Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

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.

1. 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.
2. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the milk and mix until combined.
3. 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.
4. 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:

1. Break the chocolate up into pieces and place in a bowl, or a jug.
2. 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.
3. Then mix it together until it become really silky smooth. Pour it into a piping bag with a narrow tip.
4. 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:

• Triple chocolate cupcakes
• Vanilla chocolate cupcakes
• Oreo truffle cupcakes
• Rolo caramel cupcakes

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