Wednesday, April 24, 2013

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.
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