Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

**Pictures to follow soon**

This past weekend I was instructed to bring cupcakes to the family pot luck. Okay, the instruction part was easy. But deciding what to bring was a whole other ball game. I finally pulled a receipe for a Raspberry Chocolate cake from the Taste of Home Baking Book. But then of course modified it for a family friendly cupcake receipe.

It was a so incredibly flavorful and moist! There was some overflow as the coffee in the recipe really thinned things out, but the results were amazing. I figured it would make 24 cupcakes, nope. We pull 36 and could have probably gone another 12-18 easily. Here's the receipe, with my modifications...

Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes: (yields 48 cupcakes)

The cake:

3 C Sugar

2 3/4 C All purpose Flour

1 C Baking cocoa

1 1/2 t Salt

3/4 t Baking powder

2 t Baking soda

1 1/4 C Buttermilk

3/4 C Veg. Oil

3 t Vanilla

3 Eggs

1 1/2 C Strong Brewed Coffee - Room temperature

In a Large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil and vanilla until mixed well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until combined. Beat in one egg at a time. Gradually add coffee. Note that coffee will thin batter substantially. Spoon into cupcake liners until half full. Anything more than half way will overflow.

Bake at 350* for 20 mins. Remove when tester comes out clear and allow to cool completely.

The Filling:

3 T Flour

6 T Milk

6 T Sortening

3 T Butter, softened

3 C Confectioners Sugar

2 T Raspberry liquor

1/4 t Salt

2 Drops of red food coloring (if desired)

Additional: 4 T Raspberry jam, melted.

When the cupcakes are completely cooled, cut out the center section. Add some of the melted jam to each cupcake. Then Fill with the filling until level with top of cupcake. You can then replace the top of the cupcake, or leave it off likeI did. Then frost...

The Frosting:

1 pkg cold cream cheese

1/3 C butter, softened

1/2 C baking cocoa

1 T raspberry flavoring (the original receipe called for Raspberry liquor)

4 C Confectioners Sugar

I frosted the cupcakes with a large star tip, the mandatory cupcake tip if you ask me. And topped with chocolate dipped Raspberries for added effect. You could simply top with raspberried and chocolate curls or leave plan. They are beautiful just as they are.

This recipe, while step intensive, was amazingly simple and delicious! As soon as I get my memory card back from the husband, I will post pictures of the Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes and their cross section.