White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Despite my best efforts, I never seem to be able to use all of the leftovers in the fridge before they go bad. It used to be a big problem here; with the improvements we've made over the past year or so, it's much less of an issue, but still something we need to work on (in other words, we're still uncovering the occasional science experiment - eeew!). Every few days I try to pull out those things that have been pushed to the back of the shelves and figure out if I can utilize them in some way. That's basically how I got thinking about the idea for these cupcakes.

I found the leftover raspberry filling from the double chocolate raspberry cupcakes I made recently hiding in the fridge and though I'll admit I was super tempted just to make another batch of those cupcakes, ultimately I went in a different direction.  My first thought was to make vanilla cupcakes and use the raspberry filling inside, but I loved the raspberry/chocolate combo so much, I couldn't shake the idea.  I'd also just purchased a bunch of white chocolate from Trader Joe's (their baking chocolate is among my favorites - great quality, low price) and was eager to bake with it so the idea of a white chocolate raspberry cupcake was born.  I stuck with the raspberry filling for the inside of the cupcakes, and rather than using a ganache on top, I made a simple raspberry buttercream.



These cupcakes were shipped off to work with my mom who reported back that they were a hit with just about everyone. My favorite part was the raspberry buttercream - you can't beat a simple 3-ingredient recipe, especially one that tastes good and is such a pretty pink color. The cupcakes were good too; the white chocolate flavor came through, and despite the sweetness usually associated with white chocolate, the cupcakes themselves weren't overly sweet. I did think they were just a bit more dense than I prefer my cupcakes but since they were also moist, it wasn't a major drawback. It just gives me an excuse to try again (to make sure there wasn't any baker error) and experiment with other recipes. If I was forced to choose only one, I'd probably go with the double chocolate raspberry cupcakes over this version, but just by a slight margin. One thing is for sure, any time you pair chocolate with raspberries, I'm going to be happy!



White Chocolate Cupcakes
from Baking Bites

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.  Add the white chocolate to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring in between each interval, until melted and smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the white chocolate and vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture (in 3 additions) and milk (in 2 additions), starting and ending with the flour.  Beat just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, filling each about 2/3-3/4 full.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely.

Makes 15-18 cupcakes

Raspberry Filling
recipe here

Raspberry Buttercream
adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup raspberry filling (seedless raspberry jam works too)
6 cups confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and raspberry filling on medium speed until completely incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the confectioners' sugar (I like to sift as I add to avoid lumps), one cup at a time and beat until you reach your desired consistency.

To assemble the cupcakes: Use a paring knife to cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake.  Place a few teaspoons of the raspberry filling inside.  Cut the tip of the cone off and replace it on top of the cupcake.  Place the raspberry buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with your preferred tip, and frost the cupcakes.  Garnish with fresh raspberries if desired.