Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

These chocolate raspberry cupcakes truly have the perfect flavor combo. They start with moist and fudgy chocolate cupcakes that have a perfectly soft texture. Then they're frosted with creamy raspberry frosting that's bursting with fresh raspberry flavor. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Cooling3

Total Time4 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting, Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Servings: cupcakes

Author: Fiona Dowling

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.

Nutrition