Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Ever since my sister's affinity for the cupcake led me to take a decorating class with her as a birthday gift, I've been creating cupcakes and have tested out some pretty amazing ideas. 

My love for baking is actually non-existent. I never was that interested in baking, nor did I have the patience to do it. The part I love the most about cupcakes is decorating them and making them look like you really want to eat them. The trick is, you have to also make sure  that people want to keep eating them. So, I began learning how to bake.

I started with finding some basic cake recipes and worked on perfecting those. Once I got the hang of it, I began putting my own twist on the recipes and testing out fillings and icings and toppings and I quickly realized that I am not too shabby at this baking thing. Cupcake baking/decorating has become one of my favorite things to do.

Here is just one of the recipes I've come up with. Start with a basic Devil's Food recipe - I will share mine here - and a basic frosting recipe where you will add raspberry flavor.

Devil's Food Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I replaced a 1/2 C. of Coconut flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Ecuadorian 100% cocoa from my wonderful brother and sister-in-law)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup milk

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly butter or spray your muffin pans, or prep with muffin cups. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition.

Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the hot liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly into each of the muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes - keep an eye on the cupcakes as different types of pans and altitude affect the baking time.

Let cool completely before decorating. This is very important because the cake can break apart if it isn't cooled.

Raspberry Frosting

Ingredients: 
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 C. Crisco
3 Cups confectioner's sugar 
Raspberry candy/baking oil

Directions:
Beat butter and Crisco on high until creamy, then add sugar. Add a few drops of the raspberry oil until it's at the right level of flavoring for you (5-10 drops). 

Frost the cupcakes, and top with fresh raspberries if desired (I washed the raspberries and added a tsp. of sugar and let them sit while I completed the frosting).

I hope you enjoy these!