Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

Adapted from Cupcake Blog, makes 24 cupcakes

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
3 to 4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup raspberry puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure out all of the ingredients but the eggs into a bowl or stand mixer. Mix on low speed just until incorporated and then beat on high speed for 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and beat at high speed for another two minutes.

Measure out into a muffin tin lined with cupcake papers. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat the butter until soft. Add 3 cups of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

To make the raspberry puree, blend either fresh or defrosted frozen raspberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. I have also added defrosted raspberries directly to the mixing bowl which results in small pieces of raspberry in the frosting. Any berry could be substituted for the raspberries, strawberries are heavenly on vanilla cupcakes.

Add the puree and beat until combined. Add more icing sugar until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.

This frosting will work in a piping bag with a larger tip, I use a 1" tip. However, the raspberries make the frosting prone to melting, so I tend to just swirl it on with a spatula.

Amy

Tip: Use a cookie scoop or icecream scoop to fill your cupcake papers. Two scoops with a 1" cookie scoop or one scoop with a 2" icecream scoop is the perfect amount of batter for a regular cupcake.