Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

It seems somewhere along the way I blinked my eyes and I have finished my first year of residency.  Wow, that was fast!  I measured the year not in 525,600 minutes (sorry, couldn’t resist), but in batches of birthday cupcakes – to be exact.  It has been so much fun playing cupcake fairy for everyone, and seeing how excited everyone gets when “it’s cupcake day!”  These double chocolate raspberry cupcakes were my last batch of birthday cupcakes for the academic year.  A wonderful choice by a wonderful coworker, I was thrilled to make them and even more so to eat them.  If you’ve been reading for a while you may recall that I have another chocolate raspberry cupcake recipe posted but as far as I’m concerned, you can’t have too many.  This one uses a homemade raspberry filling where the other uses jam and these are topped with ganache while the others have a raspberry jam buttercream.  One thing I did keep consistent was the garnish of a ganache-filled raspberry.  It’s a sweet little surprise I just can’t resist.

I thought it would be fun to look back on all the different kinds of treats we enjoyed this past year.  Not everyone chose cupcakes, and some cupcakes were repeats due to popular demand.  I’m already looking forward to whatever flavors of cupcakes this new year will bring!

Strawberry Cupcakes
Carrot Cupcakes
Fauxstess Cupcakes
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Banana Caramel Cupcakes
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Mocha Brownie Cupcakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Pumpkin Butterscotch Cupcakes
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Pina Colada Cupcakes
S’mores Cupcakes
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
Black Forest Cupcakes
German Chocolate Cupcakes
Perfect Party Cupcakes with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Easy Vanilla Buttercream
Pecan Bars
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes (again)
Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (again)
Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes
Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
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Yield: 24-28 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
1¼ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups buttermilk
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen raspberries, thawed
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

For the frosting:
12 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
1½ tbsp. sugar
1½ tbsp. corn syrup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl; add the hot coffee and let stand a minute or two, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs on medium-high speed until slightly thickened and pale yellow.  Slowly add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, mixing until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the raspberry filling, puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan to remove the seeds.  Whisk in the sugar and cornstarch, and heat, stirring frequently until the mixture boils.  Once it has thickened, remove the pan from the heat.  Chill before using.

Meanwhile, make the ganache.  Add the chopped chocolate to a medium heatproof bowl.  In a saucepan combine the cream, corn syrup and sugar.  Heat until just boiling.  Immediately pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate and let stand a few minutes to melt.  Whisk in small circular motions until the mixture is smooth and blended, then whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.  Let the mixture stand at room temperature to thicken slightly, so it can be piped or spread.

To assemble the cupcakes, place the raspberry filling in a pastry bag.  (I used a tip specifically for injecting fillings, but a plain tip is fine too.  This cake is soft enough that you can just stick the tip into the top of the cupcake and pipe away.)  Pipe a few teaspoons of filling into each cupcake.  Spread the ganache over the tops of the cupcakes.  If desired, pipe excess ganache inside fresh raspberries and place on top of the frosted cupcakes (be sure to do this before the frosting sets.)  Allow to set completely before serving.

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Gourmet, March 1999