These chocolate raspberry cupcakes start with a chocolate sponge base, a raspberry jam filling and are topped with a zingy raspberry buttercream and rich chocolate ganache. Finish them off with a fresh raspberry and a giant square of chocolate.

These cupcakes are so delicious. The raspberry flavour just comes through so well. There might seem like there are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps but the ingredients are mostly those which you'll likely have in your kitchen anyway. There are a lot of steps and that's because you're making:
- chocolate cupcake base
- raspberry filling
- raspberry buttercream
- chocolate ganache
- topping with a raspberry and chocolate
We'll go over all these sections below, so read for tips and advice on making these cupcakes as easy as possible!
How to make chocolate cupcakes
These cupcakes start with easy chocolate sponge cake recipe which makes light cupcakes which pair well with the raspberry flavour.
- Take some butter and caster sugar and mix them together until it’s really light and fluffy. This usually takes 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the milk and mix until combined.
- Gently mix in the flour, cocoa powder and raising agents. Be mindful not to overmix the flour at this stage. The cupcake batter is now done and ready to bake.
- Spoon the cupcake batter into the cupcake cases. An ice cream scoop is really useful for making sure the cupcakes are all the same size.
If you want each cupcake exactly the same, I weighed out 80g of batter into each cupcake base using a scale.

How to bake perfect chocolate cupcakes
Once the batter is in the cupcake cases, put the baking tray in the oven for 18-20 minutes.
Remember to not open the oven to check them until they've been baking for at least 10 mins, otherwise you risk them completed deflated and the sponge texture will be ruined.
You’ll know when the cupcakes are done because they'll be risen and domed. Check them by inserting a skewer (or knife) into the centre of one.
If the skewer comes out clean then the cupcakes are done. If some batter sticks to the skewer, pop the cupcakes back in the oven for another couple of minutes.
Leave the cupcakes to cool in the cupcake tin for 5 mins, then move the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The easiest raspberry cupcake filling
The raspberry filling hides in the centre of the cupcake and adds another layer of raspberry flavour to these cupcakes.
I used raspberry conserve for this. I love how sharp the flavour is, and it's a really good consistency to spoon into the cupcake, and to keep the base nice and soft.

How to make the raspberry buttercream
The raspberry buttercream is creamy and delicious. It’s the dairy equivalent one I use to frost this vegan chocolate raspberry cake.
Start with mixing the butter until it’s pale and fluffy. It takes a good 5 minutes, so keep mixing until the butter looks very pale. Then you slowly mix in the icing sugar and raspberry powder until it’s really smooth and fully combined.
Add the cream to loosen up the buttercream. You might not need all of the cream, so start by adding a splash at a time.
Beat by hand with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes to knock the air out and get a perfect buttercream consistency.
Adding freeze dried raspberries
I discovered freeze dried raspberries completely by chance in the supermarket one day. You can get them in pieces, or in powder. I'd recommend the powder form for this recipe. It adds a strong raspberry flavour to the buttercream without changing the consistency. The flavour and the colour are all natural too, so it's good all-around!
I bought mine from Waitrose, but you can get the powder from Amazon too. You only need about 10g for this recipe, so you'll have plenty leftover to make more raspberry desserts.

How to make smooth chocolate ganache
Chocolate ganache sits on top of the raspberry buttercream, and elevates the chocolate element of these cupcakes.
To make the chocolate ganache:
- Break the chocolate up into pieces and place in a bowl, or a jug.
- Heat up the cream in a pan. You don't want to boil it, but you want it to be bubbling and hot. Pour it over the chocolate pieces and wait for a couple of minutes.
- Then mix it together until it become really silky smooth. Pour it into a piping bag with a narrow tip.
- Before you pipe the ganache onto the cupcakes, test it down the side of the kitchen sink. You want a consistency where it drips slightly, but isn't so runny that it'll just drip right off your buttercream.

Finishing off the chocolate raspberry cupcakes
All you need is a fresh raspberry and a large square of chocolate to finish off these chocolate raspberry filled cupcakes perfectly!
Looking for more cupcake recipes?
If you're looking for more cupcake ideas, check these recipes out:
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Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Description
Fluffy chocolate sponge cupcakes filled with zingy raspberry jam. Topped with a creamy raspberry buttercream, rich chocolate ganache and finished with a fresh raspberry and a square of chocolate
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 225g unsalted butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 100ml milk
- 190g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 40g cocoa powder
For the buttercream
- 200g unsalted butter
- 500g icing sugar
- 10g freeze dried raspberry powder
- 50-75ml double cream
For the chocolate ganache
- 50ml dark chocolate, cut into pieces
- 50ml double cream
For the filling and topping
- 100g raspberry jam
- 12 raspberries
- 12 squares of chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake liners
For the cupcakes
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 3-4 minutes until creamy. Add in the caster sugar and beat until light and fluffy (a further 4-5 mins)
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Mix in the milk
- Fold in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until combined. Don’t overmix
- Scoop the cupcake batter evenly into the cupcake liners (I used an ice cream scoop)
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then move the cupcakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely
For the filling
- Mix the raspberry jam in a bowl until it's smooth
For the raspberry buttercream
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter for 5 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy
- Add a few spoonfuls of icing sugar and whisk until combined. Repeat until all icing sugar is mixed in.
- Add the freeze dried raspberry powder and 50ml cream and mix until combined.
- Add in more cream if you would like the buttercream more smooth.
- Beat the buttercream with wooden spoon to knock the air out. It should be really nice and smooth now
For the chocolate ganache
- In a small pan, heat the cream until it bubbles everywhere
- Pour over the chocolate pieces. Leave for 2-3 minutes and mix until combined and smooth
- Pour into a piping bag with a narrow tip opening
To assemble
- Use a cupcake corer, or a knife to cut out part of the middle of each cupcake
- Spoon or pipe the raspberry jam into the centre of each cupcake
- Using a piping bag with a tip of your choice (I used Wilton 1M), pipe the buttercream frosting onto the cupcakes
- Pipe the chocolate ganache over the top
- Press a raspberry and a chocolate square into the top of the cupcake
Keywords: chocolate raspberry cupcakes, chocolate, raspberry, cupcakes
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