Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

It has been quite some time since I have put up recipes but this one was too good not to post.  This past Sunday was Father's Day and we enjoyed spending time with my Father-in-law.  We spent the day relaxing and the boys did some house work, but in the middle of the day we decided we had to make a desert.  After playing 10 questions we decided on a chocolate and fruit combination.  Joe did some research and this is the recipe we settled on.  This has to be one of my all time favorite recipes.  It turned out perfect with a couple tricks here and there.  It's not the easiest recipe but definitely worth taking the time to make it.  With it being summer time, raspberries are super sweet and the flavors are amazing!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs

For the Frosting:

1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup butter
4 ounces cream cheese
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For Ganache:

1/2 cup whipping cream
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

For Garnish:

15 raspberries

Directions

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 to 15 cupcake liners.

Mix flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

Place butter, chocolate, and cocoa together in a bowl and pour boiling water on top. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit two minutes. Mix until smooth and then add in the buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry until smooth.

Pour 1/3 cup batter into each paper liner. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Leave cupcakes in tin for 5 minutes before removing onto a cooling rack. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting and ganache.

For the Frosting:

Puree the 1/2 cup raspberries in a food process, blender, or with a hand blender. If you blend more then you will simply need to add more powdered sugar until frosting is desired consistancy.

Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time while beating and cream for 2-3 minutes. Add raspberry puree and vanilla and beat until completely combined. Add more powdered sugar to bowl if you feel like the icing is not thick enough.  Place frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip.  If you feel the icing is runny, place in fridge for 10 minutes.

For the Ganache:

Heat whipping cream in the microwave for 40-60 seconds until hot.  Place chocolate in a bowl and pour hot whipping cream on top. Let it sit for two minutes and then stir until smooth.  Let the ganache come to room temperature (about 10-15 minutes) before applying to cupcakes. If you would like for it to thicken more you can put it in the fridge but make sure to mix periodically so it does not harden.

To Assemble:

Once the cupcakes have cooled, spoon 1-2 teaspoons ganache onto each cupcake, spreading it to almost the edge of the cupcake. Pipe frosting on top of each cupcake and then spoon 1 teaspoon over the top and press a berry in. Serve immediately. Cupcakes with berries on that are not eaten within a few hours should be refrigerated. Another option is to store the cupcakes at room temperature in an air tight container and add the raspberries just before serving.