Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes

Batter Makes 12 Jumbo Cupcakes

Ingredients

For The Cupcake Batter

Dry Ingredients

  • 1¾ cups cake or pastry flour
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 8 oz (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Wet Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 6 oz whole or 2% milk
  • 2 oz light corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For The Chocolate Ganache

  • 6 oz high quality semi-sweet chocolate (a little less than ½ lb; Eunice uses Callebaut)
  • 6 oz (1 cup) heavy cream (½ pint)

For The Raspberry Jam (yields 1 cup which you will use in the Raspberry Mousse below)

  • 1 pt fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 1 heaping cup sugar
  • small amount of water

For The Raspberry Mousse

  • 1 cup of raspberry jam (make it fresh with ingredients above or use a quality store bought brand)
  • 2 cups cold heavy cream (1 pint)

Garnishes

  • fresh raspberries
  • powdered sugar

Special Equipment

  • flour sifter
  • parchment paper
  • electric mixer
  • ½ cup (4 oz) scoop
  • 12-cup jumbo or regular cupcake/muffin tin
  • jumbo or regular cupcake liners
  • stainless steel bowl
  • offset spatula

How-to

Mix the Dry Ingredients

  1. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder onto a large sheet of parchment paper, add to a mixing bowl and set aside

Mix the Wet Ingredients

  1. Combine the eggs, milk and corn syrup and whisk to break up the eggs. Add the vanilla and whisk to combine ingredients

Combine the Cupcake Ingredients

  1. To the dry ingredients, add 2 sticks of softened butter and ½ of the wet ingredients.  Mix with an electric mixer slowly to start, then increase to medium and beat for 4 minutes
  2. Next, add ½ of the remaining wet ingredients and mix on medium for 2 minutes
  3. Add the remaining wet ingredients and beat on medium for 2 more minutes

Portion Out Cupcakes & Bake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Scoop ½ cup of batter into each lined cup of a 12-cup large cupcake/muffin tin
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when pressed lightly

Make the Chocolate Ganache

  1. In a stainless steel bowl, over a small pan with a small amount of water (bain marie) and making make sure water does not touch the bowl, combine 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate and 6 oz of heavy cream
  2. Over low heat, allow steam to melt the chocolate for about 5-10 minutes, give it a quick stir, and you will have creamy chocolate ganache, Keep the bowl over the bain marie until assembly

Prepare the Raspberry Mousse

  1. Make raspberry jam by combining 1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries, 1 heaping cup of sugar and a small amount of water
  2. Cook down over low heat until it forms a jam.  Allow to cool and set aside
  3. In a cold bowl of an electric mixer, with a cold whipping blade, whip 12 oz cold heavy cream until cream is stiff
  4. In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of jam and gently fold in ⅓ of the whipped cream
  5. Add remaining whipped cream and fold in briefly to combine.  Do not over-mix

Assemble the Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes

  1. Allow cupcakes to cool.  Hollow out the cupcakes deeply enough to allow room for the chocolate ganache and raspberry mousse
  2. Fill cupcakes with a dollop of chocolate ganache, fresh raspberries and fill to the top with the raspberry mousse
  3. Replace cupcake caps, top with chocolate ganache, fresh raspberries and dust with powdered sugar.  Happy eating!