Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Hope you had a wonderful time with your family and friends.!
Working in retail, my Thanksgiving was cut short. I had to be at work at 10pm that night.
I wanted to bake something to bring for my co-workers and I found the recipe and had to try them.
I know, I know, another chocolate raspberry cupcake?
But let me tell you, when I tell you that these were good, they were good!
The frosting is made with fresh raspberries and tastes so good, I couldn't stop snacking on the leftovers. I got a super sugar high.
The cupcakes are slightly dry and the frosting was slightly liquid-y but the two together was the perfect combination.
If you love a chocolate-raspberry combo, like you all know I do, these are a must try.
I used dark chocolate coco powder instead of the coco powder that the recipe calls for and used Ghirardelli chocolate. I also used about a half cup- to a full cup more of powdered sugar to try to get a thicker consistency of the frosting, it was still a little watery but I actually ran out of powdered sugar. The last difference in my cupcakes versus the original recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod  was that I didn't have a fine sieve to get the raspberry seeds out of the frosting, but I didn't really think it made that much of a difference.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, (cubed)
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, (finely chopped)
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, (room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

For the Frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
1cup fresh raspberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heat proof bowl.
Microwave in 30 second spurts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth.
Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
Set aside.
In your mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, vanilla, and salt, whisking until well combined.
Add the chocolate mixture and continue to whisk until combined.
Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the bowl and when that's combined, add the Greek yogurt.
Sift the rest of the dry ingredients and combine, the batter will be thick.
Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners in your prepared muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool in pan a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the raspberry buttercream frosting.
In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries.
Pour the raspberries through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids, to remove the seeds.
Place butter, half of the powdered sugar, and raspberry puree into a mixing bowl.
Beat over low speed until well mixed.
Add the other half of the sugar, increase speed to medium.
Mix until light and fluffy.
Frost cooled cupcakes with the raspberry buttercream and top with a fresh raspberry, if desired.

Get Ready For A Sugar Rush!

Valentines Day is coming up in a few days and it's not too late to make something delicious for your Valentine, whether it be for your significant other, your child, or like me, your friend.
Even if your single you can celebrate Valentines Day! Don't let not having a significant other ruin the big day for you! Call up a friend and make some plans to see one of the movies out or go for lunch!
If you do end of baking for your Valentine, check out these Cotton Candy Cupcakes, I got the recipe off of  Bakingdom, and I love cotton candy so another perk of making them is you get to eat the left overs!

Cotton Candy Cupcakes
makes 14 cupcakes


For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, (softened)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
.5 (1/2 cup) ounce cotton candy 

For the frosting:
3 teaspoons heavy cream
1 (1 cup) ounce cotton candy
1 stick unsalted butter, (softened)
8 ounces powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line muffin pan with your paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Scrape the bowl before stirring in the cotton candy, be careful to not over mix the batter.
Scoop 3 tablespoons into each liner.
Bake 18-22 minuets until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
In a small bowl pour 1 1/2 teaspoon heavy cream over the cotton candy to melt it.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Stir in vanilla and cotton candy.
Beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds.
Add remaining cream if necessary.
Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes For Black Friday

This time of the year is so crazy when you work retail. My workplace started playing Christmas music the day after Halloween, making it hard not to get into the holiday mood early. I've finished my Christmas shopping, oh yeah that's right. I had to work black friday, but I'm was off by 9am so I might a well enjoy the deals, (wink, wink). Working black friday can be pretty chaotic, especially for black friday first timers. I wanted to bake something nice for my co workers on this intense busy day, so i decided Chocolate Mint Cupcakes would be perfect! I had Chasing Delicious's  recipe already in my bookmarks, there's a lot of "Need to try" recipes there.
I found adorable Martha Stewart cupcake liners at TJ Max for $1.99. I can not resist a good deal. Plus they were red which is the color that all the associates at my store have to wear so they were too perfect.
The cupcakes I made were, admittedly, not the prettiest I have ever made, my first dozen I put too much batter, following the recipe that said fill ht liners to just over the brim, (don't worry I'll fix that when I post the recipe at the bottom of this post), and the second dozen didn't have enough batter so they're quite small. But they're still really good, so I still consider them successful. The frosting was light and fluffy and not too pepperminty. I wish I would have chopped my chips a little but they weren't too big.
The recipe I got off of Chasing Delicious was kind of confusing, switching between ounces and cups for dry ingredients that did not make sense, but I'm putting what I put in my cupcakes on here.
Don't forget you can follow me on twitter at LearnAsYouGo_ to read whats going on with the blog between posts and you can also follow my personal twitter account KristenxBeth .

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen 


for the cupcakes
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, (softened)
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, (finely chopped)


for the frosting
2 sticks of unsalted butter, (softened)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line your muffin pan with paper liners.
Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs on at a time and mix well.
Add both extracts and mix well.
Add half the dry mixture in with the wet and mix until well combined.
Mix in the buttermilk.
Add the remaining dry mixture wight the chopped chocolate into the batter until just combined.
Spoon the batter into the lined muffin pan about 3/4 full.
Bake for 20-43 minutes or until a toothpick comes out barley clean.
Let cool and prepare the frosting by mixing all the ingredients until they form frosting.
Once the cupcakes are cool, using a piping back to frost the cupcakes.

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

I don't know if you know this about me, but my favorite soda is cherry coke. Especially when it's made with grenadine fresh at a bar. That's when they have the most flavor. So good.
Of corse I had to try to make these. There was the chance that chocolate coke was a odd tasting combination. But it was totally worth the risk.
I attempted to write "Coke" on the second one. You have to cut me some slack though because I am without the comforts of my house in Illinois. Like tips. That is right, I used a ziplock bag doing this.

There was an optional syrup on top of the cupcake and I think it's a good choice to add a little bit of coke flavor. Also, I used grenadine instead of the cherry juice. The original recipe that Annie's Eats used had only one cherry in the middle of the cupcake, she opted to use 4 or 5 but I went for three. The cupcakes are really moist and flavorful. Maybe a little more cherry flavor in the cupcake?

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, (softened)

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup Coca-Cola

1/4 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice

2 teaspoon vanilla

maraschino cherries, (stemless)

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons Coca-Cola

For topping:

2/3 cup heavy cream

3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

maraschino cherries to add to the top

Preheat oven to 350.

Line your cupcake pan with your liners.

In a medium bowl combine the four, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

Stir together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

Mix in the egg until incorporated.

In a bowl, combine the buttermilk, coke, cherry juice, and vanilla.

Mix the dry ingredients into the stand mixer on low speed and alternate with the liquid and dry, beginning and ending with the try and mixing until just incorporated. 

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners.

Put 4 or 5 cherries into each cupcake and push them into the batter.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and coke in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. 

Spoon or drizzle a small amount on the top of each cupcake and allow to set before adding the whipped frosting. 

To make the whipped cream frosting, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment.

Begin whipping on medium speed, slowly adding the powdered sugar and gradually increasing the speed to high as the cream holds soft peaks.

Whip until the cream holds still peaks, be careful not to over beat them.

Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes and top each with a cherry.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Last Christmas I made red velvet cookies. They were supposed to be a sandwich cookie and they were alright. That was my first and only encounter with red velvet.
I knew I was going to bring in one last treat to work for my last day, one last goodbye. I told that to my manager, Joanna and she requested that I brought in some red velvet cupcakes. I had already bookmarked a red velvet recipe, by Annie's Eats so I made that my plan.
I honestly don't know what the signature red velvet flavor is, perhaps it can only be described at red velvet. I did notice that the ingredients included a small amount of cocoa powder and white distilled vinegar.
This recipe calls for two tablespoons of red liquid food coloring. I must admit that I saw red food color on the list of ingredients and thought, I have that, and didn't think about it again. Then it came to actually measuring the two table spoons. Lets just say I went through three little red food color squirters, and what I had left of the whole bottle of red food coloring. So worth it though.
Also cake flour is quite expensive so I used normal all purpose flour and they still were amazing.
Even the frosting was delicious and I don't like cream cheese. I brought these to work and everyone was saying how delicious they were. They were so moist and the flavor was amazing, these might just be the best cupcake I have ever had, let alone made.
Try these, make these, love these.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

makes 24 cupcakes
For the cakes:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tsp distilled white vinegar


For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons butter, (softened)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, (sifted)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake pans with your cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk the dry ingredients.
In the bowl of your standing mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar; beat on medium speed until well blended.
Mix in the dry ingredients into the standing mixer on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.
Bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in the pans between five and ten minutes and then place on cooling racks to cool completely until frosting.
To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of your electric mixer.
Beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 3 minutes.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.
Frost cupcakes and enjoy.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

My parents wanted me to make some cupcakes for their annual Forth of July Rib Fest. Instead of following the typical Forth of July theme I really wanted to make a summer cupcake and I asked preferences from my Mom and Dad and this is the one we chose. I was really happy with my decision to make a cupcake that wasn't chocolate, I needed to switch it up. This recipe was also a learning experience for me because I learned what lemon zest was. The recipe is from Annie's Eats, I don't like a lot of frosting on my cupcakes, so if you do disregard this, but I'd recommend cutting the frosting recipe in half. Also, the cupcakes took much longer to bake for me than the recipe said. I'm told the cupcakes are delish, I however couldn't tell you, they were all gone before I could even snag one.
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
makes 23 cupcakes 
For the cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon zest
12 tablespoons of butter (softened)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries 


For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar


For the frosting:
1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
12 ounces cream cheese (softened)
18 tablespoons butter (softened)
2 2/3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Part I: Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line your cupcake pans with liners.
In a medium sized bowl, not your mixer bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest and then set aside.
In your mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it is fluffy.
Add the sugar and beat until combined.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scrape the sides of the bowl after you add each one.
Add half the flour mixture and beat on low speed.
Fold in the strawberries with a spatula.
Fill each liner about 3/4 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring onto the cooling rack.

Part II: Lemon Syrup
Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and the confectioners' sugar on a small bowl.
Poke several holes in the cupcakes using a skewer or a straw.
Pour the syrup over the cupcakes and allow it to soak in.

Part III: Frosting
Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender.
Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds and set aside.
Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about five minutes.
Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Mix in strawberry puree, a little bit at a time until you reach the texture and flavor you want.
Frost the cupcakes and garnish as desired.

Chocolate + Raspberry = Heaven

I know everyone has been mad at me for not posting in a while, I've noticed a trend myself that every other month is when I post new recipes, and I swear that I'll be better. One of the reasons I've been mia is that I've had quite a few changes lately. I've gotten a second job, became single, I got a new car about a week ago that I absolutely love, I decided to move to florida (which will allow me to blog more because I'm moving in with my Grandparents and I've already told my Grandmother that they're are going to be forced to eat my cooking) in about a month and a few weeks, and my birthday was just over a week ago and I turned 20! Proud to say that I am no loner a teenager, but still not old enough to go the bars with my friends, sadly.
I've noticed that I've been making more cupcakes than cookies in the past months, which is weird because I've always been more of a cookie person. Maybe cookies are my fall-winter dessert and cupcakes are my spring-summer dessert? Whatever the reason I stumbled upon this Chocolate raspberry cupcake recipe and I couldn't wait to try it out! And what a better occasion than my birthday?
Now, before I take all the credit, my good friend Joanna offered to help me with the hard parts so while I made and baked the cupcakes, she was an angel sent from God, and made the filling and the chocolate ganache, AND filled and frosted them while I cooked other stuff. So special thanks to Joanna, for helping me make these in half the time it would have taken me.
This recipe makes so many cupcakes that I have a lot left over so I'm taking some to work with me tonight and to my aunt and uncles house as well.
I got this recipe from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. And let me just say that these cupcakes are the best that I've ever made or had. They are so moist and the raspberry filling is so delicious. Let's just say these cupcakes are a must try!
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
makes about 40 cupcakes
3 ounces of semisweet chocolate, (I used some semisweet chocolate chips that we had at the house)
1 1/2 cups of hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Filling
1 12oz bad of frozen raspberries, (thawed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Chocolate Ganache
12oz of bittersweet chocolate, (finely thawed)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup 
3 tablespoons butter, (softened) 

Part I: Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line your cupcake pans with the liners.
Put the chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl.
Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate and let it sit until the chocolate is melted and then whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl, but not in your mixer, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat together your eggs.
On medium speed, add the all the wet ingredients, including the chocolate mixture, until they are well blended.
Add the dry ingredients about a half a cup at a time and leave on medium speed until incorporated.
Fill the paper liners about 3/4 full, (I used the 1/2 cup measuring cup to do so), and bake for 18-20 minutes, until you can pull out a clean toothpick.
Transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

Part II: Raspberry Filling
Put the raspberries into a food processor, (or if you don't have one like myself, your blender) and process until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sleeve into a small saucepan to remove the seeds, 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 reached a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
Let cool before filling the cupcakes.

Part III: Chocolate Ganache
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
Combine the cream, corn syrup, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Immediately pour the mixture from the saucepan over the chocolate once you've reached the boil and let it sit until the chocolate is melted.
Whisk together until smooth, then add the butter one tablespoon at a time, whisking until completely combined.
Let the mixture stand at room temperature to thicken before topping the cupcakes.

Part IV: Assembly
To fill the cupcakes with the raspberry filling you can either use a pastry bag and insert the tip and fill the cupcakes that way or you can core the cupcakes with a paring knife and fill them using a spoon, Joanna tried both and found that the later was the most efficient option.
Spread the ganache over the top and you can add a raspberry on top for an extra touch.
I kept the cupcakes in the fridge, they taste quite good cool. Trust me, it's a lot of work, but they are sooooo worth it in the end.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes.

I found this recipe for root beer float cupcakes by How Sweet It Is, and I could not wait to make them, I had seen root beer concentrate at the store a few times and always wondered what I could make with it.
The recipe only makes a dozen cupcakes so it's perfect for a day like this, dark and stormy so you can stay home and enjoy them with your family (or for yourself). My mom was worried about the root beer- chocolate combination but the cupcakes sure did disappear fast while I was at work...
Root Beer Float Cupcakes
makes 1 dozen
1 1/8 cups flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4  cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 teaspoons root beer concentrate
1/3 cup root beer
1/2 cup & 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat the oven to 359
In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and there isn't any lumps left. Add cream, butter and vanilla, mix until combines.
Sir in sour cream
Sift dry ingredients together and add to mixture.
Add root beer concentrate and root beer. Mix until batter is smooth
Line a muffin tin with liners
Using a heaping 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each liner.
Bake 15-18 minutes
Let them cool completely before frosting!

Vanilla & Root Beer Frosting
1 1/2 sticks of butter (softened)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon root beer extract


In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
On low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time, increasing speed to bring the frosting together.
Then, add the milk and vanilla, beat until smooth.
Remove almost all the vanilla frosting, leave behind about 1/2 of a cup in the mixer.
Set aside the vanilla frosting.
Add the root beer extract to the remaining frosting and beat until it comes together.
Prep two pastry bags or spoons will work too, fill one with each frosting and wait until the cupcakes have completely cooled.
Fill each cupcake with the root beer frosting and frost the tops with the vanilla.
Add hot fudge or chocolate syrup on the tops for the perfect touch.

Winter is the time for peppermint, and coffee!

I'm always looking for a reason to bake and my co-workers are always happy for a treat waiting in the break room. I've never made cupcakes from scratch before, so I decided to make them my guinea pigs for my first batch. These cupcakes sounded so good, I loved my last experience baking with mint and coffee baked goods are always delish! Nevertheless, I was super nervous! My parents and boyfriend always try everything first, and they told me that the cupcakes were really good! Even better, everyone at work loved them too! I had to improvise with the ingredients a little, and they seemed to take forever to make, and I admit, I cheated with the frosting (don't stone me!),  but from what everyone said, the cupcakes are totally worth it! Pure & Yummy posted this recipe before me and here it is:
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
makes 35 cupcakes
2 2/3 cups flour
2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tsp. espresso powder (I couldn't find this so I used my dads instant decaf coffee)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 tsp. peppermint extract
2 sticks unsalted butter- at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and like your cupcake pans with your paper liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir together.
In a another medium sized bowl, combine the milk, coffee and peppermint extract.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Beat on medium high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minuets, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the dry and liquid ingredients alternating between the two. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into the cupcake liners; about 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool for 5-10 minuets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

after all that work, I wasn't in the mood to make the peppermint frosting. Knowing myself ahead of time I bought a container of buttercream frosting. I don't usually like to not make something from scratch, but I gave myself a break, being the first time making cupcakes.
I put all the frosting in a bowl and added a dash of the peppermint extract and red food coloring and mixed it together, adding more food coloring until I got the color I liked.