Last updated on April 9th, 2024.
These chocolate Raspberry cupcakes are the perfect sweet fix when looking for a quick, impressive, and classic dessert. A tender, soft, and fluffy chocolate cupcakes you can make using everyday ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and topped with simple no-fuss Raspberry frosting.
Cupcakes are fun, and they make everybody happy. It’s a magic word; you say cupcake, and you get smiles; it’s a bit of a cliche, I will be the first to admit, but it is still valid. Cupcake recipes come in unlimited flavors, fillings, and toppings, varying from Oreo Cupcakes to Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes to Dulche De Leche. No one is better than another, and you can never go wrong, especially when it comes to Raspberry chocolate cupcakes. After all, chocolate and raspberry are the ultimate combinations of sweet and tart, deep and earthy, and above all, pink and chocolate colors. Check out this White chocolate and raspberry loaf cake recipe for another epic combination.
Why This Recipe?
I am answering this question because sometimes cupcakes have a reputation of being too much work, and you must be an experienced baker to make them successfully. I am here to tell you that this is not the case with this recipe; all you need is essential ingredients, basic tools, and about 90 minutes of your day.
Ingredients
A list with the complete ingredients, including measurements, is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cupcakes
- For the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour (you can use bleach or unbleached), cocoa powder (you can use dutch cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder), baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
- For the wet ingredients: honey, unflavored vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and hot coffee.
Frosting
- Unsalted butter.
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream
- Raspberry preserves or jam.
- Fresh raspberries for garnish
Substitutions
- Replace the honey with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
- Use hot water instead of hot coffee and sour cream or buttermilk instead of milk.
- Use melted butter instead of oil (not recommended)
How To Make This Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
You can use a stand or an electric mixer to make the chocolate cupcakes and raspberry frosting recipe. Make sure to read the expert tips below for the best results.
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer, mix the honey, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and sugar until thoroughly combined.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture and mix until smooth.
- Mix in the hot coffee. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners and bake.
Raspberry Frosting Recipe
I decided to make things simple and make this raspberry buttercream with jam. However, you can make your very own homemade raspberry filling.
- Beat the butter and gradually add the powdered sugar (start with medium speed and increase it).
- Mix in the heavy cream, and then mix in the raspberry jam. Frost the cupcakes and top with a fresh raspberry.
Variations
- Mix in 1/4 cup (40g/1.5oz) of melted chocolate into the buttercream to make chocolate raspberry buttercream.
- Mix in 2-4 Tablespoons of ground freeze-dried raspberries instead of the jam to make raspberry frosting with freeze-dried raspberries.
- Flavor the buttercream with your choices of preserves and jams, such as cherry, strawberry, and even guava.
- I love to top my cupcakes with some crushed Chocolate Covered Pecans. It adds texture and even more chocolate flavors.
- Fill the cupcakes with some homemade Raspberry Curd.
Expert Tips
- In this recipe, the natural cocoa (if used), honey, and coffee are the acidic substances that will activate the baking soda. Be sure not to remove all three if you choose to make changes.
- To make dark chocolate cupcakes, use dutch cocoa powder. Or, replace up to 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder with black cocoa powder. For more information read this article about Cocoa Powder In Baking.
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature, except for the coffee. Hot coffee will help bloom the cocoa powder and enhance the chocolate flavor.
- If planning to store the buttercream at room temperature, take the time to warm the heavy cream before adding it to the buttercream (plan and give it the time to cool down to room temperature).
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the cupcake pan for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
- You can fill the liners all the way to the top, 3/4 complete and/or 1/2 full. See the image below.
Tips For Assembling The Cupcakes
If you are in a particular dessert mood, you can make raspberry filled chocolate cupcakes with one easy extra step.
- To make chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling, use a sharp knife to remove a piece of cupcake from the center of each cupcake, then fill the center with raspberry jam. After that, frost with raspberry buttercream. You can see how I did it in this Black Forest Cupcakes Recipe and tips for how to transport cupcakes.
- You can pipe the cupcakes using a piping bag or scoop the buttercream using two spoons or a cookie spoon.
- Adding a drizzle of melted chocolate or some chocolate shavings is a great way to decorate the cupcakes.
Storing
- You can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes in a freezable bag or an airtight container for up to 1 month or store them at room temperature, covered for up to 48 hours.
- Frosted cupcakes will stay fresh for up to 3 days, covered at room temperature.
FAQ
Mix 1/4 cup of melted chocolate into the buttercream
You can use the buttercream or the raspberry jam/preserve.
Yes. Mix up to 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries with flour or cocoa powder before mixing them into the batter.
Check out these articles and recipes to satisfy your chocolate cravings
What Is Unsweetened Chocolate?
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe by One Sarcastic Baker baking blog, please take a movement to rate and comment at the end of each recipe. Your questions, ideas, and thoughts are priceless, and here at OSB we value them more than butter!
And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Fluffy and tender chocolate cupcakes frosted with raspberry buttercream
Ingredients
Chocolate Honey Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 Cups AP Flour (180 g / 6.5 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Natural or dutch process Cocoa powder (45 g / 1.75 oz)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Sugar (200 g / 7 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Honey (100 g / 3.5 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil (100 g / 3.5 oz)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Whole milk, room temperature (180 ml/6gl oz)
- 1/4 Cup Hot coffee (60 ml/2fl oz)
Raspberry Buttercream
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened (224 g / 8 oz)
- 1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar (180g / 6 oz)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 Cup Heavy cream
- 1/2 Cup Raspberry perserve 12 oz or 16 oz pack
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350F and line two 12 cupcake cavities with cupcake liners.
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Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the sugar, honey, egg, oil, and milk. Mix until fully incorporated.
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Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture and beat on medium speed gradually increasing speed to medium-high until smooth. This should take about 15-20 seconds.
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Pour the hot coffee over the batter and beat on high speed until blended, about 10 seconds.
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Fill the cavities 1/2, 3/4, or completely full and bake over the middle oven rack for 15-18 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out from the center of each cupcake dry.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transfering the cupcakes to a wire rack.
To Make the Raspberry Buttercream
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Beat the butter in a large bowl for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar in three parts followed by the salt and heavy cream and beat until smooth.
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Add the raspberry preserve and mix to blend.
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Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, top each with the buttercream and serve.
Recipe Notes
- The more you fill the liners the more time it needs in the oven. Every oven is different so pay attention to the signs.
- The honey, coffee, and natural cocoa powder (if used) are acidic substances that will help the cupcakes set faster and lose less moisture. Be sure not to remove all three if making changes.
- Make sure to boil the cream and bring it back to room temperature before adding it to the buttercream. This step will help with the buttercream’s shelf life. If skipping this step, be sure to refrigerate the buttercream within 4 hours.
- If time permits, allow the batter to rest in the bowl for 10-15 minutes after mixing in the coffee. The rest will give the starches some time to absorb the liquids for a beautiful dome top and develop flavors.
I used to have a small cupcake business when I lived overseas in Sweden. These beautiful cupcakes bring back some great memories. Looks delicious!
Oh wow! that sounds like so much fun!
Your pictures really make these chocolate honey raspberry cupcakes shine. I’ve never had anything like these but I’m excited to try something new.
Thank you Kelley! Cupcakes are great models!
These cupcakes are gorgeous, and I love that you pour honey into the cupcake liners first — brilliant idea!
Thank you Amanda! Honey makes for good inspiration source!
Pretty to look at. Delicious to eat. What a great treat for a Mother’s Day brunch, or bridal shower.
absolutely! I love those ideas!
Thank you so much they truly are!
Delicious! What perfect cupcakes for springtime!! They looks beautiful and so tasty!
Wow… these look so good. I am just loving everything about it. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you is much!
This is so creative and so yummy looking. All the photos make the honey really stand out, love it! That raspberry buttercream looks delicious too.
Thank you so much Mari!
i absolutely love a good raw honey. we have stands on the side of the road all over the place that sell honey that I love to buy. Anyways, these cupcakes sound incredible and your photos are gorgeous as usual!
Thank you Daniella! Love that story ! sounds like you are all about quality!
Ok, first of all, your photos are amazing! I particularly love the photo with the honey wheel! Secondly, these muffins look and sound absolutely delicious. I already love all of the ingredients separately, so I’m positive I’d love them combined into a muffin as well.
Thank you so much Byron! These are really good!
You’ve done a great job of styling and photographing these – they look absolutely flawless. I bet they taste it, too!
Thank you so much Kacie!
I know it’s been said but I’ll say it again, your photos are stunning, simply beautiful. I’ve never had honey with cupcakes like this, but it looks super delicious, a must-try!
Thank you so much Celeste! Means do much!
I think these look beautiful! I love honey, and I know that these would be a fast favorite for me and my family. I can’t wait to give them a try!
So glad to hear! it is truly an easy and simple recipe!
These cup cakes look fabulous! I love using honey too and am lucky enough to have a bee farm nearby that produces organic honey! (I live in Italy) I actually bought a raspberry bush today to plant in my garden. Can’t wait til it bears fruit! Your raspberry butter cream (and the cupcakes) will be on my recipes to make with my own raspberries list
WOW! Sounds like you live in a great area! let me know how the raspberry turned out!
Gorgeous to look at and the flavours are just beautiful. I’m sure that honey adds so much more depth to the cupcake.
When I think of pancakes I think of honey, too. When I think of honey, I may think of pancakes because they go well together. But adding chocolate and berry flavors must be taking the pancakes through the roof! Delicious recipe.
Chocolate, honey and raspberry combo sounds like a heaven. I’m sure it tasted fabulous. The pictures are droolworthy
Thank you so much Lathiya!
Wow, just looking at the pictures of your cupcakes I can tell they taste yummy. The add of raspberries and honey is a big plus ??
Thank you Maman! it is always good idea to add honey!
This recipe is absolutely perfect for our raw Jamaican organic high mountain honey! Sharing on our Beemongers social media! The flavour combination is so on point!
This recipe is absolutely perfect use of honey! Sharing on our social media! The flavour combination is so on point!