Slowly pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg/sour cream mixture and whisk until smooth. Do this very slowly! You don’t want to cook the eggs, so start pouring a very small amount of the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisk it in, then continue this process until its all incorporated.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In three parts, add the chocolate mixture to the flour. Whisk until just combined and smooth after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. Finally, whisk batter about 20 strokes.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Okay, y'all ready for the filling? I know I am...

~ Fresh Raspberry Filling ~

12 ounces fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Place the raspberries, lemon juice, and the sugar in a food processor. Pulse several times to chop raspberries; blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.

Place cornstarch in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the water until it is a smooth consistency.  Pour the cornstarch mixture into the raspberry mixture in the food processor and blend again until smooth. If you're using a mini processor, as I did, you're going to be cutting it close. It would probably behoove you to use the full sized machine.

If you have a food mill, use it now, using the finest setting? Blade? Something? I don't know - all I know is that you can get one of these at Target for about $25 and it is SO handy when you need something like this. Or, you can press the mixture through a sieve and get all the fruit pulp out. Your choice. 

Pour raspberry mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Let the raspberry filling cool.

To fill the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the raspberry filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling.

Now, onto the frosting. I totally made this up on the fly.

Raspberry Sour Cream Buttercream
1/4 cup raspberry puree
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
4 - 6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the puree, butter, and sour cream until well combined. Add in the salt and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, beating in at low speed to start and then increasing it to make sure it it well blended. You want a thick, spreadable frosting that will hold its shape.

Okay, you can now pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Or just spread it on with a butter knife. Wanna go even fancier?

~ Dark Chocolate Ganache ~
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, melt together the chocolate and the cream until it is smooth and combined. Now you can either put it into a recloseable sandwich bag (or I put it into a squeeze bottle because I just like having a bottle of ganache on the counter - and who wouldn't, I ask you!). If using the bag, snip one corner off and drizzle the ganache over the cupcakes. Top each one with a fresh raspberry and store in the refrigerator. There, you're done! Store these in the fridge - this makes about 24 cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Crust, Dark Chocolate Mousse, Dark Chocolate Frosting and Whipped Cream

Good grief, that's a mouthful of a title. It's a mouthful of a cupcake, too. I'm not saying it was difficult, but I will admit that it took a lo-o-o-o-o-ong time to put together. You can absolutely do this, though. I'd recommend breaking it down into two stages; maybe baking the cupcakes the first day and then filling and decorating them the second. I made these yesterday, and because they were for a dear friend who happens to be gorgeous and brilliant (Hi, Catherine!), I knew I had to taste one (not a hardship, you say? Then spend six hours with them making them and give it a try) and then take pictures before I get all the dang things out of my apartment. When all I really want is to make some spicy tomato sauce with sausage and some leftover pulled pork I have in my fridge! But I digress...

The cupcakes really are good. They are ridiculously chocolatey, which was my intention, with a nice variety of textures among the crispy cookie bottom, the moist cake, the creamy mousse, and the silky frosting. Plus the dollop of whipped cream and grated bittersweet chocolate. My mother would hate these. But then she thinks the be-all, end-all of my cupcakes are the Key Lime ones so these are completely out of her comfort zone.

I'm babbling. I think I am avoiding even talking about these. Time for me to grow up and take a deep breath and get started...did I mention I am supposed to make more cupcakes tomorrow? I know I can fit in that tomato sauce somewhere...

~ Chocolate Cookie Bottoms ~

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (about one package of chocolate cookies)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Very carefully so as not to scorch the chocolate, over low heat in a medium pot, melt together the butter and chocolate. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chocolate crumbs until all are moistened. 

Divide the crumb mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Using your clean fingers, press the mixture down into an even layer in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes (you will be able to smell them - do not let them burn). Let cool for about 10 minutes before filling with frosting.

~ Dark Chocolate Cupcakes ~

1 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened

Pour the boiling water over the cocoa and espresso powder in a medium bowl and stir until well combined, then cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, 1/4 of the cooled cocoa mixture, and the vanilla.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined.

Add the butter and the remaining cocoa mixture, then mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Beat for an additional 2 minutes, then scrape down the sides.

Add the egg mixture a third at a time, making sure to beat until the mixture is combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

Divide the batter among the cookie-lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. 

Bake in the center of the oven for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in one of the cupcakes comes out clean, or the cake springs back when gently pressed.

When removed from the oven, let rest in the pans for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Okay, this is where I would take a break, if possible. You've done a perfectly respectable job so far, and you've been smelling chocolate for quite a while. No? Oh, you're as pig headed stubborn as I am? Carry on, then.

~ Dark Chocolate Mousse ~

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
2 cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let stand 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved and mixture is clear. Cool slightly.

Combine sugar and cocoa in large bowl; add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer, scraping bottom of bowl occasionally, until mixture is stiff. Pour in gelatin mixture; beat until well blended.

To fill the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the chocolate mousse mixture (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling.

~ Dark Chocolate Frosting ~

6 ounces dark chocolate chips
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
6 tablespoons milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt
5 - 6 cups powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate chips, either in the microwave at 30-second intervals, in the top of a double boiler over simmering water (or let's be honest here - I just heat mine on the stove very very carefully - don't do that). You want the chips to be nice and smooth. Stir in cocoa powder and allow mixture to cool slightly so it is just about room temperature.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, milk and vanilla and salt until well-combined. Add in the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until all is mixed in. Gradually blend in the powdered sugar, starting at low speed and moving up to high, until frosting is thick and smooth and of a good consistency to pipe.

Frost the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

Almost done! At this point I was getting plain old mad and tired of chocolate and tired of pastry tips. You do not have to do this if you don't want to. I just love Catherine.

~ Stabilized Whipped Cream ~

1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl to soften. 

Scald 2 tablespoons of the cream (this means you put the cream in a pan and bring it to a simmer on the stove); pour over gelatin, stirring till dissolved.
Refrigerate until consistency of unbeaten egg white. Then, with a whisk, beat until smooth.
In a stand mixer with a whip attachment, or with a hand beater, whip remaining cream and sugar just until soft peaks form; whip in the smoothed gelatin mixture, stopping to scrape the bowl twice. Whip until stiff peaks start to form, but be careful not to over-beat.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe a bit of the heavy cream onto the top of each cupcake. If you like, sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with grated bittersweet chocolate.

Store these in the refrigerator but let warm up a bit before serving. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Whew! I want a cheeseburger. And an unsweetened iced tea!

See the layers?

The cake and the mousse are so dark you can scarcely tell where one ends and the other begins!

Baby Deirdre Approved!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cheesecake Filling, Chocolate Graham Crust and Silky Dark Chocolate Frosting

Did you know that October 18th was National Chocolate Cupcake Day? Yeah, me neither until I saw it on a cooking board. I never would have thought that chocolate cupcakes would have needed their own day - and this is certainly not as cool of a holiday as "National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day" (August 8, if you're wondering, which is also the birthday of my beautiful niece Odile - hi Odile!). I mean, it seems as though people are getting to the point of either loving or loathing cupcakes anyway, so a day to celebrate the chocolate variety is just going to encourage some people (like me) and irritate others. Heh, when I wished my mother a happy national chocolate cupcake day on the phone you could hear the eye rolling through the receiver. 

Anyhow, you'll notice this post isn't dated October 18 in the first place. That's because on that day, I was completely out of dark chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla. What a tragedy! Embarrassing, too. Still, better late than never, so I present this offering (to those of you who care about such things).

I have been thinking about a cheesecake cupcake (because to this day I've never made a cheesecake) - so I put a graham cracker crumb crust on this one but added some cocoa powder in keeping with the theme. The cake itself is light and not very sweet, and I love the filling because it has everything I love about cheesecake (and cream cheese frosting, actually) but without the heaviness. And the frosting - wow - this may now be my go-to chocolate frosting - it's not to sweet and has a nice mouthfeel - not like the punch of powdered sugar you get sometimes. It's a perfectly respectable chocolate cupcake, with a bit of a twist.

So celebrate the day late, with me, and have a chocolate cupcake - and a glass of milk!

~For the chocolate-graham crust ~

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cocoa powder. Mix well (it will resemble wet sand).

Divide the crumb mixture among the cupcake liners, pressing it down with your fingers to make an even layer. 

Bake for 7 - 8 minutes or until just starting to brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool while you make the cupcake batter. Make sure the crust is cool before filling with the batter.

See? Wet, chocolate-y sand.

~ For the chocolate cupcakes ~

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups cake flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Pour the boiling water over the cocoa and espresso powder in a medium bowl and stir until well combined, then cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, 1/4 of the cooled cocoa mixture, and the vanilla.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined.
Add the butter and the remaining cocoa mixture, then mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Beat for an additional 2 minutes, then scrape down the sides.

Add the egg mixture a third at a time, making sure to beat until the mixture is combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. 

Bake in the center of the oven for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in one of the cupcakes comes out clean, or the cake springs back when gently pressed.

When removed from the oven, let rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

"This is so, so good to eat!" (that's a direct quote)

The child is serious about her cake batter licking...

~ No-bake cheesecake filling ~

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well-blended and fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream, a third at a time, until incorporated but still light. 

To fill the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling.

Nice contrast, is it not?

~ Silky Dark Chocolate Frosting ~

6 ounces dark chocolate chips
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
6 tablespoons milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt
5 - 6 cups powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate chips, either in the microwave at 30-second intervals, in the top of a double boiler over simmering water (or let's be honest here - I just heat mine on the stove very very carefully - don't do that). You want the chips to be nice and smooth. Stir in cocoa powder and allow mixture to cool slightly so it is just about room temperature.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, milk and vanilla and salt until well-combined. Add in the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until all is mixed in. Gradually blend in the powdered sugar, starting at low speed and moving up to high, until frosting is thick and smooth and of a good consistency to pipe.

Frost the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, or slap on with a knife, or however you like to frost your cupcakes. I then sprinkled mine with edible orange glitter, because it's October. Hence the Halloween cupcake liners. But I would imagine these would be just as tasty if you made them in April. 

Keep these in the refrigerator but please let them come up to room temperature before serving. This will make twenty-four cupcakes, which is a lot of dang cupcakes, so get ready to either share or sacrifice your refrigerator space.

Huh. This is rather an intimidating pan o'cupcakes.

My cupcakes prefer to hang out in the light of the setting sun... in pairs...

One last tiny helper picture! You'll notice that her pink apron is on the floor behind her.

White chocolate raspberry cupcakes with shortbread crust

Jeez, I think I'm still too close to these cupcakes - I just made them yesterday and I still have a dozen of them in my refrigerator. However, I am committed to making another cupcake today and if I don't write about this one I will completely forget about it and the opportunity to blog will be lost. 

That's already happened once - I've made these cupcakes before. Or, something similar - I know they were white chocolate raspberry cupcakes but honestly I can't remember anything about them, other than the face that my dear friend Bill (Hi, Beeeellll!) said that they were the best cupcakes he'd ever had. So I still had about a million raspberries (dang Raley's had them on a really great special and I lost my head in the produce department) and I had white chocolate and I thought I'd make them again.

Some people are funny about white chocolate, because it's not really chocolate. "What's the point?" they say. And then they snobbishly start talking about cocoa butter and blah blah blah - and to them, I say, "Get over it." It's an ingredient like any other and it works particularly well with something tart. If you can't bear that it's not technically chocolate, we can call it something else. White...stuff. That goes well with tart.

I realize that there are a lot of steps to these cupcakes, and sure, it's not really something you want to put together after a long day at work. But as a very wise man pointed out to me yesterday, making cupcakes like this is a form of mediation for me, and I enjoy it. Give yourself a few hours, and pop on some music or a book on tape (heh - book on tape - do those even exist anymore?) or put a nice documentary on the tv as background noise (I recommend Ken Burns) and get going. You'll be glad you did, and your friends will be even gladder. Yes, Mother and Father, I said gladder. Twice, now.

Oh yes, one more thing. I love the contrast of the shortbread crust with the soft cake and the sweet frosting and the tangy filling. However - one person to whom I served this cupcake didn't understand the cookie on the bottom and graciously told me that it was a good cupcake even if I'd overcooked it until it was crispy. Humph! I did explain the whole shortbread concept and mentally removed him from my cupcake recipient list, but you might want to warn your friends about the bottom. 

So let's get started!

~ Shortbread crust ~

1 cup all purpose flour1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups chilled butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to blend.
Cut butter into large chunks and add to food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, until dough has a very sandy appearance and starts to clump together.

Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Press about 2 tablespoons' worth of the shortbread mixture into each muffin cup, pressing down with your (clean!) fingers to form a solid layer.

Bake the shortbread-lined tins in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookie is just starting to turn golden. Set aside to cool while making your cupcake batter.

Yes, this is how it is supposed to look. Do not be discouraged. 

Just push it down with your (clean) fingers to make an even layer.

 Okay, so your crust is baked and cooling. Now on to the raspberry filling. I went with a slightly different technique than I used for the Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes. Take a breath and let's keep going, shall we?

~ Raspberry filling ~

12 ounces fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Place the raspberries, lemon juice, and the sugar in a food processor. Pulse several times to chop raspberries; blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.

Place cornstarch in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the water until it is a smooth consistency. Don't just dump in the water or you're going to get cornstarch lumps. Ew. That doesn't sound good at all. I don't even like the word "lump"! But I digress... pour the cornstarch mixture into the raspberry mixture in the food processor and blend again until smooth. If you're using a mini processor, as I did, you're going to be cutting it close. It would probably behoove you to use the full sized machine.

Push the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds, pressing against the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula to be sure you get all the juice and fruit pulp. That is a very short sentence to describe a process that's probably going to take you 5 - 10 minutes. Don't give up - this is worth it.

I am not gonna lie. I hate this part. Just put on some music and deal with it.

Pour raspberry mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Let the raspberry filling cool.

Okay! Now let's bake some cake! You know, sometimes I wonder if anyone else is ever going to follow this recipe...

~ White Cupcakes ~

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk (meaning add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and let it sit until until it curdles)
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 stick salted butter, room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg whites and buttermilk.
Place the sugar in your mixer bowl and add the lemon zest. Mix the zest and sugar together until the sugar is moist (I'd like to point out that I am not particularly fond of the word "moist" either) and fragrant. Add the butter to the sugar mixture and beat at medium speed until it's light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, add one third of the flour mixture, then add half of the buttermilk mixture. Add half of the remaining dry ingredients, then the rest of the buttermilk mixture, and finally the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl then mix on medium until all is combined, but be careful to not overmix the batter.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes are very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18 minutes.
Cool cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the cooled raspberry filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once chilled, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place).

Home stretch! Just the frosting left.

~ White Chocolate Frosting ~

2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk, or as needed

Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals until chips begin to melt, about 1 minute. Stir and repeat, heating chips about 10 seconds at a time, until thoroughly melted. Alternately, you can do this very carefully on the stove over low heat, if you are like me and don't have a microwave. Stir until chocolate is smooth and no more lumps remain. Let cool to close to room temperature.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add in the white chocolate and beat until smooth and combined. Beat in the salt, half the powdered sugar and then half of the milk if needed. Slowly beat in the remaining powdered sugar until the frosting is a good consistency to pipe onto the cupcakes.

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, then sprinkle with edible glitter and top with a fresh raspberry. 

There, you're done. Now give them away!

I'm not sure why my cupcakes are always hanging around outside...

That filling is downright refreshing.

The princess is a very serious critic.

But I think I passed the test.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Wow, that's pretty. And the beauty of this cupcake is I had the whole thing put together in about three hours! Impressive, right? I had a few things going for me, of course. I always have peanut butter and chocolate in my house. And I happened to have some ganache in the fridge from something...what, I don't remember. I scarcely ever use all of the ganache called for in a recipe, so I just stow the leftover in the fridge and pull it out later. And the stuff is impressive, right? So there is my tip of the day - never toss your leftover ganache.

I made these for a friend who was having a barbecue for a group of guys (Hi, Craig!) - he didn't ask for a specific flavor, but unless there are allergies, peanut butter and chocolate are good for men and women alike. I've actually never heard anyone say, "You know, I just don't care for peanut butter cups." There is a reason for that - they are fantastic! Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, homemade, off-brand - I love them all. And if you don't like them, pass 'em over my way.

I recreated that with a not-too-sweet dark chocolate cake, filled with what is basically a loose buckeye candy filling (what is a buckeye candy? Make friends with me around Christmastime or otherwise, look it up) spiked with ganache, and then topped with a fluffy peanut butter buttercream. Then I drizzled them with more ganache and topped them with mini peanut butter cups. These definitely call for a glass of milk - and then it's straight to being a six-year-old again. And that is really not a bad place to be.

So shall we get cooking? Let's go!

Starting with the ganache, so you have that ready and out of the way...

~ Chocolate ganache ~

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and espresso until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and keep at room temperature until ready to use (if you chill it, it will become a solid mass - if that happens, just heat it gently until it is the consistency you need). There. Ganache.

~ Chocolate Cupcakes ~

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
3/4 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or line with baking liners.
Combine chocolate, cocoa, espresso powder in a medium mixing bowl and pour hot coffee over. Let sit until chocolate is melted. Stir to combine; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. To chocolate mixture add vinegar, oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well with fork to combine. Pour over flour mixture and stir well.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tin (filling about 3/4 full) - the batter will be thin. Bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.

~ Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling ~

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup ganache

With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter at medium speed until creamy and combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add in the ganache and beat the filling until smooth.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the peanut butter filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once cool, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place).

~ Peanut Butter Buttercream ~

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk or cream
pinch of salt

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter and butter for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low, add the powdered sugar, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until combined. Pour in the milk or cream and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl again and mix in the salt. Beat on high for 3-4 minutes or until the buttercream has become light and fluffy. You are looking for a consistency that will be easy to pipe onto the cupcakes.


~ Garnish ~

Additional ganache, warmed
mini peanut butter cups

Pipe the peanut butter buttercream onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. Pour the warmed (liquid) ganache into a recloseable sandwich bag. Seal the bag and snip off the tip. Drizzle the ganache over each of the frosted cupcakes. Top each cupcake with two mini peanut butter cups and refrigerate briefly to let the cupcakes set. Let the cupcakes come to room temperature before serving.

Makes about a dozen cupcakes

Welcome to Weight Watchers' nightmare! You don't really have to eat all of them, you know.

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Okay, here's my confession for the day. I don't love raspberries. I really don't. I am so much more of a blueberry gal. I mean, I like the flavor of raspberry, but do I want to pop fresh raspberries in my mouth? Nope. I mean, they're kind of furry. And the seeds get all packed into my back teeth. And they're expensive. AND they are big pansies and fall apart if you look at them sideways. Yeah, I like blueberries.

Now if you abuse your raspberries and strain the seeds out and turn them into something else, then I'm all behind that. And I had a friend who was having a birthday and asked for a lemon cupcake, but I wanted to make it more special than that - using some pink and really making it pretty. By lucky chance, my local grocery store had organic raspberries on sale this week for just $5 for a huge package. Raspberry lemonade! Can't beat that!

So I made a lemony cupcake for the base and filled it with a fresh raspberry mousse ('cause who doesn't like mousse? None of my friends, I say!), then topped the whole shebang with a raspberry-lemon buttercream. It turned out so light and Spring-y and so wholly inappropriate for October that this has become one of my favorites. I think you'll love it too.

Happy birthday, Shaylin! I'm so glad you were born! And I hope you like the cupcake!

~ Raspberry puree ~
12 oz. fresh raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
(1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin)

Okay, this is going to turn out to be more of a juice than a puree, but you're going to be using it in the filling and in the frosting, so make this first and let it cool. It's really pretty simple.

Dump the raspberries in a medium sized pot. Sprinkle on the sugar and the lemon juice and mix it all up.

Heat over medium until the raspberries start to fall apart and the berries are giving off their juices.

Keep letting it boil gently until it has thickened a bit but it's still liquid.

Man...look at all those seeds!

At this point remove the raspberry mixture from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a non-reactive bowl, pushing down with the back of a spoon to get all the good bits of raspberry (but not the seeds). Once you've got all the juice, return it to the (cleaned) pan.

Now, sprinkle on the powdered gelatin and heat and stir just until it's dissolved. Then remove the juice from the heat and let sit at room temperature until you're ready to use it. If you're really smart, you'll reserve 1/4 cup of the juice and set it aside for the frosting later. Just a suggestion...

Let's make the filling now so that it can be nice and cold and ready for the cooled cupcakes. I know, I'm hopping all over the place.

~ Raspberry Mousse ~
Raspberry juice with gelatin, from above (room temperature and not warm at all)
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add in the sugar. Continue whipping the cream to firm peaks. Gently and carefully, fold in the raspberry juice, about 1/4 cup at a time, into the whipped cream until it's fully incorporated. Store the mousse in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill the cupcakes.

Okay, we're back to the cake.

~ Lemon Cupcakes (slightly adapted from the Alchemist who really has the prettiest display of lemon cupcakes I have ever seen) ~

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest, lightly packed
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large saucepan melt the butter with the lemon juice and water on medium high heat. When the butter is melted remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk together. Let this mixture cool come to room temperature before going any further. In a separate bowl. whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together, then whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. The batter will be somewhat thin, you will be able to pour it in the cupcake liners.

(Funny story - I never sift my flour and leavening together, because I am lazy. Usually I'll just mix the salt and leavening into the batter and mix it in, then I dump in the flour. So I did that with this recipe, just dumped in the baking soda, not thinking about the acidity of all the lemon juice in the batter. My batter began to grow, and grow, and grow. I quickly put it into my biggest bowl, and my batter grew. Anyone hanging out outside my apartment - WEIRDO - would have heard, "Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!" Finally I beat the batter into submission and mixed in the flour as best I could, but I am definitely going to try this recipe again without my lazy shortcuts. Snerk).
Prepare muffin pans with cupcake liners. Pour (or ladle) the batter into the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Do NOT open the oven to check on your cupcakes. You can wait.
Once the cupcakes are baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool for five minutes. Then remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the mousse (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling (once chilled, it will become very thick and hold the caps in place).

Light and Spring-y!

~ Raspberry-lemon buttercream ~
1 cup (two sticks) salted butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Reserved 1/4 cup raspberry juice with gelatin (from above)
1 teaspoon salt
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and zest and beat until smooth. Add in the raspberry puree and salt and beat until well-combined. Add in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the frosting is good and thick and of a consistency to pipe onto the cupcakes (or to spread on with a knife or spatula, if you'd rather).

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a large star tip and feel free to decorate further, as I did, with pink and yellow edible glitter and a single, perfect raspberry on top.

Store these in the refrigerator because of the mousse - this will make 20 cupcakes.

So pretty - I just loved how these turned out.