Raspberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

Remember those chocolate nutella cupcakes I made recently? Well, the same day I made, those I made these - raspberry and white chocolate cupcakes. Wait, let me give you a little bit more of a description. These are a dense white chocolate cupcakes filled with a fresh raspberry filling and topped with luscious raspberry buttercream frosting. If your mouth isn't filling up with saliva, there is something wrong with you!

The first thing you need to do when making these is to prepare the raspberry filling. It's super easy, but preparing it ahead of time will ensure that it is cooled and ready to fill the cupcakes with. To make the filling you need three things - frozen raspberries, sugar and cornstarch. Once the frozen raspberries have defrosted, whirl them around in a blender or small food processor and then strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the seeds. Once it's smooth and ready to go, add the sauce to a small pan. Add the sugar and the cornstarch and you are ready to go. Bring to a boil, let thicken and then let cool until ready to use. It's really easy peasy.

Now for the cupcakes. These cupcakes are dense, moist and have the perfect hint of white chocolate. I know a lot of people are not a fan of white chocolate, but I think these cupcakes will change your mind. The sweetness is balanced out by the tart raspberry and it's a pretty good flavor combination if I do say so myself. Then again, I may biased because I love white chocolate. There is just something about it. Yum! I made these cupcakes in combination with the nutella ones I brought to work for my co-workers birthday celebration and to my surprise, these cupcakes went before the nutella ones. I was honestly shocked! I figured the chocolate ones would go before the fruity ones, but boy was I wrong. One person who tried this cupcake (who never had one of mine before), said that after trying it, they thought I should open my own bakery. Whoa. Maybe someday. A girl can dream.

My only issue with these cupcakes is that when I filled the cupcakes with the raspberry filling, I wish I would have known to put a little bit of the part I took out back on. Why you may ask? Well, when I went to put on the frosting, a good portion of the filling oozed out. They still looked pretty, they even looked like I planned it, but because the filling is a little loose (it's not gooey or too thick), I was also worried that the cupcakes would absorb and I'd lose all my hard work on the filling and cupcakes. I even threatened to re-do them, but Ryan brought be down from that crazy lady thought and told me to check them in an hour to see what they looked and tasted like. He was right (as he always is) - the filling was still there and they tasted great. That boy is a smart cookie! I think I am just too hard on myself with my cooking. I am learning that I can't do everything right and that although it might not turn out as I wanted, but most of the time, things still taste pretty darn good. Well, there was the night of chicken tikka masala that was a disaster, but we won't go there right now. 

 

filling ingredients

ready to boil that filling!

cupcake ingredients

creaming the butter and sugar

ready to bake!

the filling and frosting station

centers removed and ready to fill

mmm raspberry frosting. I could so eat this straight from the bowl

filled

topped with buttercream and a fresh rap

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes (slightly adapted from http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com)

Filling
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

White Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

Raspberry Buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4  cup raspberry filling (seedless raspberry jam works too)
6 cups powdered sugar    

To make the raspberry filling: Add the raspberries to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan to remove the seeds (this takes a few minutes, just be patient and keep using a rubber spatula to push it through). Add the sugar and cornstarch to the pan, whisking to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking often. When it reaches a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly. Chill before filling cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.  Add the white chocolate to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring in between each interval, until melted and smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the white chocolate and vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture (in 3 additions) and milk (in 2 additions), starting and ending with the flour.  Mix just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, filling each about 2/3-3/4 full.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and raspberry filling on medium speed until completely incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and beat until you reach your desired consistency.

To assemble the cupcakes: Use a paring knife or cupcake corer to cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake.  Place a few teaspoons of the raspberry filling inside.  Cut the tip of the cone off and replace it on top of the cupcake (this part I did not do, but it is up to you to do this or not).  Place the raspberry buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with your preferred tip, and frost the cupcakes.  Garnish with fresh raspberries or white chocolate curls if desired. 

I can't wait to try these cupcakes with other fresh fruit fillings - I think peach, blackberry or even cherry would be fantastic!