Moist Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

These chocolate raspberry cupcakes bring together two flavors that were made for each other. Each one starts as a moist dark chocolate cupcake, then gets a pocket of raspberry chocolate ganache tucked into the center and a generous swirl of raspberry buttercream on top. A single fresh raspberry finishes the look.

The recipe makes 12 cupcakes. Prep takes about 45 minutes, the cupcakes bake for 18 minutes, and decorating adds roughly 20 minutes, so this is a comfortable weekend project rather than a rushed weeknight bake.

I make them for Valentine’s Day, but they work just as well for birthdays, showers, and any table where you want a dessert that looks like it came from a bakery.

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

You will love these because the chocolate base is moist and fluffy, never dry or crumbly. Inside, the raspberry chocolate filling gives every bite a tart little surprise, and the raspberry buttercream on top is sweet with a bright, fruity finish.

Chocolate and raspberry show up three ways, so the pairing never gets lost in the crumb. They also travel well, which makes them an easy choice for a potluck or a bake sale table.

Ingredients for Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

The ingredient list covers three parts: the cupcake batter, the ganache filling, and the frosting, plus fresh raspberries for the tops. Here is exactly what you need.

For the chocolate cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the raspberry chocolate ganache

• 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves

For the raspberry buttercream

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries, measured then ground
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Sour cream is the quiet hero here. It keeps the crumb extra moist, and the same goes for whole milk, which gives better results than a lighter milk.

Dutch process cocoa powder is what gives these cupcakes their deep chocolate color and rounded flavor, and the espresso powder, which is optional, does not make them taste like coffee. It simply pushes the chocolate forward. If you skip it, the cupcakes still work beautifully.

Raspberry preserves do double duty. They go into the ganache for a fruity note against the chocolate and into the buttercream for that sweet and tart finish.

Freeze dried raspberries, ground to a fine powder, carry the most concentrated raspberry flavor of anything in the frosting, which is why the buttercream tastes like real berries instead of just sugar.

Baking powder and baking soda work together for lift, and a pinch of salt in the frosting keeps everything from tasting flat.

Step by Step Instructions

There are four stages here: bake the cupcakes, make the ganache, make the buttercream, then assemble. Both the ganache and the buttercream need a little resting time, so I usually start the ganache once the cupcakes are in the oven and make the frosting while they cool.

For the chocolate cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners and set it aside.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set the bowl aside.
3. Add the granulated sugar and softened butter to a large bowl. Cream them together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until fluffy. A stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment works just as well.
4. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, then mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Mix in the milk and sour cream on low speed.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine on low speed, just until the batter comes together.
7. Fill each cupcake liner three quarters of the way full with batter. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean from the centers.
8. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Resist the urge to pull them early. Chocolate cupcakes can look set while the middle is still wet, so the toothpick test matters more here than it does with a vanilla cake. If your oven runs hot, start checking at 17 minutes.

For the raspberry chocolate ganache

1. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat, just until it is steaming and about to boil.
2. Add the chopped semi sweet chocolate to a medium sized bowl.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes to melt. Stir to combine until smooth.
4. Add the raspberry preserves and stir them in.
5. Let the ganache cool for 15 minutes so it thickens, then transfer it to a piping bag.

If the ganache still feels loose after 15 minutes, give it a few more minutes at room temperature. It should hold a soft ribbon, not run off the spoon.

For the raspberry buttercream

1. Add the softened butter and the pinch of salt to a large bowl. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until the butter is smooth, pale in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
3. Place the freeze dried raspberries in a baggie and roll them with a rolling pin until they become a fine powder.
4. Add the crushed raspberries, raspberry preserves and vanilla to the frosting. Mix on low speed to combine, then on medium high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
5. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. A Wilton 1M tip gives a clean swirl that suits these cupcakes well.

Assembling the cupcakes

1. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, remove a bit of the center from each one with a cupcake corer, then fill each cavity with the raspberry chocolate ganache.
2. Pipe a generous amount of raspberry buttercream on top of each cupcake, add a fresh raspberry for decoration, and serve.

Filling the cupcakes while they are still warm will melt the ganache and soften the crumb, so give them the full cooling time. If you are taking these to a gathering, fill and frost them close to serving and keep them in a single layer so the swirls stay neat.

Pro Tips

A few small habits make a big difference with this recipe. None of them are complicated, and each one protects the texture you are working for.

• Measure the flour properly. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife, or use a kitchen scale. One cup of flour equals 125 grams. Scooping the measuring cup straight into the flour bag packs in far too much flour, and that is the most common reason cupcakes turn out dense.
• Bring the wet ingredients to room temperature. The egg, egg yolk, milk and sour cream all behave better at room temperature. Cold ingredients can make the cupcakes gummy or keep them from rising properly.
• Use a cookie scoop. A cookie scoop makes filling the liners faster, more even, and far less messy than a spoon, and it keeps every cupcake the same size.
• Whip the butter fully. For the fluffiest buttercream, beat the butter until it is pale in color and fluffy before anything else goes in. That step is what builds the light texture.

The one step worth slowing down for is the flour. Weigh it if you can, and the cupcakes will reward you with a tender crumb.

Leftovers keep well in an airtight container for up to three days. Regular cocoa powder can stand in for Dutch process cocoa powder if that is what you have on hand, and the espresso powder is optional, though it does give the cupcakes a richer chocolate flavor.

If you make these cupcakes, please leave a star review and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations. I love seeing them show up at potlucks, bake sales, and family tables.

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Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

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Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes These chocolate raspberry cupcakes bring together two flavors that were made for each other. Each one starts as a moist dark chocolate cupcake, then gets a pocket of raspberry chocolate ganache tucked into the center and a generous swirl of raspberry buttercream on top.

• Total Time: 0 min
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the Raspberry Chocolate Ganache
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

For the Raspberry Buttercream
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries, measured then ground
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

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Instructions

For the Chocolate Cupcakes
1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners and set aside.
2-In a small bowl sift together all: In a small bowl sift together all purpose flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set aside.
3-Add granulated sugar and softened butter to: Add granulated sugar and softened butter to a large bowl. Cream together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. (You can also use a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)
4-Then add in the egg, egg yolk: Then add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
5-Next mix in the milk and sour: Next mix in the milk and sour cream on low speed.
6-Add the dry ingredients to the wet: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine on low speed.
7-Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the: Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out clean from the centers.
8-Let the cupcakes cool in the pan: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Raspberry Chocolate Ganache
9-Heat the heavy cream over medium heat,: Heat the heavy cream over medium heat, just until steaming and about to boil.
10-Add the chopped semi-sweet chocolate to a: Add the chopped semi-sweet chocolate to a medium sized bowl.
11-Pour the hot cream over the chocolate: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir to combine.
12-Add in the raspberry preserves and combine: Add in the raspberry preserves and combine.
13-Let the ganache cool for 15 minutes,: Let the ganache cool for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a piping bag.

For the Raspberry Buttercream
14-Add the softened butter and salt to: Add the softened butter and salt to a large bowl. Beat the butter on high speed with an electric mixer until it is smooth, pale in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
15-Add in the powdered sugar and mix: Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
16-Add the freeze dried raspberries to a: Add the freeze dried raspberries to a baggie and roll them with a rolling pin until they are crushed into a fine powder.
17-Add the crushed freeze dried raspberries, raspberry: Add the crushed freeze dried raspberries, raspberry preserves and vanilla to the frosting. Mix on low speed to combine, then medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
18-Add the frosting to a piping bag: Add the frosting to a piping bag fit with a decorative tip. (My favorite to use is my Wilton 1M tip.)

Assembling the Cupcakes
19-Once the cupcakes are completely cooled remove: Once the cupcakes are completely cooled remove a bit of the centers of each using a cupcake corer. Fill each with the raspberry chocolate ganache.
20-Pipe a generous amount of raspberry buttercream: Pipe a generous amount of raspberry buttercream on top of each cupcake. Add a fresh raspberry on top of each cupcake for decoration, then serve!

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 45 min
• Cook Time: 18 min
• Method: bake