Philly, and I’m sure most of the mid-Atlantic, has been suffering under an oppressive heat wave, yet still I bake on as I continue my Epic Summer Challenge. Because I’m nuts, right?
If June was the month of chocolate, then July has been a very berry month, with last week’s Blackberry Crumble Cupcakes, and now a rework of my Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream.
But as you can see in the picture above, there is no chocolate buttercream … where did it go? Well, because I really wanted to 1) try the hydrangea frosting technique from Glorious Treats and 2) let the flavor of the raspberries really shine through, I opted to tuck the chocolate into the center of the cupcake as a chocolate raspberry truffle filling. Such a good idea.
I forgot to photograph the cupcakes until later, after most of my taste testers had whisked away the prettiest of the bunch, but I think you can get an idea for what they look like. I found the technique to be very easy (though, with the house being so hot I had to keep refrigerating the buttercream to keep it intact), and definitely something I’ll want to do again for future cupcakes.
Ingredients
Directions
Work on the Truffle filling first so it has time to chill (at least 30 minutes).
Measure the semisweet chocolate into a heat-safe bowl. Bring the heavy cream, raspberry puree and butter to a boil. Take off the heat and pour over the chocolate, gently mixing until smooth.
Let it cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the Chambord. Chill until you're ready to assemble the cupcakes.
For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Line cupcake pans with papers.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
Beat the eggs for 20 seconds, then add the sugar and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes until thick and creamy.
Add the oil, raspberry puree and raspberry extract and beat until combined. Alternate the flour mixture and milk and beat until combined. Add the Chambord and beat until mixed in.
The batter is pinkish, but if you want to amp up the color, I suggest using a little bit of gel food coloring.
Divide the batter between the wrappers in the cupcake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely before coring and frosting.
For the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of sugar, beating until combined. Add the raspberry puree, raspberry extract and Chambord. Finally, add the remaining sugar gradually and whip until light and fluffy.
Since hydrangeas are often multiple colors/shades, you can divide the frosting in 2, leaving one the natural color from the puree, and tinting the other to be a slightly deeper pink with some gel food coloring. Then, once you fit your piping bag with a large, closed star tip (I was using the Wilton 2D), spoon both colors in, side by side (you don't have to be perfect).
To assemble the cupcakes, pipe the truffle filling into the cored out center. Pipe star-like blooms around the edge of the cupcake first, then fill the center. Tip: don't let this frosting get too warm, because if it does, the hydrangea blooms will look melty, and nothing like a hydrangea.
July 22, 2013 at 9:00 pm
These look even better than the ones last week! This one just shot up to the top of my to-do list. I adore anything with raspberry in it, so it’s nice to see a cupcake that seems to really make it shine. I’ll let you know how mine turn out after I make them! I have just started reading this blog, so I was wondering if your cupcakes are taken from family recipes, modified cookbook recipes, or completely your own experiments?
July 22, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Hey there! The raspberry is really the star, which I’m very happy with.
As for these recipes, it started out as modified recipes from blogs and cookbooks, but since then I’ve created my own bases to work off of (there are some exceptions, but I always mention it and attribute the source). Also, when I review a cookbook, I tend to bake something pretty close to exact from the book, to really test the book out.
Enjoy the blog and recipes … let me know if you ever have any questions!