Name: Chocolate raspberry cupcakes recipe
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Makes: 12
Cuisine: Baking, British
Ingredients: 115g caster sugar; 115g unsalted butter, softened; 85g self raising flour; 30g cocoa powder; 2 eggs; 1tsp baking powder; Pinch of salt

By Jessica Ransom

last updated 18 August 2023

in Recipes

These chocolate raspberry cupcakes have a gooey raspberry centre and a rich chocolatey buttercream topping.

We have taken a classic cupcake recipe and added chocolate and raspberries to boost the indulgence factor. The cakes take 20 minutes to bake and can be enjoyed with or without the buttercream icing.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

115g caster sugar
115g unsalted butter, softened
85g self raising flour
30g cocoa powder
2 eggs
1tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

For the filling:

50g - 70g raspberry compote or raspberry jam

For the icing:

270g unsalted butter, softened
270g icing sugar
100g melted dark chocolate, cooled to room temperature
4tbsp cocoa powder
Raspberries, to decorate (optional)

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Method

Heat the oven at 170C (150C fan, Gas 3). Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Cream the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy, before beating in the eggs until well combined. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold in until smooth. Spoon into cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
To fill the cupcakes: Spoon the raspberry compote into an icing bag with a long round nozzle attachment.
Insert a kebab stick into the centre of the cupcake and wiggle around to make a little channel for the filling. Pipe in the raspberry compote until you feel it's about to overflow. Repeat with all the cakes.
For the icing: Beat the butter until pale and fluffy, sift the icing sugar in a little at a time and finally mix through the cooled melted chocolate. If the icing becomes too thin, add sifted cocoa powder to thicken it up.
Spread or pipe the chocolate icing onto the cupcakes. Top with fresh raspberries if liked.

Top tips for making chocolate raspberry cupcakes

You can add fresh raspberries to the filling if you like. Simply pipe in the coulis then push in a fresh raspberry on top to seal the hole. You can also add a raspberry or two to the cake batter before baking if you like. If you’d like more helpful tips and tricks, continue reading below.

How long do you let cupcakes cool before icing them?

You need to cool the cupcakes completely before you add any icing. If the cakes are still warm the icing will melt. You can bake the cupcakes the day before if you like, then add the icing just before serving.

How do you know when cupcakes are done?

Cupcakes are cooked when they are risen and smell like cake and not like raw ingredients. It’s harder to tell with chocolate cupcakes but plain cupcakes will have an even golden colour.

Another way to check is to insert a thin skewer or toothpick. It should come out clean with just a few cake crumbs but no raw cake batter. The cakes will continue to cook a little in the hot tin so if you can, you want to take the cakes out of the oven when they are just cooked and leave in the tin for 5-10 minutes to fully set.

Then cool completely on a wire rack. This also stops the cooking process.

Why use dark chocolate for cake making?

It’s important to use a good quality, high cocoa content chocolate when baking if you want a rich chocolate flavour. Food writer Jessica Ransom recommends using a bar that is at least 70 per cent. Her preferred percentage for baking is 85 per cent.

If you’ve invited friends or family over for tea and cake, give your cupcakes the professional presentation they deserve and serve them on a beautiful cake stand like this Mango Wood one from H&M

If you would like something less indulgent, our vanilla cupcake recipe is a great choice. Alternatively our rainbow cupcakes are a great bright and colourful bake and these mini cupcakes make a wonderful afternoon sweet treat.

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.