I'm addicted to ya baby

So I guess I'm a bit addicted to food blogs. Okay more than just a bit. I mean who has over 50 Google bookmarks, all for recipes from other blogs?!? Actually all of you amazing food bloggers out there (you know who you are!!), are the cause this addiction. Tempting me with your beautiful photo's and your amazing sounding recipes. How dare you! It's like crack I tell you, as find myself adding yet another bookmark for yet another recipe I can't wait to make. And then all these recipes sit there, bookmarked and waiting, taunting me silently. MAKE ME, MAKE ME, MAKE ME! I want to make you all. Really I do! So many wonderful recipes and so little time...
Oh and not only do I want to make all these wonderful recipes, but now when I cook I spend time thinking about how to make my food so that it photographs well.
I admit it sounds a bit bizarre, possible a little crazy, but reading through other food blogs makes me pretty certain that I may not be alone in this obsession/addiction.
Anyway one of the recipes I'd bookmarked that's been hanging out waiting to be made was a recipe for Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Jam Buttercream and Raspberry Truffle. It came from Peabody's blog Culinary Concoctions. I mean the name alone Devils Food Cupcakes... Mmm...Raspberry Jam Buttercream...OMG...AND Raspberry Truffle...Are you kidding me?!? Do those cupcakes sound amazing or what? Of course I immediately bookmarked that recipe. And there it sat, waiting patiently for me to find the time/occasion to actually make them.
Well wait no more! I had several people to make cupcakes for this week and couldn't wait to give this recipe a try.
I have just a word of warning; if you visit Peabody's blog, (and I encourage you to visit) beware, you'll be bookmarking recipes left and right. Don't say you weren't warned!

The chocolate raspberry mixture used for filling the raspberries is a basic ganache. I decided instead of filling the raspberries with the gancahe, that I would swirl the tops of the cupcakes in it and then frost them with the raspberry buttercream.

Devil's Food cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache and Raspberry Jam Buttercream

Deeply Dark Devil’s Food Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
11 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups warm water

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour mini cupcake pans.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix to incorporate.
Beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the warm water in two additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix at low speed for 30 seconds. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake cupcakes for 13-15 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and remove cupcakes from pan. Let cool on wire rack. When cool, I swirled the tops of each cupcake in the still warm chocolate raspberry ganache. The only other change I made was to add some cream cheese to the buttercream. Just because I like cream cheese icing!

Cake Source: Adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

5 ounce semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4cup seedless raspberry jam

Place chocolate and raspberry jam in a heat proof bowl.
Bring cream to a boil.
Pour cream over chocolate and jam and let sit for about 3 minutes.
Whisk together chocolate mixture. If it is still a little lumpy, put in microwave for a few seconds and whisk again. Dip the top of cupcakes in the chocolate. Be careful to just get the tops or ganache will run down the sides. Put cupcakes in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until ganache is set up. Then decorate with the Raspberry Buttercream.


Raspberry Jam Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4oz cream cheese (optional)
6-8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Place butter, cream cheese, and jam in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream butter and jam until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. If frosting gets too thick you can add a little milk to thin it out.

These cupcakes are sooo good. One bookmarked recipe down!