Last updated on September 3rd, 2024.
These Rosemary Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, tender and extremely easy to make. Plus it is topped with delicious and beautiful Blackberry Buttercream for the perfect flavors combination.
As a mom I (sometimes) cringe when ever my girls are fully loaded with buttercream tinted with artificial coloring.
And as a baker?
Well, I don’t really care. I figure that if one consumes so much food coloring that it might over do it, then maybe one has more urgent things to worry about. AKA portion control (?!).
OK then. I reserve my right to worry about global warming, women’s equal pay and when Netflix will drop the next season of Stranger Things.
Now that I am care free and at ease, I can enjoy the ride and follow my golden rules:
- Nature Rocks!
- If it grows together, it goes together.
- When in doubt, Chocolate!
This recipe follows all three rules and the result is not only a moist, tender and fluffy explosion of flavors. It is also a tribute for Mother Nature.
I mean, just look at this beautiful color given by the Blackberries!
Best part? It’s adjustable.
Not a fan of Blackberries? Go with Raspberries.
Don’t care for Rosemary? Skip it!
Now Lets Talk About This Rosemary Chocolate Cupcakes With Blackberries Buttercream Recipe:
Rosemary Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Although require a standing mixer, you can just use a bowl and a hand mixer or whisker.
- As alway, please make sure all the ingredients (excluding the milk and heavy cream) are at room temperature.
- The milk and heavy cream should be warm when added to the mix. That is because the cocoa powder blooms in hot liquid. Please make sure the liquids are warm but not boiling, or else it will melt the chocolate chips.
- The flavor of chopped fresh rosemary gets stronger during baking and over time. Feel free to to reduce the amount to 1 tsp or remove it completely.
BlackBerries Buttercream:
- Below is a recipe for an Italian meringue buttercream. However, you can adopted this blackberry technique with any buttercream you may have in hand.
- If using frozen blackberries, first make sure it’s defrosted completely. Second before mashing discard any liquid coming from the bag.
- If you notice that the blackberry puree is too watery, place it in a small pan over the stove and reduce the liquid by 1/3-1/2. (about 10 minutes over low-medium heat)
- When adding the puree to the buttercream, add 1 TBS at a time. Let the puree incorporate before adding more. This way you can control the color and texture of the buttercream.
HAPPY BAKING!!!
Video by : Marie Sugar Salt Magic
Here are some more recipes you might enjoy:
One more thing…
Don’t forget to tag @OneSarcasticBaker on Instagram if you bake this recipe. Would love to see your creations!
Video by Marie @Sugarsaltmagic
Chocolate Rosemary Cupcakes with Blackberries Buttercream
Ingredients
Chocolate Rosemary Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 Cups AP Flour (180g / 6.5 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (50 g / 2 oz)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Fresh Chopped Rosemary
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 Cup Sugar (250g / 7 oz)
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil (100 g / 3.5 oz)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Milk, warm (120 ml / 4 fl oz)
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, warm (120 ml / 4 fl oz)
- 3/4 Cup Mini Chcocolate Chips (130 g / 4.5 oz)
For the Buttercream
- 1 PKG Fresh or frozen blackberries
- 5 Large Egg Whites
- 1 1/4 Cup Sugar (250 g / 9 oz)
- 1/4 Cup Water (80 ml / 2 fl oz)
- 4 Sticks Unsalted butter, soft (450 g / 16 oz)
Instructions
To Make The Chocolate Rosemary Cupcakes
-
Preheat oven to 350 F and line 1 – 12 ct cupcakes tin with cupcakes liners.
-
In a medium sized bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda then add the chopped rosemary. Stir to distribute.
-
In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the sugar, eggs and oil. Sprinkle the flour on top.
-
With the mixer on low-medium speed as the ingridients starts to come together, add the warm milk and warm heavy cream and mix just until all has evenly incoporated.
-
Turn mixer off and gently fold in the chocolate chips.
-
Fill the cupckes liners with cupcakes batter just 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupckes.
-
Remove from stove and let cool.
To Make The Butter Cream
-
Mash the Blackberries in a sieve on-top of a medium bowl until only the seeds remain. Discard the seeds.
-
Place the egg whites in a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the cage attachment.
-
Place 1 cup of sugar and the water in a pan and let cook on top of medium heat until it reahces 210F.
-
Once the sugar mix reaches 210F, beat the egg whites until frothy and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup sugar.
-
Slowly drizzle the sugar syrup in the egg whites and beat on high until the bowl is cold to the touch.
-
Add the butter 1” cube at a time and beat until you have a smooth and creamy buttercream.
-
Add the blackberry puree 1 TBS at a time and mix to incorporate.
I have been wanting to try IBC but have a couple questions. First is stable is it in heat and does it need refrigeration once piped on a cupcake? Second, I like butter but think this is too much for my taste. I don’t like when frosting tastes like your eating a stick of pure butter. Can you add less or half high ratio shortening and would either compromise stability?
Hi Caye!
IBC is very stable and best to be eaten and store in room temperature. You can refrigerate it after piping and/or even freeze. Having said that I will add and say that it will melt if placed in a warm place.
You can defiantly taste the butter in the BC but it is best not to change the ration in the recipe or you might end up with a sticky, pasty and unpleasant BC texture.
You can add flavoring for taste or try different type of BC such as Old Fashion BC which is Milk base.
Hello. The cupcakes look beautiful. What tip did you use to frost them? Can you tell me how you did it?
Hi Carmen!
Thank you so much! I use Wilton 1M TIP. I started the piping from the outside in and going up. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for your prompt response 🙂
Any time! 😉
It says a package of blackberries. What size package?
Fresh from the produce department, usually it is 6 oz.
Ok so I flubbed on the frosting! I for some reason did 1 cup water ? but it worked! And they are beautiful! Honestly wish I could share a photo! My youngest 18 months had me sidetracked ?….
So glad it worked and that you liked it!!!
Wish I could see it as well!
hello! I was wondering if there is anything I could use to substitute the heavy cream
You can either replace the milk and heavy cream with half and half or the heavy cream with milk.
I was wondering if I could use the mix as a cake mix instead of cupcakes? If I can, how would that affect the bake time?
Yes, you can bake the batter as cake, thou I am not sure for the time. I would set my timer for the amount of time the recipe calls for and check with a toothpick at the center of the cake. The cake is ready when the toothpick comes out clean.
Hi please can you advise what type of sugar is used in the sponge as also the butter icing?
Hi,
Use regular white sugar
Great recipe. Easy to follow. Yields beautiful cupcakes. I would’ve liked more of a blackberry flavor in the frosting, so in the future I would work on maybe concentrating the fruit flavor and then adding it to the cream to see if it would be fruitier.
Thank you Esther, Next time you can concentrate the blackberry by reducing the liquids of the blackberry on the stove for about 15 minutes.
Hello so I tried the recipe and for some reason the buttercream is very watery and clumpy but my butter was room temp and I followed everything to a t. I’m not sure what went wrong
Hi Emma,
So sorry to hear that, my guess is that either the meringue did not reach the high peak or that it needed more time in the mixer. Sometimes the emulsion breaks and we just need to beat it longer at high speed. I will do my best to post a tutorial about this.
Overall, the flavors make for a really tasty and unique combination. If you don’t have a well equipped kitchen, these are a little too ambitious. I completely screwed up the fancy buttercream and had to start over with something that didn’t involve thermometers and homemade simple syrup!
I loved the rosemary and chocolate combination, but did find the combination of that plus the icing overly sweet. Next time I will try leaving out the chocolate chips and switching to a cream cheese icing (with the berry flavor), but that said – I will definitely make these again. Thanks for the inspiring recipe!
Thank you, Allie! Love your input, the one thing I lobe most about baking is that it inspires people to find their own voice and taste! thanks again!
Is it normal for the icing to take FOREVER to cool down?
Only if the meringue was not cool enough before adding the butter.
No salt? I’m super excited to try these and am hoping salt wasn’t accidentally left out of instructions 😉
The baking soda’s reaction will prodcue some salt so I did not add salt to the recipe. If you want, you can mix in 1/4 teaspoon of salt.