Soft and fluffy white chocolate cupcakes kissed with fresh raspberry sauce and topped with a creamy white chocolate raspberry buttercream!
Valentine’s Day is just about a week away, and whether you have a love dove to celebrate it with, or just your rad tad single self, I’m sure most of you are looking for something chocolicious to enjoy on this special day.
So, allow me to suggest a treat that’s SURE to please those taste buds come February 14th…
These White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes not only look LOVEly, but they taste absolutely DIVINE. Infused with the richness of real white chocolate and “kissed” with the fresh sweetness of delicious raspberries, these cupcakes are exactly what Cupid had in mind.
Although you typically see raspberries and strawberries paired with dark or milk chocolate, I’ve always preferred white chocolate. The sweeter, less bitter flavor of white chocolate doesn’t overshadow the flavor of the berries, and it complements the tartness of the berries so incredibly well.
For these cupcakes, I made up a simple raspberry sauce that goes in both the cake and the frosting. You’ll start by cooking some raspberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, smashing the berries to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Once the mixture starts to simmer, stir in a cornstarch slurry (equal parts water and cornstarch), and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour this crimson red mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, then place it into the refrigerator to cool completely. If you’re impatient like myself, you can place it in the freezer. Just make sure to stir it ever 10 minutes or so!
Now let’s talk white chocolate…for this recipe, I HIGHLY recommend using REAL white chocolate–NO vanilla-flavored chips and NO vanilla-flavored almond bark. I know white chocolate is technically not “real” chocolate itself, but most “white chocolate” chips you find in the grocery store aren’t real white chocolate. You’ll want to go with high-quality brands like Lindt or Ghirardelli. Yes, it’s a little more expensive, but if you want the best flavor AND texture results, go with the REAL stuff.
The other thing about using real white chocolate over fake white chocolate chips is that it melts more smoothly and easily. White chocolate chips usually contain a stabilizer, which allows them to retain their shape while baking. Even when melted with a little vegetable oil, fake white chocolate chips harden much quicker, which is no bueno when you’re trying to incorporate it into batter or frosting.
This recipe uses melted white chocolate in both the cupcake batter and the frosting. You’ll need to melt the white chocolate first, so that it has a little time to cool off. Although you definitely want it smooth and melted enough to mix easily into the batter, you also don’t want it too warm that it’ll melt the butter or curdle the batter.
As the white chocolate cools slightly, you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients–all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside, and combine the sour cream and milk. A good amount of sour cream is added to keep these cupcakes extra moist!
The next step is to cream your butter and sugar. Simply place the two ingredients into a stand mixer, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add a couple of eggs, one at a time, and then a splash of vanilla.
Now that your melted white chocolate has had enough time to cool, pour it into the butter-sugar mixture, and beat until completely incorporated. Mix in half of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the sour cream mixture. Then repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and sour cream mixture. Try not to overmix the batter!
FYI, this batter will be rather thick, making it kind of difficult to swirl the raspberry sauce into the batter. Just try your best, and spoon 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of the raspberry sauce into the center of each cupcake batter, and use a knife or skewer to swirl the sauce into the batter. Even if most of the raspberry sauce ends up in the top of the cupcake, you’ll still get that nice kiss of raspberry flavor!
To make the white chocolate raspberry buttercream, you’ll start by melting some more white chocolate. The chocolate needs to cool to room temperature BEFORE it’s ready to incorporate into the frosting, or else you’ll end up with soupy frosting. Speaking of room temperature, make sure that all of your frosting ingredients are room temperature. This not only includes the melted white chocolate, but the butter and raspberry sauce.
As the chocolate is cooling, whip some butter, salt and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Then add a couple cups of powdered sugar, and continue beating until completely smooth. Once your chocolate has cooled completely, pour it into the bowl, and beat on high. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that none of the chocolate sticks to the side of the bowl and hardens.
Now you’ll add some raspberry sauce. As I mentioned earlier, make sure that it’s room temperature. Adding cold raspberry sauce could cause the frosting to separate and curdle. If this DOES happen to you, just remove a tablespoon of the frosting, place it into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave until melted. Add the melted frosting back into the frosting, and beat until smooth. Sometimes you need to repeat this process a couple more times to smooth out the texture.
Since you’ll only need four Tablespoons of the raspberry sauce for the frosting, you’ll still have some raspberry sauce leftover. You can either drizzle it on top of the cupcakes (once they’ve been frosted), OR you can enjoy it on top of vanilla ice cream, pound cake, or yogurt. I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding delicious ways to enjoy the rest of this exquisite sauce!
Once piped and pretty, top each cupcakes with a fresh raspberry and some white chocolate curls. To make the curls, just take a white chocolate bar, warm it ever-so-slightly with the palm of your hand (for fuller curls), then take a vegetable peeler and curl away!
Sure, chocolate-covered strawberries, luxurious truffles, and rich chocolate cake sound great and all, but I guarantee your honey (or your fabulous self) will fall head over heels for these cupcakes!
White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Raspberry Swirl:
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 14 ounces frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
White Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped*
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream:
- 5 ounces white chocolate, chopped*
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tablespoons raspberry sauce (from recipe above)
To Garnish:
- 18 Fresh Raspberries
- White chocolate curls**
Instructions
Make the Raspberry Swirl:
- Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; set aside. Combine the raspberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly while breaking up the raspberries as the mixture begins to cook.
- Once simmering, add the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring, and allow mixture to simmer for 3 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove pan from heat and press mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Chill in the refrigerator while you work on the cupcake batter.
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted. You don't want to burn the chocolate, so I recommend stirring the chocolate every 15 seconds. Allow chocolate to cool slightly.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together; set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the sour cream and milk; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and melted chocolate, beating until completely incorporated.
- Add half of the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Mix in half of the sour cream mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream mixture. Batter will be thick.
- Scoop batter into the paper liners, about 2/3 full. Pour 1/2 teaspoon of the raspberry swirl sauce into the center of each cupcake batter and use a knife or toothpick to swirl figure-eights into the batter.
- Bake cupcakes for 22-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool slightly***.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, salt, and vanilla on high until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix on high for 3 minutes.
- Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the melted chocolate and beat frosting on high for 2-3 minutes. Add the raspberry sauce, a tablespoon at a time, beating until light and fluffy.
- Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes, then garnish with fresh raspberries and white chocolate curls. Serve and enjoy!