Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
I don’t bake cupcakes very often, but today is a special occasion. Today we are celebrating our good friend Kristan! Kristan, who blogs at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, is due to have a sweet baby girl any day now and today is her virtual baby shower! Yay!
Kristan loves cupcakes and the color pink…and since she is having a baby girl, I figured Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting would be the perfect treat to bring to her baby shower. Yes, I know we are not actually attending her baby shower since it’s a virtual shower, but maybe if I close my eyes and tap my ruby red slippers we will magically appear at Kristan’s house with our cupcakes. And it would be nice if all of our friends and their food could come too:) Come on ruby red slippers, work your magic today!
I love dark chocolate and raspberry together and the combo works beautifully in these cupcakes. The cupcakes are rich, rich, rich! If you are a dark chocolate lover, these are the cupcakes for you! And good news, they are super easy to make, you don’t even need a mixer!
To make the cupcakes, you melt chopped chocolate, butter, and cocoa together. Almost like making brownies. I used bittersweet chocolate and dutch processed cocoa to create the dark chocolate flavor. Chocolate, glorious chocolate!
The raspberry buttercream is sweet and tastes just like fresh raspberries. I usually don’t like a lot of frosting, but I am surprised the frosting made it to these cupcakes. I wanted to eat the entire bowl. I knew these cupcakes were for Kristan though, so I stopped myself and piped the pretty pink raspberry frosting on the dark chocolate cupcakes. I topped each cupcake with a fresh raspberry-the perfect finishing touch!
Congratulations Kristan! We are so excited for you and your family. We can’t wait until precious little Lucy arrives! And hopefully the ruby red slippers will work today so we can show up with a platter of Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting. If not, I guess we will have to eat them all by ourselves…in honor of you of course!
Make sure you check out what everyone else made for Kristan’s shower!
- Cookies and Cups | Zebra Cake Cupcakes
- The Hungry Housewife | White Cupcakes
- She Wears Many Hats | Pretty in Pink Party Marshmallows
- Two Peas and Their Pod | Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
- Bluebonnets and Brownies | Apple Cider Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
- My Baking Addiction | Sugar and Spice Cupcakes
- Picky Palate | Pumpkin Brownie Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- Blooming on Bainbridge | Twinkie Cupcakes with Pink Cherry Frosting
- Food For My Family | Pomegranate and Lime Olive Oil Yogurt Cupcakes
- Bakingdom | Homemade Twinkie Cupcakes
- Sprinkle Bakes | Princess Torte Cupcakes
- Glorious Treats | Sweet Baby Cupcakes with Easy Fondant Toppers
- Sweet Sugarbelle | Damask Cookies
- Buns In My Oven | Maple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
- Dine and Dish | Neapolitan Cream Filled Cupcakes
- Chocolate and Carrots | Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes
- Bake at 350 | Little Pumpkin Cupcakes
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Dark chocolate cupcakes with a smooth and creamy raspberry buttercream frosting.
Ingredients:
For the Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (I used Chobani Greek yogurt)For the Raspberry Buttercream Frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Additional fresh raspberries, for garnish-if desiredDirections:
1. To make the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second spurts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, you could do this step in a double boiler.) Set the mixture aside to cool until it is warm to the touch.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl to combine, then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the bowl and whisk to combine. Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk gently to combine. Add the Greek yogurt or sour cream and whisk to combine. Finally, sift the the rest of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. The cupcake batter will be thick.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.
5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the raspberry buttercream frosting. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries. Pour raspberries through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, to eliminate the seeds. Place butter, half of the powdered sugar, and raspberry puree into mixing bowl. Beat over low speed until well-blended. Add the other half of the sugar, increase speed to medium. Mix until light and fluffy.
6. Frost cooled cupcakes with the raspberry buttercream and top each cupcake with a fresh raspberry, if desired.
Cupcake recipe from Cooks Illustrated
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Oh what a delicious combo, and they’re so beautiful too!!
Raspberries and dark chocolate just GO together! And everything goes with buttercream! They’re beautiful and love the fresh raspberries!
So pretty! I like that you used the fruit to make the icing the right color (vs. food coloring). Congrats to the mama to be!
I love dark chocolate and berries together. What a beautiful frosting – the color is gorgeous. That CI chocolate cupcake recipe – you have me convinced to try it Maria!
Dark chocolate and raspberry is my all time favorite flavor combo!! these looks fantastic Maria!!
Sorry I couldn’t make it to the shower, but I’m enjoying all the goodies everyone brought!
These are perfect for Kristan and Lucy!
Oh my gosh your cupcakes are adorable! Today is my wedding anniversary and when we got married our wedding cake was chocolate with raspberry and a buttercream frosting. Your cupcakes would be perfect to serve to my Husband tonight. Thank you for the great recipe!!
I love dark chocolate and raspberry together! Great choice for celebrating Kristan and Lucy.
This is my absolute, hands down, without a doubt, favorite combination. I love chocolate and raspberry together.
These are perfect for a baby shower. I can see Valentine’s being a popular day for these too!
These sound divine Maria!!!! And beautiful too!
Dark chocolate is good for you, and there is fruit in these babies, so it’s practically health food..right?!
These are gorgeous! And I LOVE dark chocolate and raspberry together!
I’m tapping my slippers together!
Gorgeous cupcakes!
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They are so lovely! Wonderful flavor combo, too!
Love!
These look incredible!
I’m your newest follower! 
Maria…these sound INSANELY good! First, that dark chocolate cupcake, then the RASPBERRY buttercream?!? I DO wish we could tap our ruby slippers together and all be together!
I love the combination of dark chocolate and raspberries!
One of the best flavor combos ever!! And I am loving that gorgeous frosting.
I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know you, maria. You and your boys are so much fun, and I can’t wait until we meet up again. Thanks for making my morning so very special!!
How beautiful, fit for a baby girl! The raspberry/chocolate combination is just wonderful.
Such a fun way to celebrate Kristan!! Beautiful
another little baby!! cute cupcakes!!
Perfect combination and lovely way to celebrate a baby!!
These look stunning. What beautiful colors as well!
I love chocolate and raspberry and that frosting is such a gorgeous color!
I am against fruit as a desert, but if I make it for someone else, these would be great;p
Raspberries are my all time favorite and I loooove the color!
I find it so incredibly adorable and wonderful that the food blogging community is so close-knit. The fact that everyone wants to be a part of each other’s experiences even from hundreds of miles away is touching. Please stay this wonderful!
On that sappy note, these cupcakes look FANTASTIC! The perfect autumn treat, especially for a baby shower
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These look so pretty and PINK Maria!
Perfect for Kristan and Lucy!
Love how you used the yogurt instead of sour cream!
Gorgeous PINK!
Love raspberries!
Hugs to you and SNUGGLES to Caleb!
xo
Beautiful- love all the shades of pink!
those are so pretty, Maria!
Raspberries and dark choco – what a perfect treat for Monday! Love it.
What a perfect combination! Love it.