Valentine Chocolate and Raspberry Ganache Cupcake

I am so happy to share this cupcake with all of you, this is my very first blog post and I'm so excited to start to share with you my cupcake bakes and recipes, other endeavors like my music and drag artistry, along with my journey in life. This cupcake is something sweet, rich, and decadent for that special someone. I am so proud of this one and that it just happens to be for my first blog post. This is only my second cupcake that is completely made from scratch. The chocolate cake is super moist and delicious (if you don't have time to make the cake from scratch, use any boxed chocolate cake mix. I am not ashamed to say that many of my cupcake recipes until recently I used boxed mix and added to it. My frosts are always made from scratch). The raspberry ganache filling tastes amazing and is so quick and easy to make. Just three ingredients, semi-sweet chocolate chips, seedless raspberry jam, and hot heavy cream.

Top with my vanilla buttercream (honestly the best I have tasted, and I am not just saying that.), use a few drops of pastel pink food coloring and top with chocolate hearts. These hearts are super easy and quick to make. Melt some chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 second intervals (heat, stir, repeat until completely melted), spoon the chocolate into a piping bag (do not over fill), cut the very tip off of the bag. You can either pipe the chocolate hearts free style onto a sheet of wax paper, or like I did for my first try draw out some hearts on a sheet of paper and place underneath the wax paper and trace the chocolate over your hearts. Then pipe zig zag lines (or whatever pattern you like) in the center of the hearts, this will help give the hearts support so that way they don't break as you remove them from the wax paper. Then pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes. The chocolate will harden. Gently remove from the wax paper. I know mine below are not perfect, it was my first attempt making them and first attempt at chocolate work! I do think they're a lovely topper to the cupcake and the chocolate hearts compliment the pink buttercream beautifully.

These little cakes are soooo delicious, you will love them, and so will your valentine!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup granulated sugar

- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like to use Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened cocoa powder)

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon store-bought espresso powder

- 1/2 cup whole milk (you may also use buttermilk)

- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

- 1 large egg

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup boiling water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325º F. Place 12 cupcake liners in muffin pan and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Whisk together your dry ingredients. In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Whisk until mixture is well combined.

Now add your wet ingredients. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract to flour mixture, again mix until well combined. Carefully (don't burn yourself queen!) add boiling water to cupcake batter. Again, mix until well combined and your batter is smooth (batter will be thin and is supposed to be, girl don't worry, you didn't fuck it up).

Now it's time to bake! Evenly distribute your cupcake batter. Each cupcake liner should be 1/2 full. Place your tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. I check on these cakes at 19 minutes with a toothpick poked into the center of a cupcake, if the toothpick comes out clean the cakes are done. Remove from oven, let sit 5 minutes, turn your pan over, pop out the cupcakes, and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Filling:

2 and 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 cup heavy cream

Place both the chocolate chips and jam in a microwave safe medium bowl.

Heat up the heavy cream in small saucepan until it's hot, do not boil!

Pour the hot cream over your chocolate and jam. Do not stir, let it sit for 4 minutes.

Whisk your chocolate raspberry mixture until chocolate is melted and mixture is completely smooth. If your mixture is not completely smooth, then your chocolate may still need a little melting. Place the bowl into the microwave for 15 seconds then whisk again, this will do the trick.

Set chocolate raspberry ganache aside. Cute small circular pieces of cake out of the top of your cupcakes, set the pieces aside, you will need to place them back onto the top of your cupcakes after filling your cupcakes with the ganache.

Fill each of the holes with the ganache. You can either spoon the ganache filling in or use a piping bag. The ganache will fill the 12 cupcakes, with some filling left over for another batch.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

- 4 cups powdered white sugar

- 1 cup Butter (Salted Sweet Cream, softened at room temperature)

- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 2 tablespoons Milk

Add your softened butter and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand-mixer on medium speed until completely combined.

Then add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until it is well combined. Continue mixing at medium speed. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl throughout the mixing process. Your frosting will appear dry once all the ingredients thus far are completely combined.

Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is the proper consistency (I like it light and fluffy).

Add three drops of pastel colored pink food coloring to your white vanilla buttercream frosting, using a spatula gently fold the food coloring into the frosting until combined.

Using a piping bag and your choice of piping tip (I used Wilton 1M tip) frost the cupcakes.

Chocolate Hearts:

- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, microwave in 20 second intervals and then stir and repeat. Melting the chocolate should take about 2 minutes or less.

Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag and cut off the tip

Pipe your chocolate hearts onto wax paper free style or trace over a sheet of pre-drawn hearts (place hand drawn heart sheet underneath the wax paper)

Let cool in fridge for 30 minutes, chocolate will harden, gently remove from the wax paper