Chocolate Cupcakes with a Raspberry Surprise

It's fridge clean-out day, and time to use up the random bits and pieces that are quickly approaching their use-by date.

I open my fridge and a jar of neglected raspberry jam looks sorrowfully at me. "Eat me" it says pleadingly...

It looks so lonely, the poor thing. It needs a friend. And the best friend raspberry can have is chocolate.

And good friends need to have a playground. That would be a silky creamy pool of buttercream to splash around in.

For 6 cupcakes:

• 25g dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 120 ml boiling hot water
• 80g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 60g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 teaspoons raspberry jam

For the icing:

• 115g icing sugar, sifted
• 55g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon raspberry jam
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk or light cream
• 1 drop of red food colouring

Preheat oven to 190C and line 6 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup with 1 heaped tablespoon of batter, then add a teaspoon of raspberry jam, and top up with another heaped tablespoon of batter.

Bake for about 16-20 minutes. A skewer inserted into a cupcake should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely while you make the icing.

Cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the raspberry jam and vanilla extract.

Turn the mixer down to low and gradually beat in the icing sugar, making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Tint the frosting with the red food colouring for a pretty shade of pink.

Spoon the frosting into an icing bag with a star tip. Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe little stars all over the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles if desired.

Isn't it amazing how lonely individuals can come together to make such pretty and delicious pairings?

And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
'Cause I love you no?
Can't help but love, you know...