Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Last week, I celebrated my last day at the office. After one year and 8 months, I packed my stuff up and said my farewells. To mourn/honor my departure, my super lovely boss threw me a going-away dessert potluck. Sounds right up my alley, right? People brought in cookie bars, brownies, ice cream. Perfect for a particularily low friday afternoon. I thought long and hard about what to bring. In my office, I’m known as Betty Crocker since I constantly bring in my baking experiments. I couldn’t let my fans down!

After a day or two of researching (yes I’m being serious), I found the original recipe in Bon Appetit’s June 2010 issue. The picture of fresh raspberries piled on top of chocolate ganache sucked me right it. My instincts told me to stay true to the original recipe and make a layer cake. But when it comes to potlucks, layer cakes can be intimidating. No one wants to be the first person to slice in to that cake. Cupcakes are way more party-friendly. Single servings of sugary goodness.

However, there were two issues with scaling the original recipe down to cupcakes. First, I had a hunch that there would be so much ganache leftover. Second, how would I get the raspberry filling inside the cupcake? I decided to push the first issue out of my mind and focus on the second, trying two options: cutting a small circle on the top of the naked cupcake and filling it with raspberry, and squeezing the raspberry filling in to the cupcake with a pastry bag. While the first option worked, for the sake of time, I’d advise the second option. Fill a pastry bag with a small tip, place in the center of the naked cupcake after cake has cooled, and squeeze. Don’t put too much in the cake or else it will explode.

I should warn you that this recipe packs in a lot of chocolate. Seriously, diabetics beware, your blood sugar will spike with one bite. But instead of that overly sweet taste certain cakes leave in my mouth (which I detest) these cupcakes are all about the chocolate. As expected, I had an enormous amount of ganache leftover. This wasn’t a major problem as I love a little dollop of chocolate ganache on top of  my scoops of ice cream. You could also make truffles with the ganache too, or eat it with a spoon. The cakes themselves were moist with a fudgey-brownielike topping. It was not my favorite chocolate recipe but it worked pretty well with this particular frosting.

While I’m sad to leave this department that has become like a home to me, I think it is time to move on. I’ve got my chocolate cupcakes and I’m ready to go.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Adapted from: Bon Appetit, June 2010
Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:
Cake:
Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray
2 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 ¾ cups Sugar
¾ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
1 cup Water
¾ cup Buttermilk
¾ cup Vegetable Oil
3 large Eggs
Chocolate Ganache And Raspberry Topping:
18 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (Do Not Exceed 61% Cacao), chopped
2 ¼ cups Heavy Whipping Cream
6 Tbsp Seedless Raspberry Jam, stirred to loosen, divided
1 6-ounce Containers Fresh Raspberries
Powdered Sugar
Cupcake pans lined with muffin liners.

Directions:
For cake:
Position racks in top and bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl; whisk to blend and form well in center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes, but check on the cupcakes at the 20 minute mark in case your oven runs hotter than mine. Transfer tin to a wire rack; let cool completely . Cupcakes can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

For chocolate ganache and raspberry topping:
Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream just to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until ganache is melted and smooth. Transfer 1 ¼ cups ganache to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ganache is thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let remaining ganache stand at room temperature to cool until barely lukewarm.

To insert raspberry filling:
Carefully pour filling in to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Gently press tip in to the top of the cupcake, squeezing the bag for a couple of seconds. Do not overfill cupcakes or it will fall apart due to pressure. Note: I used a fairly small tip which resulted in a small amount of raspberry filling. If you want more raspberry, use a bigger tip but be warned: there will be a bigger hole.

Pour half of barely lukewarm ganache over cake, spreading over sides to cover. Freeze until ganache sets, about 30 minutes. Pour remaining ganache over cake, allowing to drip down sides and spreading over sides if needed for even coverage and to smooth edges. Freeze to set ganache, about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.

Arrange raspberries on top of the cupcakes. If desired, sift powdered sugar lightly over raspberries and serve.