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easy chocolate cupcakes recipes with coffee and raspberry buttercream frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

Cupcakes

  • 1 chocolate cake mix Prepared according to the box instructions

Raspberry Puree for Filling and Frosting

  • 1 cup raspberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup water use slightly less if using frozen raspberries
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Chocolate Raspberry Filling

  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 raspberry puree prepared from above

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 raspberry puree prepared from above
  • 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk for depending on desired thickness

Instructions
 

Make Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Prepare your boxed cake mix, making cupcakes, according to the instructions on the box. Replace any water with room-temperature coffee (For example, if your cake mix calls for 1 cup of water, use 1 cup of coffee isntead).
  • Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting

Make Raspberry Puree for Filling and Frosting

  • Place all the puree ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat
  • Stir constantly, breaking up the raspberries while you stir. You want the mixture to come to an "almost boil" without boiling too much.
  • Keep stirring until almost all the liquid has evaporated and your puree has thickened to have about the consistency of pancake syrup.
  • Remove puree from the heat and let it cool. You don't have to let it cool completely (The next step will actually be a little easier if the puree is still warm).
  • Place a strainer over an empty bowl. Pour the raspberry puree into the strainer. Using the back of a spoon, press the raspberry puree through the strainer and into the bowl beneath. This step takes some time! However, you want to push as much liquid through the strainer as possible, leaving behind the raspberry seeds.
  • Dispose of the seeds left in the strainer and set your liquid raspberry puree aside.

Make Chocolate Raspberry Ganache

  • Put your chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir.
  • Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir. Continue doing this until you have a smooth ganache.
  • Stir in half of the raspberry puree you prepared from above. Stir until it is fully incorporated and smooth.

Make Raspberry Buttercream

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar and the other half of the raspberry puree until everything is smooth and there are no lumps of butter or sugar.
  • Add in milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
  • Put frosting in a piping bag with a tip and pipe onto finished cupcakes. Note: This amount of frosting usually gives me around 16 cupcakes, but if you used a box cake mix, you might have something around 20 cupcakes. If you really want to frost all of your cupcakes, consider making smaller buttercream swirls. Or, pile on the frosting and just have a few unfrosted cupcakes that you call "muffins"! :)