Chocolate Cupcakes With Violet Buttercream Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
• Sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together in a bowl. Whisk sugar, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract together in another bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until combined. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Place raspberry preserves into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Insert the tip into each cupcake and squeeze about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each.
• Beat powdered sugar and butter for frosting together using a hand-held electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Beat in vanilla extract. If frosting seems too dry, add milk to reach desired consistency. Frost cooled, filled cupcakes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make cupcakes:.
• Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let cool completely before decorating.
• Make Ganache:.
• Chop chocolate and place in a stainless steel or glass bowl. Bring cream and sugar just to a boil in a small saucepan and then pour over chocolate. Whisk together and then stir in butter until melted.
• Make Buttercream Filling:.
• Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a stainless steel bowl. Place bowl in a water bath set over low heat. Whisk occasionally until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very warm, about 150 degrees F. Remove from water bath and whip with a hand-held mixer on high speed until stiff peaks. Lower speed and add the butter in small pieces. Add vanilla and violet essence and mix until smooth. Add violet color, 1 drop at a time, until desired shade is reached.
• Decorate:.
• To fill, put buttercream in a pastry bag with a small round tip. Stick tip into the center of each cupcake and pipe in filling.
• Dip tops of cooled cupcakes in the warm ganache and let set. Pipe more ganache on top for decoration. Finish with candied violets or sprinkles if desired.