From the Oven - Chocolate Cupcake with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

The week before my GRE there was some serious cramming.  I was doing practice problems during my lunch break @ work; I was studying on the bus; & for a couple of nights, I would do practice tests...often starting at 9pm & finishing at 11:30pm.

Since I couldn't go to sleep immediately after all that studying, I found myself watching episodes of DC Cupcakes on the tiny screen of my iPhone.  I have always loved cupcakes & - before it closed - my absolutely favorite cupcakery is Everything Frosted in New York's Chinatown.  But as much as I love eating cupcakes, I have never tried to make them; I think the frosting scared me away.  Watching all those episodes of DC Cupcakes really inspired me & with the GRE now officially in my rearview mirror, it's time to give it a whirl.

Not your average cupcake recipe, but the frosting is pretty standard...
   For the chocolate'y cupcakes
      0.3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
      0.5 teaspoon baking soda
      0.5 cup boiling water
      0.25 cup unsalted butter, melted
      0.15 cup vegetable (or neutral) oil
      1 cup granulated sugar
      0.75 teaspoon vanilla extract
      0.5 teaspoon salt
      1 egg + 1 egg yolk
      0.25 cup heavy cream
      1 cup all-purpose flour
   For the farm fresh frosting
      1 cup unsalted butter, softened
      2 pints fresh raspberries
      0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
      Pinch of salt
      2 cups powdered sugar (more/less depending on the desired consistency)

Now to put it all together...
     Whisk together the cocoa powder & the baking soda in a heat proof bowl
     Add the cocoa powder mixture to the boiling water & stir until the bubbling subsides
     In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, & salt
     Add the egg & egg yolk 1 @ a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition
     Add in the chocolate mixture & blend until fulling incorporated
     Add in the heavy cream, blend, & then slowly stir in the flour
     Evenly portion the batter into a lined cupcake pan (~ 2/3 full)
     Bake at 350F for 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
     Once baked, remove cupcakes from the pan & let cool completely on a wire rack
     In a small sauce pan, cook down the raspberries
     Strain raspberries through a fine-mesh sieve & return liquid to the stove; reduce until thick
     Once the raspberry liquid has reduced to about 0.5 cup, let cool for 15 minutes
     In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, vanilla, salt,  & raspberry sauce
     Cream the ingredients with an electric mixture until well combined
     Add in powdered sugar 0.5 cup at a time until the proper consistency is reached
     Put frosting into a piping bag & decorate cupcakes as desired

Makes 12 cupcakes

Separately, the cake was moist although the edges were slightly dry. The frosting tasted great but it wasn't very fluffy because I was afraid to add too much powdered sugar...it was so sweet already.  Together, however, the chocolate flavor pretty much covered up the raspberry entirely; maybe additional sugar in the frosting would have helped?  If I am being honest, I did a horrendous job frosting the cupcakes.  My original intention was to do a simple swirl but the piping bag tip I have is way too small & so I had to go around & around the cupcake...thus creating what kind of looks like a pile of turd!  I am not trying to be gross since this is a food blog but look @ the picture & tell me I'm wrong.

All in all, I would say this 1st attempt was a semi-success.  Next on the list are a Nutella cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting & an angle food cupcake with strawberry whipped cream frosting.  But before I start on these next attempts I am going to spend some time learning how to properly make frosting & how to properly frost cupcakes.