I just got home after visiting my parents in Dallas for two weeks. I grew up in Dallas so it was so nice to be back home and to see all of my girl friends and spend some time with my folks. I moved to California in 1999 (lived in San Francisco first) and then Los Angeles and then, this past January, we moved to Washington so I haven’t lived there in over thirteen years. A lot has changed with the city, new developments, new highways. . and I’ve never been good with directions so I found myself needing to look up driving directions wherever I went.
One night, I was driving local streets to meet my friends up for dinner and I drove past the house I grew up in. . drove past the grocery store and all these shops I used to go to all the time, drove past Mama’s Pizza (the best pizza in the world. . or at least it was when I was a kid). It was so great to meet up with old friends, reminisce, and be back in my old hood. I loved it.
So, it was over 100 degrees while I was there for the most part .. we did have a few days in the 90’s, which was nice. . . To the people who dislike Dallas, Texas because it’s too hot, I say “suck it up”. 😛 You have good people, good food, and good shopping there. . . and I think you can find a rib or BBQ joint on every corner. Nothing wrong with that. Dallas will forever and always be my home. It’s true what they say. . “Don’t Mess With Texas.” Word.
I made these cupcakes for my parents on our last day in Dallas. . the recipe is from Week of Menus but I changed the way I made the ganache. With my ganache recipe, you can just use chocolate chips and you use less heavy whipping cream.
These are delicious!! And a must try for cupcake lovers! Next time, I might fill the cupcakes with a little of the raspberry jam too. Hope you enjoy!
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Special equipment: 2 12-count muffin pans with paper liners
For the chocolate ganache and topping:
- 1 cup 6 ounces blend of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons raspberry jam stirred to loosen
- 2 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with liners.
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl
- Whisk to blend and form a well in the center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl or a large measuring cup to blend. Pour wet ingredients into the well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Divide the cake batter evenly into cupcake liners.
- Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
For the ganache:
- Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips.
- Using a whisk, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Let the ganache stand at room temperature to cool to lukewarm.
To assemble:
- Spread a thin layer of the raspberry jam on top of each cupcake using a knife or spoon. Dip the tops of each cupcake in the ganache and transfer to a baking sheet. Place a single raspberry on top of each cupcake and enjoy!
