The Baking Bug Hits Again!

Even with the heat of summer and no central air conditioning, the baking bug has hit again! 

Fresh berries are in season and available everywhere.  USE THEM!!!!  They are fabulous! 

Raspberry is one of my favorite flavors.  I use it year round including Christmas when I make White Chocolate Raspberry bars...check back in December for that one!

Today's creation couldn't be just about the berry though.  It's been too stressful of a week (the first week back from vacation always is).  Oh no...I wanted to recreate that one piece of candy I always look for in the Valentines Day box of chocolate.

Are you getting my vision yet...no.  Wait for it...Raspberry filled Dark Chocolate Cupcakes!!!!!  Can you say yummy????

Not just regular raspberry filling either.  This is a cream cheese raspberry filling made with Grand Marnier.  Pure decadence!!!!!! 

Then it gets better...could it be?!?!?!

YES IT COULD!!!  Add fresh raspberry buttercream frosting!!!!!!  OMG!!!!!!  Seriously, I've died and gone to heaven. 

This is not a child's cupcakes.  This is for the serious chocolate lover.  This is for the person that understands that you should take your time to eat it.  It is an indulgence! 



Enjoy with a your favorite glass of wine.  I assure you that anything that went wrong in your day will disappear!!!!

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Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Raspberry Filling

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

10 cups powdered sugar

8oz fresh raspberries

Dark Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons sour cream

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (32oz) package powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Start with the filling ingredients.  Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Add vanilla, salt, Grand Marnier, mix well.  Add powdered sugar 2 cups at a time until blended, then on high whip until fluffy.  Add in the fresh raspberries.  Mix until well combined.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While filling is in the refrigerator, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar until smooth.  Add milk, cream, butter, and vanilla; mix until combined. Add in sour cream.  In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.  Mix until batter is smooth.  Line cupcake pan with liners.  Fill each liner with 1/4 cup mixture.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes until slightly cool. Using a filling injector (can be found at Michaels in the baking aisle), inject filling into cupcake...slowly as not to overfill.

For the frosting, in a mixing bowl, combine butter, raspberries, vanilla, and salt.  Beat on medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.  Mix on low until blended and smooth after each addition.  Once cupcakes are cooled completely, frost.

***NOTES***

Powdered sugar is very sweet.  I always taste my frosting and fillings in between additions of sugar.  I rarely use all that is called for. 

Make sure you rinse and carefully dry your berries before use.

One last thing...I was wondering if anybody else's counter looks like this when baking???? 

S'mores & Birthday's Are The Perfect Combination

I very much dislike s'mores!!!!  I don't hate them, but I don't particularly care for them. 

Why do I dislike them you may ask.  Well, they are sticky.  I don't like sticky foods.  Usually you have them while camping.  I'm not a camper!  They involve marshmallow's.  I don't like marshmallow, except for those sugar covered peeps at Easter. 

My son, however, thinks s'mores are the very best food ever invented.  I am sure that if I would let him, he would eat them morning, noon, and night!  Today also happened to be his birthday.  Is there a better way to celebrate than combining both of our favorite things?  Cupcakes and s'mores!!!!  Yummy!!!!

Yes, that is marshmallow coming out of the top! OMG, really, I think THIS was the best idea ever!!!!!!!!!!!  While they were a little fussy to make (I don't usually do fuss), they were incredible! 

Then I frosted them...with MARSHMALLOW frosting!  I know before that I do not prefer marshmallows...I was wrong!!  I wanted to eat a big bowl of frosting.  It is my new favorite. 

I don't even want to share these, they were so good.  But, it was my son's birthday.  So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!!!

Right after this picture, he claimed it was the best birthday ever. Then we played Rock Band...I'm awesome at it!  I think there will need to be a contest soon.  We'll leave that to another post! 

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S'MORES CUPCAKES

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup oil
6 - 8 jumbo marshmallows cut in half

Graham Cracker Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk.
Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.
Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.
Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.
Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.
Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.
Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.
Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle with more topping mixture.
Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case. I had a little bit ooze over into the oven. Oops.
This recipe will make at least 12 cupcakes. I had a some batter from each left over so you can probably get more like 14-16.


MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

4 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tub (16oz) marshmallow cream (I used Fluff)

Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix butter until cream.  Beat in 1/4 of the sugar until fluffy, repeat with remaining sugar.  Beat in vanilla, then stir in marshmallow cream until well blended.