Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes are the recipe that Maria makes every Valentine’s Day and every occasion where she wants to present a cupcake so completely and deeply beautiful and so richly and intensely flavored that every person who receives one immediately and completely understands how much care and love went into making it.
She bakes the most deeply moist and darkly chocolate cupcakes enriched with Dutch process cocoa and a touch of espresso powder that deepens the chocolate flavor into the most sophisticated and completely extraordinary territory, cores the center of each cooled cupcake, pipes the most silky and vibrant raspberry chocolate ganache made from chopped semi-sweet chocolate melted with hot cream and raspberry preserves into each waiting center, and then pipes the most gloriously pink and deeply fruity raspberry buttercream made from freeze-dried raspberries and raspberry preserves beaten into butter over every generous swirl. A fresh raspberry on top of each one. Perfection.
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes are the most deeply flavored and completely stunning Valentine’s Day cupcakes made with moist Dutch process chocolate sour cream cupcakes filled with a silky raspberry chocolate ganache and topped with a vibrant freeze-dried raspberry buttercream frosting and fresh raspberries for the most beautiful and deeply indulgent individual celebration dessert. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful Valentine’s Day cupcake recipes and easy celebration baking favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes recipe is the Valentine’s Day individual dessert that delivers three completely distinct and genuinely extraordinary layers of flavor and texture in every single bite simultaneously. The deeply moist and richly chocolate espresso-enhanced cupcake base. The silky and vibrant raspberry chocolate ganache surprise center. And the most beautifully pink and deeply fruity freeze-dried raspberry buttercream swirled generously over every cupcake. No other individual Valentine’s Day dessert offers this level of complete and deeply satisfying flavor complexity.
The use of freeze-dried raspberries ground to a fine powder in the buttercream is the ingredient choice that produces the most intensely concentrated and genuinely vibrant real raspberry flavor in the frosting without adding any excess liquid that would make the buttercream too thin or unstable to pipe with the most beautiful and well-defined swirls. Freeze-dried raspberries contain all the flavor of fresh raspberries with none of the water, producing the most powerfully flavored and most beautifully pink buttercream imaginable. Our Red Velvet Cupcakes make a beautifully dramatic and equally Valentine’s-perfect companion for a complete and wonderful celebration cupcake collection.
Ingredients Needed for This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
For the Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1 cup (125g) All-Purpose Flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp (25g) Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Espresso Powder (optional but strongly recommended)
- ¼ cup (56g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) Granulated White Sugar
- 1 large Egg, room temperature
- 1 large Egg Yolk, room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup (120ml) Whole Milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (61g) Full-Fat Sour Cream, room temperature
For the Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Filling:
- 4 oz (113g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, finely chopped
- ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp (90ml) Heavy Cream
- ¼ cup (85g) Raspberry Preserves
For the Raspberry Buttercream Frosting:
- ¾ cup (168g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- Pinch Salt
- 1½ cups (195g) Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup (16g) Freeze-Dried Raspberries, measured then finely ground
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup (85g) Raspberry Preserves
- Fresh Raspberries for decorating
How to Make This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until fluffy. Add the room-temperature egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Mix in the room-temperature whole milk and sour cream on low speed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine on low speed until just smooth.
Fill each liner three quarters full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the raspberry chocolate ganache, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until just steaming and about to boil. Add the finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate to a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes then stir until completely melted and smooth. Add the raspberry preserves and stir to combine, cara mia. Allow the ganache to cool for 15 minutes until thickened, then transfer to a piping bag.
For the raspberry buttercream, beat the softened butter and pinch of salt on high speed for approximately 5 full minutes until pale in color and genuinely fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Place the freeze-dried raspberries in a ziplock bag and roll with a rolling pin until crushed to the finest possible powder. Add the crushed freeze-dried raspberries, raspberry preserves, and vanilla to the frosting. Mix on low to combine then medium-high until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a decorative star tip.
Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, remove the center of each using a cupcake corer. Fill each center with the raspberry chocolate ganache. Pipe a generous raspberry buttercream swirl over each filled cupcake. Top each with a fresh raspberry.
How to Serve This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Arrange these gorgeous Valentine’s Day chocolate raspberry cupcakes on a beautiful dark slate board or a white platter for the most dramatically beautiful and completely romantic Valentine’s presentation. The deep burgundy-brown chocolate cupcake base, the vibrant pink raspberry frosting swirl, and the jewel-red fresh raspberry on top creates one of the most striking and completely beautiful Valentine’s Day dessert table displays imaginable.
These cupcakes are the most perfect Valentine’s Day dessert for a romantic dinner at home, a galentine’s party, or a classroom Valentine’s party. Pair with a glass of sparkling rosé for the adults or a glass of cold milk for the most completely perfect Valentine’s pairing. Our Hydrangea Cupcakes make a beautifully equally individually gorgeous and equally special-occasion companion for a complete and wonderful celebration cupcake collection.
How to Store This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The raspberry ganache filling stays beautifully set and the raspberry buttercream maintains its most vibrant color and most pleasant texture throughout the storage period. The cupcake base can be baked and stored in an airtight container at room temperature 1 day before filling and frosting.
Tips to Make This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Whip the softened butter for the raspberry buttercream for the full 5 minutes before adding any other ingredient. This extended whipping is the most essential step for producing the most pale and genuinely fluffy butter base that allows the subsequent powdered sugar and raspberry ingredients to incorporate into the most beautifully light and most deeply pink and fragrant finished buttercream.
Measure the flour using the spoon and level method rather than scooping directly from the bag. Packed flour produces dense and dry cupcakes. Accurate measurement is always the most important technical step in any cupcake recipe and the one most frequently responsible for disappointing results.
Helpful Notes for This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
The espresso powder in the cupcake batter is technically optional but is the ingredient that most significantly elevates the chocolate flavor from deeply good to completely extraordinary. Espresso powder amplifies cocoa flavor without adding any perceptible coffee taste and is the most effective single ingredient addition for deepening and enriching the chocolate character of any chocolate baked good.
Allow the raspberry chocolate ganache to cool for the full 15 minutes until noticeably thickened before transferring to the piping bag. Ganache that is too warm and fluid will not fill the cored cupcake center neatly and will overflow into the surrounding cupcake crumb rather than forming the most cleanly contained and beautifully defined filling center.
Variation of This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Maria made a version using strawberry preserves in place of raspberry preserves throughout both the ganache filling and the buttercream frosting for the most beautifully pink and deeply strawberry-flavored chocolate strawberry cupcake that was completely extraordinary and deeply beloved at her Valentine’s Day gathering. Teresa tried using dark chocolate rather than semi-sweet chocolate for the ganache for the most intensely bitter and deeply sophisticated dark chocolate raspberry ganache that balanced the sweet raspberry buttercream beautifully.
For a white chocolate raspberry version, melt white chocolate in place of semi-sweet chocolate for the ganache filling for the most beautifully pale and creamy white chocolate raspberry ganache center that creates the most completely extraordinary contrast with the deeply pink raspberry buttercream and the dark chocolate cupcake base. Our Dulce de Leche Cupcakes make a beautifully equally stuffed and equally individually perfect companion for a complete and wonderful celebration cupcake collection spread.
FAQs About This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Can I use fresh raspberries instead of raspberry preserves in the ganache and frosting?
Raspberry preserves are preferred over fresh raspberries in both the ganache and the frosting because preserves provide the most concentrated and consistently intense raspberry flavor without adding variable moisture levels. Fresh raspberries contain significant water that can make the ganache too thin and the buttercream too soft. If fresh raspberries are strongly preferred, cook them briefly with a small amount of sugar to a thick sauce and drain before using.
Do I have to use freeze-dried raspberries in the frosting?
Freeze-dried raspberries are the most strongly recommended ingredient for the most vibrant flavor and the most beautiful natural pink color in the buttercream without adding any liquid. They are available in most grocery stores and online. If unavailable, substitute with two additional tablespoons of raspberry preserves for flavor, though the color will be less vibrant.
Can I make these cupcakes ahead for Valentine’s Day?
Yes. Bake the cupcakes the day before and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Make both the ganache and the buttercream the day before and refrigerate separately. On Valentine’s Day, bring both to room temperature, fill and frost the cupcakes, and serve for the most beautifully fresh and deeply delicious Valentine’s Day celebration.
Conclusion
These Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes are the most completely extraordinary and deeply romantic Valentine’s Day celebration cupcake that makes every person who receives one feel genuinely and completely adored through the most beautiful and deeply indulgent combination of rich dark chocolate, silky raspberry ganache center, and vivid pink raspberry buttercream in every single individually perfect and completely irresistible Valentine’s bite. We hope they bring the same deeply romantic Valentine’s joy and the same completely delighted gathering to your kitchen that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
Print
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes The Most Easy Filled Ganache and Raspberry Frosting Cupcake You Will Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes including cooling
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most stunning Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes perfect for Valentine’s Day made with moist Dutch process chocolate sour cream cupcakes of flour cocoa baking powder baking soda salt espresso powder butter sugar egg egg yolk vanilla whole milk and sour cream baked at 350°F for 17 to 20 minutes cored and filled with a silky raspberry chocolate ganache of semi-sweet chocolate hot cream and raspberry preserves and topped with a vibrant freeze-dried raspberry buttercream of butter powdered sugar ground freeze-dried raspberries vanilla and raspberry preserves piped in generous swirls with fresh raspberry garnish. A completely extraordinary Valentine’s Day cupcake recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup 125g All-Purpose Flour spooned and leveled
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp 25g Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Espresso Powder optional
1/4 cup 56g Unsalted Butter softened
3/4 cup 150g Granulated White Sugar
1 large Egg room temperature
1 large Egg Yolk room temperature
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup 120ml Whole Milk room temperature
1/4 cup 61g Full-Fat Sour Cream room temperature
4 oz 113g Semi-Sweet Chocolate finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp 90ml Heavy Cream
1/4 cup 85g Raspberry Preserves for ganache
3/4 cup 168g Unsalted Butter softened for frosting
Pinch Salt
1 1/2 cups 195g Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup 16g Freeze-Dried Raspberries ground to fine powder
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract for frosting
1/4 cup 85g Raspberry Preserves for frosting
Fresh Raspberries for decorating
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12-cup pan with liners.
2. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
3. Cream softened butter and sugar on high 1 to 2 minutes until fluffy.
4. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix medium 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Mix in milk and sour cream on low.
6. Add dry to wet. Combine on low until just smooth.
7. Fill liners 3/4 full.
8. Bake 17 to 20 minutes until toothpick clean.
9. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
10. For ganache: heat cream until just steaming. Pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes. Stir smooth. Add raspberry preserves. Stir. Cool 15 minutes until thickened. Transfer to piping bag.
11. For frosting: beat softened butter and salt on high 5 full minutes until pale and fluffy. Add powdered sugar on low until combined. Crush freeze-dried raspberries to fine powder. Add powder, raspberry preserves, and vanilla. Mix low then medium-high until light and fluffy. Transfer to piping bag with decorative tip.
12. Core each cooled cupcake center.
13. Fill each with raspberry chocolate ganache.
14. Pipe generous raspberry buttercream swirl on top.
15. Top each with a fresh raspberry.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cupcakes, Valentine’s Day
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 165mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
Keywords: chocolate raspberry cupcakes, Valentine’s Day chocolate raspberry cupcakes recipe, filled chocolate raspberry ganache cupcakes, easy chocolate raspberry cupcakes with raspberry frosting
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