Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Chambord Frosting Recipe

        My very favorite flavor combinations are chocolate and raspberry. The Chambord liqueur compliments this ganache frosting perfectly to top these cupcakes and turns them into a gourmet flair. The fresh raspberries are elegant to serve to any guest for any functions. This recipe will give you many compliments along with  many asking for the recipe by all your friends and family. Splurge a little and make this for yourself your going to love them! If you have kids just make some without using the liqueur they are still wonderful and delicious filled with pudding and the frosting!

Dark Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

8 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup special dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Optional:  chocolate cooked pudding by package directions and then cooled

Ganache Frosting (recipe below)

Raspberries for garnish
Chambord for drizzling

In a heavy duty bowl and electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter till light and fluffy. Melt the chips in the microwave until smooth around 2 minutes. Add the the sugar mixture. Add the eggs, sour cream and beat for 1 minute until combined. Add all the dry ingredients left. Beat until smooth around 2 more minutes.
Prepare cupcake tins with liners. Scoop batter into the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven of  350 degrees hot oven until centers are clean inserting a toothpick or around 25 minutes.
Cool Completely.

Optional Chocolate Filling: If using the pudding option, cut a hole around 1 inch  in each of the centers and then removing the cake,  of each cupcake. Fill centers with pudding. Frost with ganache recipe below.

Ganache Frosting:

1 bag 12 ounces of milk chocolate chips put through a food processor until fine
 8 oz heavy cream
8 tablespoons very soft room temperature butter
1/4 cup Chambord Liqueur and more for drizzling

Heat cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat.  Add cream to the food processor with chopped milk chocolate. Add butter and chambord then pulse until well combined. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Frost them with a spreader or you can add to a pastry bag to decorate with a large star tube for piping the frosting on top.
Add red raspberries for garnishing. Drizzle more Chambord over the top before serving.

+claudia lamascolo  Author

Memorial Day Recipe Picks For 2013

Bloody Mary


 
Avocado Cucumber Tomato Appetizers

                                         
                                                    Curt's Black and Blue Angus Burger

Grilled Chicken Whiskey Barbecue

Mango Salsa Grilled Salmon




Grilled Rum Jerk Style Pork, Chicken or Shrimp

Italian Style Ham and Potato Baked Casserole 

 

Tropical Banana Blueberry Bread

Texas Sheet Cake!




Grandma's Strawberries and Cream Pound Cake





Check out the links below

4th of July Ideas with RED WHITE AND BLUE
Grilling Roundup 2012
Appetizers and Side Dish Ideas
Memorial Day 2012
Memorial Day 2011

              

 

To all our lost loved ones, friends and soldiers, thinking of you today on this Memorial Day..

 

 

+claudia lamascolo  Author 

Chicken Parmesan Loaded Baked Potato Recipe

Who would have thought a meal can be made out of a simple baked potato then topped with a favorite entrée like Chicken Parmesan could be so easy! I was just thinking how much I love it with pasta the usual way we prepare the meal. Tonight we thought we would try a loaded baked potato with our favorite topping. This was one heck of a hit in our house this evening!

My favorite Chicken Parmesan strips recipe:

 

Three boneless chicken breasts cut up into long strips
Baked Potatoes (I use Yukon gold or large white potatoes) made ahead of time. Bake in the oven or in microwave which ever you prefer. Make as many for family size needed.

Italian flavored panko bread crumbs

Grating cheese

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 cup of half and half or milk

1 baggie gallon sized

marinara sauce click here for the recipe or bottled sauce

shredded mozzarella
 

olive oil

 

Place cut up chicken in a bowl of half and half.

Put cheese, bread crumbs, minced garlic, in a large baggie gallon size. Shake the bag to mix ingredients. Add cut up moistened chicken in the bag and shake. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil then drizzle with olive oil or parchment and oil sprayed. Bake at 400 till brown. You can also fry if you prefer. Remove from oven, pour sauce on top, shredded mozzarella, and more grating cheese, place in oven till cheese melts.  Top chicken parmesan with a cooked baked potato and serve.

Suggestions for more toppings: Chopped black olives, chopped peppers, sautéed mushrooms, red pepper flakes for heat, cooked chopped broccoli, cooked spinach.

A faster version of this recipe would be:

 

Frozen style chicken tenders

Store bought sauce

Mozzarella
Grating cheese

Yukon Gold Potatoes microwaved

 

Place the tenders on a baking sheet, add the sauce of choice, top with mozzarella and load it up with grating cheese,  bake until cheese is browned or melted and chicken is cooked.

 

Top a cooked baked potato with your cooked cheesy topped chicken and serve.