Raspberry Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

Raspberry Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

So here's the deal, guys. I made these cupcakes with the frosting from the original recipe, but they don't need it. In fact, I think it kind of detracts from the overall cupcake. So don't worry about frosting these. Buy or make some whipped cream (it takes three minutes, a standing mixer, a cup of heavy cream, and a tablespoon of sugar) and top it on.

Cupcakes:

3 egg whites

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/3 cup flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) + 1 tbsp soft butter

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk together egg whites, milk, and vanilla.

In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder, then whisk in sugar. Add the butter and beat until combined (the mixture will form fine crumbs, like sand). Add in the egg white mixture gradually.

When ingredients are all combined, the dough will be slightly sticky and thick, like biscuit dough.

Fill cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Bake for 13 minutes, turn, bake 13 minutes. Let cool.

Makes about 12.

When the cupcakes are cool, core them gently using a serrated blade or apple corer. Spoon jam into the hole. Cover with whipped cream.

Frosting:

Seriously, don't make the frosting. But if you want it for another recipe someday (and it is pretty tasty, just not with these cupcakes), here it is:

(don't make it)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup raspberry jam

2-3 cups xxx sugar

Beat butter until fluffy. Add jam. Beat in sugar until you reach the desired consistency; add cream to thin if necessary.

Recipe adapted from The Baking Robot.

(Cupcakes or cookies? It's a tough choice. Click click click)

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Almond Frosting

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream

I think my favorite part of these cupcakes is how elegant they look, even though the decorating is really easy! Also, no I will not stop making cupcakes with raspberries. I love raspberries.

Cupcakes:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

4 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used a Ghirardelli bar)

1 cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

24 large red raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in the melted chocolate.

In another bowl, sift together flour and soda. Add alternately with buttermilk; add vanilla. Mix until just combined.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 13 minutes, turn, bake 13 minutes.

Warning: these cupcakes rise out, not up, so be careful not to overfill the baking cups. I ended up having the trim the edges off a bunch of the cupcakes because they were so overflowed. Also, the cupcakes are not very structurally sound when baked, so be gentle with them -- I lost two or three because they just fell apart while I was handling them.

Let cool.

When cool, use a small serrated knife or apple corer to cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake. Place a raspberry inside the hole.

Makes 24.

Icing/Decoration:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soft

3 cups sifted xxx sugar

1 tbsp almond extract

chocolate syrup

24 red raspberries

24 chocolate chips

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and almond extract and beat until smooth. If the frosting is not yet the right consistency to pipe, you can add more sugar to stiffen it or a tablespoon of cream to make it softer.

Using a piping bag, pipe a spiral of frosting on top of each cupcake, covering the cored center.

Place a single chocolate chip inside each raspberry.

Drizzle chocolate syrup over frosted cupcakes so that it kind of runs down and gets in the grooves of the icing.

Place a raspberry on top of each.

This cupcake, like I said, looks fabulous for very little work, and the cupcake itself tastes delicious. However, the cake part is very fragile, and I think I might make a few adjustments to the recipe if I were to try it again. On the other hand, making the batter chocolate by stirring in the melted chocolate bar creates an amazing flavor, so definitely keep that part.

In terms of how many raspberries to buy, 48 of them is about what you'd expect to get out a pint box.

Adapted from The Baking Robot.

Black Raspberry Shortcakes

Black Raspberry Shortcakes

These super delicious cupcakes are also very low on sugar, if you're cooking for someone who is trying to avoid refined sugars. I used black raspberries because I want to take advantage of the season, but obviously any other fresh seasonal fruit would be great.

Cupcakes:

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 tbsp almond extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in the butter. You can do this either with a pastry cutter or your hands, mushing it together until it forms coarse crumbs. If you have ever made pie dough, this is the same idea.

Stir in whipping cream, almond extract, and eggs, using a fork or bread hook, until dough forms.

Roll medium-sized balls of dough and place into the bottom of lined cupcake tins. They should fit evenly into the tins.

Bake for 8 minutes, turn, bake for 7 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 22.

Black Raspberry Whipped Cream:

1 1/2 cups fresh black raspberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

Wash black raspberries and mix with sugar. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Whip the cream until it gains body and forms stiff peaks. Be careful not to whip for too long or you will get butter!

Drain the raspberries of any residual liquid, then stir into the whipped cream.

To finish:

3/4 cup fresh black raspberries

Remove the shortcakes from their wrappers and slice them in half using a serrated knife. Top each bottom half generously with the whipped cream, then replace the top. Add fresh black raspberries to garnish.

Adapted from Betty Crocker.

White Wine Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting and Raspberries

White Wine Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting and Raspberries

First up, I have to admit that these cupcakes didn't turn out very well. The texture was great, but they tasted extremely yeasty and musty. My thinking is that I used the wrong kind of white wine -- I know that's where the taste came from, and I assume that the kind I used was not actually meant for baking. The recipe suggests using a reisling, so maybe that is the way to go. On the other hand, although I didn't like the taste, one of my taste testers loved these, so maybe it's up to individual preferences. You be the judge!

Cupcakes:

2/3 cup (13 2/3 tbsp, or about 1 and 2/3 stick) butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 3/4 cup flour

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sweet white wine

6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In one bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. In another, sift together flour and baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter, alternating with the wine.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn tins, bake 10 minutes. Let cool.

Makes about 22.

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter

6 oz. white chocolate

2 1/2 cups xxx sugar

1 1/2 tsp sweet white wine

Melt your white chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave; if you use a microwave, remember to do it in small increments, stirring often, so it doesn't burn. Let cool somewhat.

Cream butter until fluffy. Add in white chocolate, then sift in xxx sugar and wine. The icing may get somewhat runny because of the warm chocolate; if necessary, sit it in the fridge for a little while to cool.

When the frosting is the correct consistency, frost your cupcakes. This recipe makes more icing than is strictly necessary, so I was extremely generous with the frosting. I do think it can balance the cupcakes well.

To finish:

Garnish with fresh or thawed frozen raspberries. I used black raspberries because they're in season right now, but red raspberries and white wine are a classic combination.

As I said, the biggest problem with this recipe was the yeasty taste from the wine. I think with a more delicately flavored wine they could be really good. And the cake was wonderfully light from all the egg whites. I'd love to hear from anyone who tries this recipe and see whether you had more success!

Recipe adapted from We Are Not Martha.

Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes with Graham Cracker Crust

Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes with Graham Cracker Crust

Crust:

1 1/2 cups fine ground graham crackers (if they come in one of those boxes with the three packets of about six crackers each? One packet is about right.)

3 tbsp melted butter

3 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Mix together the graham crackers, butter, and sugar. Press one tablespoon into the bottom of each of your cupcake liners. Bake for 5 minutes.

Raspberry:

6 oz fresh raspberries

2 tbsp sugar

Puree the raspberries in a food processor until smooth. Pass the puree through a fine sieve to strain out all the seeds; discard seeds. Mix the sugar into the raspberry puree.

Cupcakes:

2 lb cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

Beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy. I did not beat mine sufficiently, and there ended up being lumps in the finished batter. Don't be me!

Slowly pour in the sugar and continue to beat. Add vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined.

Spoon 1/4 cup of batter over each little crust. You can add more if you prefer a thicker cheesecake; it didn't affect the baking time for me. Put a small spoonful of raspberry over the batter, then swirl it into the batter with a toothpick or skewer. The picture to the right shows the process for this.

The recipe then asks you to take your tin and put it in a roasting pan, half filled with water, and bake like that. I wasn't sure why, so I did one batch as, and one just plain. The main difference that I saw was that the ones baked in water stayed puffier after they'd been taken out of the oven and didn't sink in the middles, but honestly it wasn't hugely significant? I'm not sure if it made a difference in overall moistness or something, but my conclusion was that you can if you want, but it's not vital.

Anyway, bake your cupcakes for 15 minutes, turn, and bake another 15 minutes (turning ensures wonderfully even baking). Remove from tins and place on wire racks to cool. Refrigerate after you're finished; cheesecake goes bad fast.

A final note: this recipe is a liar. It claimed to make 32 cupcakes; the actual result was around 45, and I ended up having to make another batch of crust. I would highly suggest halving the recipe so these suckers don't get gross before you can eat them all.

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.