Double Decker Raspberry Heart Cupcakes

There might or might not be some chocolate cream cheese frosting on my keyboard as I type this blog.  I'll never tell.

But hypothetically if there WAS some, it'd be for one reason and one reason alone.  These cupcakes.  They're a little messy.  But like everything that's bad for you... they're so good.

A few weeks ago (read as the day after Christmas) when everyone started posting Valentine's Day baking ideas I decided that I needed a tiny heart cookie cutter in my life.  So I ran to Sur La Table and bought one and waited until inspiration hit me.

And these little babies are what I came up with.  Double decker raspberry  flavored cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese filling, raspberry filling and chocolate ganache.

These took a bit of time to finish, as does anytime I need to make a sauce that needs to be strained, but they're so pretty that I recommend trying them anyways.  I'm sure you're baking for someone you love.  Like me, who bakes for the dog's amusement I think.

Raspberry Sauce
1.5 containers of fresh raspberries
3 teaspoons sugar

Directions:
Wash and drain berries.
Add sugar to raspberries and let sit until raspberries become soft.
Put berries in saucepan over low heat and stir frequently until they dissolve. Crush if necessary.
Puree in blender.
Strain out the seeds.  There are lots and lots of seeds. You should be left with thick, sugary red deliciousness.

Blackberry Cupcakes 
(makes around 18,  bake at 375*)

1 stick room temp butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 room temp eggs

1 1/4 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup room temp milk

1/4 cup room temp sour cream

1/2 cup raspberry sauce

Directions:
In one bowl whisk together the sauce, sour cream and milk and set aside.

In a second bowl combine salt, flour and baking powder and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, adding in the eggs and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients and wet ingredients into the butter mixture in five sections; flour, milk, flour, milk, flour.

I actually put them in cute little Valentines Day liners in case my double decker idea did not pan out.    The color of the liners actually matched the cupcakes perfectly!  It didn't matter though because step one is to get all your cupcakes naked.  It's okay, they're free spirited.  They won't mind.

Next, you slice them down the middle.  Not just the top muffin top part, down the middle.

Good.  Now you get to put the bottom half aside while you work with the top half.  Lay it down backwards and place your cookie cutter in the center and press down.

Be careful removing it.  You want to keep BOTH pieces -- both the cupcake top and the heart inside -- completely intact.  

Place the cupcake tops on top of a wire cooling rack.  The rack should be in a clean cookie sheet.  Do the same with the heart cut outs too.

Now you get to make the chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache
6 oz choco chips
6 oz heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Heat heavy cream in a sauce pan until it starts to simmer.
Pour over chips and let sit a few minutes.
Manually whisk until smooth, and all chips are melted.
Melt butter and add to chocolate for added shine.

When this is still hot, spoon over the cupcake tops and hearts.  Do this slowly, making sure you cover the top -- but don't press spoon into the cupcakes or you will get crumbs.

You also need to work fast, because it becomes increasingly difficult as the chocolate cools.  (Reheat in a heat proof container over boiling water, if necessary.)

Let these sit.  If you're wise like I was, you'd go and work out while the ganache sets because when you're shoving 6 of these in your mouth it will make you feel a TAD less guilty.

During this time, you should also make your raspberry filling and your chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Raspberry Filling

1/3 cup raspberry sauce

1 cup water

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: 

Combine sifted sugar and cornstarch.  

In a saucepan on low heat, combine sauce, water and lemon juice.

Add in sugar/cornstarch mixture a little at time and stir constantly.

It's ready when its thick and gelatinous.

Put inside a ziplock bag.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
6 oz cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
3.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
Add powdered sugar.
Add cocoa powder.

Put inside a different ziplock bag.

Now that you have all your parts together, it is time to put them together.  Grab those cupcake bottoms.

Drizzle a layer of sauce over the top.

Pipe frosting on top of that filling.  Make sure you go all the way to the edges since you want them to look like they're busting at the seams. (They actually should be busting at the seams.  Not just look like it.  That means more calories per square inch.  Yum.)  Also try to pipe the frosting evenly in the middle as well so that the chocolate cream cheese frosting doesnt come UP and take space away from the sauce.

Put the cupcake top, covered in ganache, on top.

Finally - fill the heart cut out with the filling. Do you want to know how long I lasted before i shoved one in my mouth?  About 45 seconds.  By the time I started in on the second one I knew it was useless to fight it.  It was a goeey mess in my fingers and it was unbelievabley awesome.  You can see the hot mess in the background that I ignored while I ate.  It's okay to admit this lack of self control here, right?

Cute huh?  Mounds of frosting.  Layers of raspberry filling.  Ghirardelli chocolate.

Life is instantly good when you eat these.

 So you may ask why I was yelling at you to KEEP THE HEARTS INTACT.  And no, it's not because I don't like to  break hearts - literally or figuratively.  It's because you have to do something with them.  Once the chocolate ganache set on those too, I piped in the left over filling on the top.

And then I sandwiched another one on top and added powdered sugar.

The result was awesome looking cupcakes as well as a few little heart sandwiches... you know for those who can't commit to a whole cupcake.

Personally, I have no problem with commitment and I ate me another cupcake.  Okay fine I ate a heart or two as well...  Could you BLAME me though?  Really?

Hopefully these entice someone to make them.  :)

As for me i think i am taking a week or two off baking.  I NEED TO GO BACK TO EATING LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.  lol.  Instead of a cupcake and carne asada fry eating crazy.  But no worries, my best friend already roped me into baking for a family thing of his later this month... so I will be researching something fun for sure.

xoxo,
Anna

P.S.  Ever Monday morning when i check my google reader, Bakerella makes me feel bad about myself because she has magic baked goods just oozing out of her fingers.  And an awesome camera. lol.  This week's baked banana french toast looks so amazing that i can't even concentrate on life.  Also, I love her.  Most bakers are annoying.  (Their online personalities at least.)  I want to put bakerella in my pocket.