Nothing says Valentines Day quite like one of these Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting – and of course the chocolate hearts are a must! These are some of the most decadent cupcakes I’ve ever made – and in such a good way! They are rich and luscious and oh so irresistibly chocolaty! This is definitely one of my new favorite chocolate cupcake recipes (and if you want to make it more of a milder milk chocolate cupcake just reduce the cocoa 2 Tbsp and up the flour 2 more Tbsp, I tested them out both ways but definitely preferred the darker version here paired with the sweetness of the raspberry frosting). They are somewhat dense and deliciously fuggy and you’ll want to make them again and again.
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This Raspberry Buttercream has such a vibrant raspberry flavor, it took me a while to figure out how to get a concentrated berry flavor in frosting (like this Strawberry Buttercream Frosting) but I found you can either use freeze dried berries or puree fresh berries and reduce the puree in a saucepan to a more concentrated amount, which in turn packs in more flavor without having to add in so much of that runny liquid (because too much liquid in frosting of course is just not good – plus this reduced version yields a thicker puree). I do like the freeze dried version I once shared but I’ve traded that in because I definitely prefer the flavor of the fresh berries in frosting – even though it does take a bit more effort. And of course I can’t get enough of the gorgeous natural color in the frosting (note that sometimes yours may not be quite as deep pink, it just depends on the berries. The darker ones tend to give more color, either way though it should still be quite pink and you shouldn’t need any food coloring).
It’s practically Valentines day already, so there, you have an excuse to make cupcakes today so get to it :).
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Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (124g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (38g) unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (220g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (124g) sour cream
1/2 cup boiling water
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
12 or 24 raspberries (12 if you only want to add to tops, 24 if you want one underneath frosting too)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power in 20 second intervals, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth, set aside to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer mix together sugar and butter until combined (it won't come together entirely but mix until lumps of butter are creamed), mix in egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate then mix in sour cream. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined then add remaining half and mix until combined. Add about 1/5 of the boiling water at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Once water has all been mixed in mix batter on medium-low speed for 1 minute.
Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full (it's about 1/4 cup of batter). Bake in preheated oven until set and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 17 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container (one that doesn't touch tops. I like to do this to seal in moisture) and allow to cool completely before frosting. Once cool frost with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting and top with raspberries. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Notes
If you'd like to make the chocolate hearts for decoration, I simply melted about 2 ounces of dark chocolate in the microwave on 50% power in 20 second increments, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth. Let it cool slightly then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip. Over a baking sheet lined with waxed paper, pipe heart shapes with a small stick on the end (which will poke down into the frosting and hold it up). Let set in refrigerator until firm then gently peel from parchment while chocolate is still cold.
Recipe source: Cooking Classy
