Chocolate Raspberry Bars

These are very rich bars, but if you're a big fan of chocolate, then you'll love them.

Chocolate Raspberry Bars

 2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 c cold butter

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 c semisweet chocolate pieces

seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350.

Place flour, brown sugar, salt, and cold butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set 1 1/2 c of crumb mixture aside. Press remaining mixture into bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 14 minutes.

For the filling, heat condensed milk and 1 c of chocolate pieces over low heat until the chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over baked crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Drop teaspoons of raspberry jam 1 1/2 inches apart over the top and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate pieces. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool and cut into bars.

Cupcake Hero

One of the blogs I follow, I heart cuppycakes, holds a competition each month called Cupcake Hero. The competition is hosted each month by the person who won the previous month. Here's the link to this month's competition. The ingredient is raspberries, and since I just picked some really yummy ones up from a local farm (Wilson Farm) I thought it was time to get baking and enter the competition for once instead of just reading about it. I couldn't decide on one idea so I made two different kinds of cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Whipped Cream

For these cupcakes, I used this cupcake recipe, which I've used before.

For the raspberry whipped cream:

1c whipping cream

1T sugar

1T raspberry sauce

Whip the cream and sugar for about 2 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Add in raspberry sauce and continue to whip until soft peaks form.

For the raspberry sauce, I used some of the filling from my other recipe below. You can also mash the raspberries and use the juice and small raspberry pieces from that. More or less raspberry sauce can be added to taste.

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

Makes 6

For the cupcakes (adapted from Love and Olive Oil):

1/2 + 1/8c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4c sugar

1/8c light brown sugar

1/8c olive oil

1/2c 2% milk

1tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon juice

For the raspberry filling:

1/2 pint raspberries

1/3c sugar

3T lemon juice

1T cornstarch

For the butercream:

1/4c butter

1.5c confectioners' sugar

1.5T raspberry filling

1tsp lemon juice

1/2 T 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350. To make the cupcakes, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix into the dry ingredients. Fill cupcake liners and bake about 20 mins.

To make the filling, mash berries and add to a saucepan along with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Stir constantly as mixture boils and thickens. Allow to sit at room temperature until cool and thick.

For the frosting, cream the butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar 1/2c at a time. Add lemon juice, raspberry filling, and milk, and mix until light and fluffy. If too runny, add more sugar. If too thick, add milk.

Chocolate/Raspberry/Lemon Cupcakes

This weekend I tried making some chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling and lemon buttercream frosting.

I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, which I adapted from the cookbook Sweetness.

Chocolate Cupcakes

 2/3c dark chocolate cocoa powder

2/3c boiling water

1c cake flour

1 1/4c sugar

2tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

12 tbsp butter, softened

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cocoa powder and boiling water in small bowl, then set aside and let cool. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix eggs and vanilla, then add 1/2 of the cocoa mixture. Add the other half of the cocoa mixture and the butter to the dry ingredients. Finally, add the egg mixture to the dry ingredient mixture in two stages. Bake 17-20 mins.

 

I cut out the centers of the cupcakes to fill them - I cut them in a cone shape and saved just the top portion of the cone to replace the top.

Raspberry Filling

1/2 package frozen raspberries, thawed

1/6c sugar

1.5 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Drain liquid from package of raspberries into a measuring cup. Add water to fill the measuring cup to 5/8c. Combine all ingredients except raspberries in pot. Mix well as mixture heats to boiling and thickens. Let cool and then stir in raspberries.

I made a lemon buttercream frosting to top the cupcakes. I've tried several buttercream recipes and they always seem to come out too runny, even when I try adding more sugar/less liquid. It's still yummy, but I have to store these in the fridge.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

(originally from The Cupcakery)

1 stick softened butter

2 3/4c confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp milk

1tsp vanilla extract

1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cream butter and salt together. Add half of the sugar and milk to the butter and beat until combined. Add the remainder of the sugar, vanilla, and lemon. Beat on high until frosting is fluffy.

This whole recipe made about 18 cupcakes for me. They were definitely very sweet, and a glass of milk was needed, but the flavors worked really well together.