Rich, fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with a silky ganache buttercream and filled with a tart raspberry surprise. These cupcakes are the perfect balance of the sweet, rich, and tart flavors of chocolate and raspberries.

The story

Anyone else feel a little cautious celebrating Independence Day? I mean, after reading this beautiful piece by Caroline Randall Williams, I spent a lot of time thinking about what patriotism means, about not glossing over or ignoring the sins of our forefathers, about ensuring we don’t glorify those who still cause pain for the sake it tradition or “history”.

But my renewed love for Hamilton (“immigrants, [they] get the job done”), combined with knowing not all of our founding fathers were shameful, made me realize something.

It’s okay to love your country and know it’s flawed. It’s okay to love your country and want it to be better.

If I thought we were perfect, if I thought we’d “arrived” and this this—here and now in America—was the pinnacle of existence, the goal to be obtained, that would be ludicrous. I’m proud to be an American, because we have achieved so much and are still striving for so much more. I see so many of my friends agreeing that we can and should be better, and that makes me proud to paint my toes red, white, and blue and make a flag cake and cut my rice crispy treats into stars.

There is good here, and we must seek it out, amplify it, and rise to the occasion to be it.

Okay, TED Talk over. I’ll climb off my soapbox and talk about cupcakes. For now.

Chocolate raspberry is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Fenton’s, a legendary local ice cream shop, has the most amazing dark chocolate raspberry swirl ice cream that’s only available from New Years until maybe February, if you’re lucky. Even when we try to eat really healthy in January or swear off desserts, we go and track down that ice cream.

These cupcakes aren’t exactly like dark chocolate raspberry swirl, but they’re pretty close. The tart raspberry filling, fluffy cupcake, and rich and creamy ganache buttercream create the perfect trifecta in a cupcake. The raspberry is like a great little surprise when you bite in, making it worth the extra few minutes to make it and fill the cupcakes.

I hope you give these a try!

How to make this recipe

Make the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 325 and line pans with cupcake liners. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer then whisk well and set on the mixer and add the paddle attachment.
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients, except for the coffee. Slowly add the hot coffee, whisking quickly as you pour so the eggs don’t curdle.
Turn the stand mixer on low and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Scrape bowl and paddle then turn to medium and beat for two minutes.
Pour into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a middle cupcake comes out clean. Check around 12 minutes to be safe.
While the cupcakes bake, make the filling and let cool (on the counter or in the fridge, stirring occasionally).
Also while the cupcakes bake or once they’re out (timing this isn’t always perfect), make the ganache and set on the counter to cool, stirring occasionally. Take out butter to let it come to room temperature while the ganache cools.
Once ganache is cool, pour into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high until light and nearly doubled in size, about 5-10 minutes.
Once doubled, scrape bowl then add butter, one cube at a time, whisking on high until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl then begin adding powdered sugar, one cup at a time, starting on low then increasing speed and mixing until smooth. After adding half the powdered sugar, add vanilla. Keep adding powdered sugar until desired taste and texture.
Once cupcakes are cool, use a cupcake corer or knife to cut a hole in the middle of each. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling in, until it’s even with the top of the cupcake. Alternatively, you can use a Bismarck Filling Tip to add filling right into the cupcake, but this is less precise.
Frost using a Wilton 1M tip, rounded tip, piping bag with the tip cut off, or just apply with a knife. If you want to frost it like in the pictures, you’ll need to increase the frosting by 50% (so multiply each ingredient by 1.5).

Tips for this recipe

Use room temperature ingredients

This is especially true for the cupcake ingredients. Cake’s crumb is very dependent on the absorption of liquid into the flour, which happens best at room temperature. Just mixing it more won’t help, because that will over develop the gluten and make it tough. Instead, if all wet ingredients are room temperature, it’s just the right balance to create a tender crumb without making it tough or chewy.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling

Not only is it a bad idea to cut open warm cake (it makes it chewy), it also will make the filling soften and soak into the cupcake, making it soggy with an empty hole in the middle. And don’t get me started on frosting warm cupcakes. Oh, the tears I’ve cried watching frosting melt off of cupcakes that were actually cool when they were frosted, only to be foiled by hot weather. I’ve never actually frosted a warm cupcake, but I can tell you warm cake is nearly impossible to frost.

Make the filling and ganache while the cupcakes bake

Since the filling needs some time to set, it would be good to make it first thing after you put the cupcakes in. The same goes for the frosting, particularly the ganache. It needs some time to cool before you can whip it and add the butter, or it’ll all deflate and melt. I like to make the filling then ganache then clean the cupcake mess all while the cupcakes bake. Unless I’m pressed for time, I usually take the butter out once the ganache is done melting so both come to room temperature at the same time, and the frosting is ready when the cupcakes are cool.

Line with sturdy liners

This is a very moist cake, so you’ll want to have something like these foil liners or the ones that are doubled up. Alternatively, you can reduce the oil to 1/3 cup, but the cupcakes will dry out by the next day, so plan accordingly.

See more tips

I have tips for my chocolate cake here, raspberry filling here, and chocolate ganache buttercream here. If you’re new to baking, I suggest you take a quick glance so you don’t encounter any issues.

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Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

prep time: 15-20 minutes

cook time: 15-20 minutes

bake time: 15-18minutes

total time: 1 hour, plus cooling time

Servings: 24 cupcakes (can make a half recipe to make 12)

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cupcakes:

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 2/3 cups flour, sifted

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder, sifted (add up to 2 tablespoons for a dark chocolate)

2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

1 slightly rounded teaspoon baking soda, sifted

1/2 teaspoon fine ground Himalayan sea salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt, but sea salt gives a better flavor)

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (leave out about 30 min)

1/2 cup avocado or olive oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup very hot coffee

For the filling: can sub jarred raspberry jam/preserves

1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

½ tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoon water (or lemon juice, for a tarter taste), separates

Optional: 2-4 tablespoons sugar

For the chocolate ganache buttercream: can sub white chocolate buttercream or other favorite chocolate frosting

4 ounces (weight, not volume) semi-sweet baking chips

½ cup (4 ounces) heavy whipping cream

½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes (European style is recommended to make it creamier and sturdier)

2-4 cups powdered sugar (depending on stiffness and sweetness desired)

½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)

optional: 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, to smooth frosting (generally not necessary)

Instructions:

For the chocolate cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325* (this is one of my secrets, baking low and slow). Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

In the bowl of stand mixer (or large bowl), whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, being sure to sift as instructed. I prefer using a hand whisk for this step as the whisk attachment doesn't always get the very bottom mixed in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. VERY slowly, begin to pour in the hot coffee, whisking quickly and constantly to avoid scrambled eggs. Feel free to do it in increments if this is your first time.

Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, turn mixer on to low (or use a large whisk or spatula if hand mixing). Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry. It will clump up halfway through then settle into a liquidy consistency. After all ingredients are combined, scrape down sides, making sure to get to the very bottom. Turn mixer up to medium and mix for exactly 2 minutes.

Carefully scoop or pour into prepared cupcake pans, filling ⅔ to ¾ full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in a middle cupcake comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Check bake at 12ish minutes in case your oven baked fast. If not using a convection oven, rotate pans halfway.

Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove to cool completely.

For the raspberry filling: make while cupcakes bake

Add raspberries, 1 tablespoon water or lemon juice, and sugar (if using) to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until berries have mostly broken down, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to scrape the edges and also help muddle the berries. You may need to adjust the temperature depending on your stove, but avoid letting the berries boil or “pop” because it burns them and creates a mess.

Optional: if you do not want the seeds, strain by setting a large fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pushing the berries through with a rubber spatula, essentially squeezing as much juice as you can so as not to lose any flavor or volume.

Mix cornstarch and remaining tablespoon water or lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk or stir into berries until completely dissolved, ensuring there are no clumps. Don’t just pour cornstarch into the pot dry! Clumps will form and you’ll be sad. Probably.

Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to your desired consistency, about 5-10 minutes (less if you want more of a thick sauce than a filling, but don’t do much more than 10 minutes or it’ll become sticky and eventually taste burnt). It will thicken very slightly as it cools.

Cool to room temperature. You can refrigerate to speed this up, but stir occasionally.

For the chocolate ganache buttercream: make ganache whole cupcakes bake

In a heatproof glass or metal bowl fitted over a medium pot filled with 1-2” water (or a double boiler, if you fancy), combine chocolate and heavy whipping cream. Bring water to a boil then immediately turn heat down to medium-low or low, maintaining a simmer but not a boil. Stir chocolate constantly with a rubber spatula until it’s completely melted then remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

This is a great time to take the butter out, since both it and the ganache need about an hour to get to room temperature.

Once ganache is room temperature, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or out in a medium to large mixing bowl and use handheld beaters). Whip on high until it doubles in volume and becomes light and fluffy, about 5-10 minutes. Scrape sides.

With the mixer on medium-high, add room temperature butter, 1-2 cubes at a time, fully incorporating on medium high speed after each addition. Be sure butter isn’t too warm (if it looks shiny, set it in the fridge for a few minutes). Mix in vanilla and salt. Scrape sides again.

Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until desired consistency and sweetness is reached, scraping sides as needed. I like to start my mixer on the lowest speed to avoid that poof of sugar, then I slowly increase the speed to medium-high to high so each addition is thoroughly mixed in. If the frosting is looking too stiff (it will thicken slightly with exposure to air), add heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth. If you see large air bubbles, stir vigorously with a spatula for about 1 minute to release them.

Assemble:

Cut a hole about an inch deep in each cupcake, using a knife or cupcake corer. Fill with raspberry filling. You can cap it with a sliver of the removed cake, but I usually leave it open.

Frost with an offset icing spatula or piping bag and Wilton 1M tip (pictured) or other preferred tip.

Enjoy! Store cupcakes in an airtight container and out of the heat. They will last 2-3 days at room temperature.