Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Truffle filling

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! I can't even begin to describe how deliciously decadent these cupcakes were. And what's really exciting about these cupcakes is that I imagined and created these cupcakes myself, without any outside influences. That is, I didn't see them on Pinterest or another baker's blog, the idea came from within me. Now that might not seem like a big deal to you, but I think it's a really special step forward to start moving away from already created recipes into unknown territory. I didn't create the cupcake recipe from scratch- I'm no scientist here; but I did adapt and create the rest of the components. Yay for me! I'm going to go do a little happy dance.

 

 

Honestly, you should go make these. They're very simple, despite the multitude of components. And they are sooo good. I brought them to a work potluck and everybody went ga-ga over them. A perfectly rich but light chocolate cupcake, delicious truffle on the inside (and trust me, I'm not a huge fan of truffles but because they're raspberry truffles, they were amazing), topped with light, fluffy raspberry flavoured whipped cream icing and a drizzle of that sweet and tangy raspberry sauce on top. Just fabulous.

 

I made these Black Forest Cupcakes not too long ago, and you can find the recipe for the chocolate cupcakes here.

 

Ingredients:

For the Raspberry Sauce:

2 pints raspberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup water

1/2-3/4 cup sugar, or to taste

2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

For the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/4- 1/3 cup raspberry sauce

 

For the Whipped Cream:

3 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Dr. Oetker's Whip It (Whipped Cream stabilizer that can be found in the bakery section)

1/4 cup raspberry sauce

 

Directions:

To make the Raspberry Sauce:

Crush the raspberries with water in a saucepan; a potato masher works well.Whisk in sugar and cornstarch until completely combined. Heat over medium-high heat until mixture is brought to a boil; make sure to stir constantly to avoid burning. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. The sauce will have thickened from the cornstarch and will happen quickly, so be sure to remove from heat once it reaches the thickness you desire. Push the sauce through a strainer to remove all clumps and seeds. Refrigerate and save until later. This can be made several days in advance, and is great for other things, such as pancakes, cakes, or these mini cheesecakes.

 

To make the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle filling:

Place finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and stir until combined. Set aside and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before stirring in the raspberry sauce. Add raspberry sauce to taste (I can't remember exactly how much I put in, but I know I kept adding more and more). Refrigerate truffle filling and save until later.

 

At this time, make the cupcakes. Recipe can be found here. Once cupcakes have cooled, use the cone method to cut out a hole in the cupcake. Spoon raspberry truffle filling into a piping bag (should be relatively soft, unlike an actual truffle). Pipe truffle filling into the centre of each cupcake hole, and then replace top of cupcake.

 

To make the Raspberry Whipped Cream:

Start by cooling your stand mixer, either by placing it in your fridge or freezer for a few minutes; this helps to whip the cream faster. Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and Whip It to the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-low speed for 30 seconds before increasing the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat. Spoon in 2 tablespoons of raspberry sauce and whip on medium speed until incorporated. Add in additional 1 tablespoons at a time until you've reached your desired taste.

 

Transfer whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a tip of your desire. Pipe whipped cream on top of cupcakes. If wanting to drizzle with raspberry sauce, transfer sauce into a squeeze bottle for easy application. *Note: if you are not serving the cupcakes for awhile, do not drizzle with sauce until half an hour or so before serving; I made my cupcakes a day prior to serving and by the next day the drizzle had stained the whipped cream, making them appear as if they'd been sitting for a lot longer than they had.

 

Source: cupcakes from Annie's Eats, Truffle adapted from this post. Raspberry sauce and Whipped cream a Sweet Treats & Healthy Eats original.

Pin It

Mini Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

Please don't hate on me because it's now fall and I'm posting a very summery dessert;, scout's honour, I made this in August and it's just taken me awhile to post it. So many other food bloggers pounce on the first opportunity possible to make fall-inspired dishes (think apples and pumpkins). And while I too am eager for these flavours, particularly pumpkin (which I have been dreaming about since last fall), I'm equally reluctant to let go of summer days. In fact, I may still be in slight denial that it's now fall. Don't mistake me, fall is actually my favourite season next to summer, but right now it's inevitably making me think of winter, which is just downright depressing.

So, without much further ado I present the last summery dessert until next summer (*tear). These mini cheesecakes were absolutely delightful. A perfectly light and refreshing cheesecake, with a subtle tang from the lemon and raspberry. And if you don't get all cheesecake-crazed, they make for the perfect amount to last 2 days. However, I do know some people (*ahem- Sean) who would be glad to eat the whole cheesecake in one sitting. And if that's your style, go for it! I don't judge.


Yield: 2 4-inch cakes 
Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 tablespoon sugar

8 oz cream cheese (1 package)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
zest of 3/4 of a lemon
1 egg

1 cup raspberries, fresh
2-3 tablespoons sugar (depending on tartness)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar in medium sized bowl until combined. Mixture should be at the consistency that if you pinch it between your fingers, it stays together. If it immediately falls apart, it needs more butter.

Put 1/2 cup of the crust mixture into the bottom of 4-inch springform pans. Use your fingers or a flat instrument to help press and smooth the crust down. Bake the crust in oven for 5 minutes. Once finished, set aside and let cool completely.

In a medium sized bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy using a hand mixer. Add in sugar, and mix until combined, making sure to scrape down the sides. Add sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add in the egg and mix well, scraping sides again.

Take your cooled pans and wrap the bottom and sides tightly with foil. Use multiple pieces if necessary. This is to ensure that no water leaks through (trust me, soggy crusts aren't attractive-- although they usually firm up if you wait a day or two). Divide cheesecake batter in half and fill each pan.

Place pans in a 9 x 13 baking dish (or any other dish that fits both pans). Place the dish first in the oven, and then fill with hot water, about 1 1/2 inches (or 1/2 of the way up the springform pans. This helps promote even baking and less chances of cracking). Bake cheesecakes for 35 minutes or until set but still wiggly. If doubling the recipe and making a 9-inch cheesecake, bake for 70 minutes.

Once finished, carefully remove the entire pan from the oven. Leave the cheesecakes in the pan with the hot water still in it, until the water has cooled almost completely (by gradually cooling the cheesecakes, again there is less chance of cracking). Once water is cooled, remove cheesecakes and unwrap from foil. Cool cheesecakes completely, then refrigerate.

To make the raspberry sauce, use a mini food processor to blend the raspberries. Strain the sauce using a fine meshed sieve to remove any seeds. Place strained sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk in lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a simmer and let sauce reduce for 5-7 minutes. Remove several teaspoons of sauce and place in small bowl. Whisk the cornstarch into the small bowl. Once cornstarch lumps no longer remain, stir the cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan. Stir constantly for another minute or two, until sauce thickens considerably. Remove and let cool completely.

Spoon cooled raspberry sauce onto cheesecakes, while still in the springform pan. Refrigerate cheesecakes for 4 hours, and upwards to 24 (cheesecake needs to rest and develop the flavours!).

To remove cheesecake from the pan, run a knife around the edge of the cake. Release the springform pan and force it to go larger. Carefully remove. Garnish with fresh raspberries and lemon zest swirl.

Source: slightly adapted from: Baked by Rachel

Pin It

Vanilla Raspberry Bachelorette Cupcakes + Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I've been going through a bit of a blogging funk lately, with no real ambition to write any new posts. Not to mention, it's now taken me 3 days to complete this post (although in my defense I was trying to work a new editing program, of which was basically another language to me). You know how sometimes the less busy you are the less motivated you become to do things? I think that's what's been happening with me; after all the craziness of moving and getting our adorable puppy, I've been pretty much lazing around.

I have made a thing or two that I would have liked to blog, but it just didn't work out. One was the most delicious Lemon Blueberry 3-layer cake that would have been perfect to share... if it had not slowly fell apart on the drive to my parent's house. 'Surprise birthday cake Mom! Take a good look at it now because it may be completely destroyed by the time we get to eat it.' FAIL. I also made some pretty tasty Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Brown Butter and Sage sauce for my Mother's birthday dinner, but didn't have time nor was in the mood to snap pictures.
But I am pleased to say that I have these B-E-A-U-tiful and delicious cupcakes that I made for my best friend's bachelorette party that just took place this past Friday! What a fabulous night it was: 13 girls, 1 SUV limo, a trip to Niagara Falls and some very fun events that will not be named...

The cupcakes were made from a yummy vanilla bean recipe that I have made before, found here. Keeping it simple, I filled the cupcakes with Smuckers seedless raspberry jam, which has a nice balance of tart and sweetness and the perfect texture. The cupcakes were topped off with a raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which was OMG yum (I might have kept squeezing out the remainder in the piping bag onto my finger and eating it), and then with a royal icing transfer, in the shape of hearts, engagement rings and corsets. As you can see by the pictures I also made martini glasses and the letter E for Emily, but they were too fragile to even peel off of the wax paper :(.

To start, the royal icing transfers should be made at least a day ahead, preferably two so they have enough time to dry properly. Transfers might be the easiest, simply because you can copy/trace a picture. I printed the pictures I wanted to the appropriate size, and lay the sheet underneath wax paper. As an added bonus, the shapes are all uniform! To view a recipe for royal icing, go here.


















To put filling in the cupcakes, simply cut a small dome in the top and cut off the bottom half of the dome. Replace the dome on the cupcake, and when the cupcake is iced, nobody will be the wiser.

I've recently become a much bigger fan of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB). It was the first Buttercream icing I ever tried, and let me say I failed miserably more than once. However, when I first tried Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMB), it worked like a charm, so I may be partial to it for that reason. Also, SWM uses more butter and therefore has a more pronounced buttery flavour, which is why I enjoy the lighter IMB. However, more steps are involved in the IMB and if you're looking to save some time, go with the SMB. It's all done in one bowl (if you have a stand mixer), which is definitely a plus.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (raspberry vanilla)
Yield: for 24 cupcakes + a little extra
Ingredients:
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
squeeze of lemon juice
3/4 lb butter (1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks), softened to room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*3-5 tablespoons raspberry jam (or other flavouring, ie. caramel, coconut, strawberry puree, etc.)

Directions:
Fill a pot with approximately 1 inch of water and heat until simmering lightly. Whisk together egg whites, sugar, salt and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer or heat proof bowl. Place the bowl on the pot of simmering water, and whisk the mixture continuously until it reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F, and the sugar is completely dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high sped until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8-10 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. It will be ready when the buttercream transforms from a soupy curdled appearance into a whipped-like consistency. You may need to whip it on medium-high for several minutes to achieve this consistency, or add a few more tablespoons of butter. At this point, whip in the vanilla extract and jam until just incorporated. 

Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

Source: adapted from Martha Stewart

The final result: YUM!

Pin It