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Raspberry Almond Cupcakes & Dark Chocolate Buttercream

It’s been kind of a long week over here on my side of the world….and I don’t feel like Friday will be here soon enough *le*sigh*  My solution?  Bake, of course!  I’ve had these cupcakes saved for a long long long time and never got around to making them.  I’m glad that I finally took some time to whip them up, because they totally made me feel better!

I’m pretty sure that I’ve said this before, but I want to be Joy the Baker’s best friend.  Like real best friend.  You know the kind that bakes you delicious treats and comes to your house with them when you’re sick ;) I need her to be that friend.  The woman can do no wrong in my book.  These little cupcakes were absolutely perfect for today.  They made me feel like Spring is really here.  They’re light, fluffy, tart and sweet at the same time oh, and pretty.  Pretty also wins extra points in my book…

The recipe calls for a chocolate ganache, which I was actually planning on using, until I saw them come out of the oven and then I fell in love with the pretty, little raspberry flecks and I couldn’t cover them all the way up.  Then, I remembered the dark chocolate buttercream that I used for the 14 Layer Cake (ps. have any of you made that cake yet?  Let me know! I’d love to hear how about your 14 layer experience!) and I was sold.  Seriously. Out. Of. This. World. Delish.  You won’t be disappointed.  I usually have some to share, these might not make it to work  ;) I decided just to pipe some frosting mostly in the middle of the cupcake, because I still wanted to see the edges… I really like the way these turned out and the fun Cupcake liners help as well!  I went a little bananas the other day and ordered a bunch of stuff from Bake it Pretty so expect to see more fun liners in the future :)

Raspberry Almond Cupcakes (Recipe Source: Joy the Baker)

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/3 cup fresh raspberries, roughly chopped (*thawed, frozen raspberries would also work if you don’t have any fresh raspberries)

Yield: 12 cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin cups with paper liners.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in egg and almond extract.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating just until incorporated.  Fold in the raspberries.
  4. Divide the batter among lined muffin cups.  Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream (Recipe Source: Bakerella)

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
  • 1 box (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1-3 Tbsp milk (*if needed, my cream cheese was reallllllly soft, so I didn’t actually add any milk, but if your frosting is too thick, add a few tablespoons as needed to get the desired consistency)
  1. Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer.
  2. Add the cocoa and vanilla.
  3. Add the confectioner’s sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition.
  4. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you desire.

*I may have gone a little overboard with the frosting on this one… don’t get me wrong, I still think they look and taste amazing, but the frosting was a little heavy (weight wise) for such a light cupcake.  No worries for me and other frosting lovers, but if you prefer something a little on the lighter side, have no fear… use a smaller pastry tip or stick to the ganache, which is also rich and delicious.

*Indicates helpful Tips & Tricks

Ps. Even though it’s been kind of a long week already I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to Cupcake Camp Seattle!!!! Are you going to be there?  I’ll be there with the boy and the little brother.  If you see me, please say hello! I’d love to meet you & be friends!  Tickets are $8 if you pre-order & $10 at the door.  If you would like to purchase tickets, here is the link.

Happy Wednesday! xoxo-Jenn