Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
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These chocolate raspberry cupcakes truly have the perfect flavor combo. They start with moist and fudgy chocolate cupcakes that have a perfectly soft cake crumb. Then they’re frosted with creamy raspberry frosting that’s bursting with fresh raspberry flavor. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
**This post was updated February 5, 2026 with new photos, recipe tips and a slightly updated recipe**
A Note from Fiona
Why you’ll love these Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting!
These chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting just might be the perfect combination of rich chocolate and sweet berries. You’ll fall in love with this flavor combination.
The chocolate cupcakes are incredibly moist with a fudgy chocolate flavor that’s not too sweet. The raspberry frosting is made with real berries. It’s sweet, creamy and bursting with raspberries. The bright pink frosting makes these cupcakes absolutely beautiful.
Making the frosting from real berries does take a few extra steps, but it is so worth it. Be sure to have a read of the recipe tips for the frosting and make ahead advice to ensure you get creamy, flavorful, beautiful pink frosting.
For The Chocolate Cupcakes
These chocolate cupcakes are made with oil which makes them extremely tender and stay soft for longer. You won’t taste the oil whatsoever because the chocolate flavor disguises any hint of oil. Using oil also means that the batter can be made entirely by hand using a wire whisk.
You’ll also notice that we’re using freshy brewed coffee (or instant espresso powder dissolved in boiling water) for this recipe. The hot coffee helps the cocoa to bloom – which means it intensifies and refines the chocolate flavor.
Recipe Tip
Do not fill your cupcake liners to the very top – otherwise the cupcakes can overflow and sink in the middle. They should be about 2/3 full. You should end up with 12 cupcakes in total. If you are only ending up with 8 or 9 cupcakes, you’ve very likely filled the liners too full.
For the Raspberry Frosting
The raspberry frosting does require a few extra steps because we’re using real berries – but it’s entirely worth it. You’ll first need to puree the raspberries, then poor the puree through a metal sieve to remove the seeds. You’ll need to push the puree through the sifter using the back of a rubber spatula or spoon.
From there, gently boil down the raspberry puree over low heat while occasionally stirring. Near the end you’ll need to stir more frequently to avoid the boiling puree from sticking to the bottom of the pan or burning. The raspberry puree needs to boil down enough so that it’s thick like jam. Removing all the excess liquid is absolutely necessary, otherwise, if the puree is added it will make the frosting watery. Here’s what the puree looks like before and after being boiled down.
Once this step is down, cool the puree fully. Then making the frosting is very simple. You’ll beat the butter, then mix in the powdered sugar, the fully cooled reduced raspberry puree, a little vanilla extract and salt.
If you’d really like to save time, you can skip the previous steps of making the puree and boiling it down, and substitute the reduced puree with raspberry preserves. I definitely prefer the flavor using the berries though.
Note: This recipe makes enough for each cupcake to be generously frosted with a piping bag. If you prefer a thinner layer of frosting and/or plan to frost the cupcakes with knife, then I recommend dividing the frosting recipe in half.
Recipe Tip
The raspberry puree must be fully cooled before adding it to the butter. If it is even slightly warm, it can melt the butter and lead to the frosting becoming way too thin.
Make Ahead Tips
I typically make the cupcakes the day before I plan to serve them if I’m looking to save time the day off. Cool them fully, then store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
For the frosting, puree the berries, strain out the seeds and boil it down the day before. Let it cool fully, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Then the next day I’ll make the frosting and decorate the cupcakes.
Moist and tender chocolate cupcake, sweet raspberry frosting – what more could you want? These chocolate raspberry cupcakes make for a delicious Valentine’s Day treat – but they’re absolutely perfect all year long. And for more chocolate and raspberry recipes, then be sure to try:
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake – this is a deliciously moist chocolate cake with raspberry filling and chocolate frosting
- Raspberry Brownies
- Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour (166 grams)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (28 grams)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (80 ml), canola oil works too
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (180 ml)
- 1/4 cup hot coffee (60 ml), or boiling water
Raspberry Frosting*
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries (about 170 grams), fresh, frozen will weigh more depending on how many ice crystals they have
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams)
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar (330-440 grams) , you may need a little more or a little less
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream (15-30 ml), as needed
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a 12-cavity muffin tin with muffin paper.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk them together, then whisk in the sugar.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Then whisk in the hot coffee (or just boiling water).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together until you no longer see streaks or lumps of flour. You may need to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each about 2/3 full. You should end up with 12 cupcakes. If you only get 9 or 10, you've filled the liners too full which can lead to the cupcakes sinking in the middle.
- Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back to the touch.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Raspberry Frosting
- Pulse the raspberries in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Pour the puree through a metal sifter, pushing it through using a rubber spatula to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds. If it is too thick to push through a sifter, you can add a little water (you'll boil out the water in the next step.
- Place the seedless puree into a saucepan over low-medium heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer while occasionally stirring. As the mixture boils it will thicken. The more it thickens, begin stirring constantly to avoid it burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. When it's done, it should be a very dark red color and thick like jam. You should only have a few tablespoons of puree left.
- Remove the puree from the heat and cool completely before using. It can be place in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
- Once the puree is completely cooled (it should not be warm to the touch), beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add in 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat into the butter, starting on a low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of the reduced raspberry puree and salt. Beat into the batter.
- Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with a tablespoon of puree or cream until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached. More puree will make the frosting thinner (this is fine if frosting with a knife, but you may not want to do this if using a piping bag).
- Frost the cooled cupcakes either with a knife or piping bag. I used a piping bag and 1M tip.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For best results, be sure the milk and egg are at room temperature before getting started.
- Buttermilk: If you do not have buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice to 3/4 cup 2% or whole milk. Give the mixture a whisk, and let sit on the counter for 5 minutes before using.
- Hot Coffee: This can be substituted with boiling water (be sure to measure after boiling) or 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder dissolved in boiling water.
- Raspberry Frosting: This recipe makes enough to pipe each cupcake with a very generous amount of frosting. If you plan to frost your cupcakes with a knife or don’t want a large amount, feel free to divide the frosting recipe in half.
- Raspberries: If you’d like to save time, replace the raspberries with 1/4 cup raspberry preserves. Skip Steps 1-4 of the frosting.
- Storage: Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 hours as long as the kitchen is not warm and the cupcakes are not in the sun. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cupcake with frosting, assuming all the frosting is used and the recipe is not divided in half.
For the frosting can I use salted butter instead and just not add the salt?
Yup – that would be fine!