Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Truffle Frosting and a Kitchen Tip

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Cook's notes: Now here's a showstopper dessert that will wow your guests. Chocolate and raspberries are a marriage made in heaven. Very yummy!

Recipe adapted from Midwest Living and makes 12-14 cupcakes. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1- 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 1 pint raspberries, rinsed and drained on a paper towel 
• optional 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cupcake Directions:

• Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a medium sized muffin cup pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and brown sugar. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed about 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
• Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
• Divide half of the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Divide the 1 pint raspberries among muffin cups, adding 3 berries to the center of each cup. Spoon the remaining batter over berries in muffin cups.
• Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
• Prepare Chocolate Truffle Icing. Place chocolate cakes on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined rimmed baking pan. Spoon icing over cake, allowing excess to drip. Chill about 20 minutes or until icing is set. If desired, garnish cakes with additional raspberries. Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate Truffle Icing 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 TB. light-color corn syrup
• 1- 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• optional 1 TB. Chambord (a liqueur that is an infusion of red and black raspberries) 

Directions:

• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine whipping cream and light-color corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium-low heat just until mixture is simmering. Remove from heat. 
• Stir in semisweet chocolate pieces, vanilla and Chambord. Whisk until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and chill about 20 minutes or until icing reaches a thick, pourable consistency, stirring occasionally.

An Amazing New Use

for Orange Glo

 

I have used this product for many years to revitalize my wooden kitchen cabinets. Recently I found  a new use for Orange Glo; a stainless steel cleaner. I just happened to read this cleaning tip on the back of the label. of course I went a bit crazy using it on every bit of stainless in my kitchen. Wow, does this ever do the job making stainless just GLEAM.  And it costs less than stainless steel cleaner. Check it out.