This is one of the first recipes that I have posted that I cannot really claim as "frugal". You have to use quality ingredients to create a quality cup cake. And quality, decadence, and eye candy is what I was going for here. For the first time in my life, I entered a baking contest this past weekend. A Cup Cake Bake-Off at a local festival, to be exact. Now while I did not take the top prize, I did place third so I think I am able to claim my cup cake recipe as award-winning, right? ;)
The inspiration for my cup cake recipe came after my family and I had visited Pittsburgh over the weekend for a Pirates game and to have dinner at one our favorite local restaurants. Since finding good craft beer is a challenge in our hometown, we carried out a six-pack from the above-mentioned restaurant. Included in this six-pack was a bottle of Lindeman's Framboise Lambic. Now you could use any raspberry lambic that you like, but I am partial to Lindeman's.
What you will need to make 12 cup cakes:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp of canola oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup raspberry lambic beer
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- Raspberry puree (2/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed; 1 tbsp of sugar; 3 tbsp of water- blend all 3 together until smooth & then strain out seeds with a wire mesh strainer.)
Straining out the raspberry seeds
Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, beating well.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
Add vanilla and beat again.
Mix together beer and evaporated milk in a measuring cup and then quickly add and beat into the butter mixture. (Don't wait too long after mixing to add it to the batter! It will start curdling like a Irish Car Bomb that didn't get chugged fast enough. ;) )
Beat in the flour mixture to the beer/butter mixture a little bit at time.
Now you have your Framboise batter, raspberry puree, and cupcake liners all ready to go. Start by filling each cup cake liner 1/3 full with batter. Then add a tbsp or so of raspberry puree, and then top with a little more batter.
Using a toothpick, thoroughly swirl the raspberry puree and batter in each cup cake liner until it looks a little something like the photo above and to the right.
Bake the cup cakes at 375 for 17 minutes, or until slightly golden & a toothpick in the center comes out with little more than a bit of raspberry on it.
Let the cup cakes cool completely before you even think about frosting them with the rich chocolate frosting below. ;)
Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
What you will need:
1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled ( I used baking chocolate.)
1 tbsp of cocoa powder
A few splashes of Framboise (optional)
Using the whisk attachment for your mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then gradually whisk in the powdered sugar. Do this on low speed unless you want powdered sugar flying everywhere! Once the powdered sugar is well incorporated, add the vanilla and beat again on medium-high. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
(Note: To melt the chocolate, cut into smaller pieces and microwave in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time. Mix after each 30 second interval until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Then let cool for about 10 minutes.)
Make sure you continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically so that everything is mixed well. If you prefer, add a few splashes of Framboise to the frosting and beat well.
Now get your icing bag (or in my case, gallon-sized food storage bag) and frosting tips and frost away.
I garnished my cup cakes with some bittersweet chocolate shavings and a fresh raspberry.
Pssst.... I made this cupcake carrier myself. I used an empty cereal box, some wrapping paper, and a box cutter.
Just wrap the cereal box with wrapping paper (I was lucky that I found cup cake wrapping paper at the dollar store!), and then cut large X's in the top of the wrapped box with a box cutter. That's it! Cute, functional, and disposable!
Cup cake recipe adapted from Miss Make.
Frosting recipe adapted from the browneyedbaker.
Framboise Raspberry Cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
by
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Ingredients (12 cupcakes)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp of canola oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup raspberry lambic beer
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- Raspberry puree (2/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed; 1 tbsp of sugar; 3 tbsp of water- blend all 3 together until smooth & then strain out seeds with a wire mesh strainer.)
- 1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 oz of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled ( I used baking chocolate.)
- 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
- A few splashes of Framboise (optional)
Instructions
For the cupcakes
Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, beating well.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
Add vanilla and beat again.
Mix together beer and evaporated milk in a measuring cup and then quickly add and beat into the butter mixture. (Don't wait too long after mixing to add it to the batter! It will start curdling like a Irish Car Bomb that didn't get chugged fast enough. ;) )
Beat in the flour mixture to the beer/butter mixture a little bit at time.
Now you have your Framboise batter, raspberry puree, and cupcake liners all ready to go. Start by filling each cup cake liner 1/3 full with batter. Then add a tbsp or so of raspberry puree, and then top with a little more batter.
Using a toothpick, thoroughly swirl the raspberry puree and batter in each cup cake liner until it looks a little something like the photo above and to the right.
Bake the cup cakes at 375 for 17 minutes, or until slightly golden & a toothpick in the center comes out with little more than a bit of raspberry on it.
Let the cup cakes cool completely before you even think about frosting them with the rich chocolate frosting.
For the frosting
Using the whisk attachment for your mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then gradually whisk in the powdered sugar. Do this on low speed unless you want powdered sugar flying everywhere!
Once the powdered sugar is well incorporated, add the vanilla and beat again on medium-high. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
(Note: To melt the chocolate, cut into smaller pieces and microwave in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time. Mix after each 30 second interval until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Then let cool for about 10 minutes.)
Make sure you continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically so that everything is mixed well. If you prefer, add a few splashes of Framboise to the frosting and beat well.
Now get your icing bag (or in my case, gallon-sized food storage bag) and frosting tips and frost away.
I garnished my cup cakes with some bittersweet chocolate shavings and a fresh raspberry.
