Aubrey’s Birthday Cupcakes!

“Cupcakes involving chocolate and cream cheese frosting,” the birthday girl demanded! Jokes, of course, but seriously I had to just straight-up ask her what she’d die to have on her birthday…how does one sneakily ask what someone’s favorite kind of cake is when it’s only a couple of days before their birthday?! This is something I frequently struggle with. I’m a HUGE surprises person. Maybe this is girly, but I really do love to give thoughtful surprise presents, or in this case, surprise birthday dessert!

Walking along the canal in Georgetown, I was throwing out flavor combination ideas to a friend. While my idea for a vanilla cupcake with fresh blueberries and white chocolate and cream cheese frosting would have been phenomenal…I settled on Vanilla Raspberry Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. Ohhh sweet baby Jesus. They were light and sweet with a nice freshness from the raspberries and a deep chocolate punch here and there aaaand a light, creamy frosting. It went a little something like this…

…yeahhh :)

**French phrase for fun:

J’adore des surprises!
I love surprises!

The basic vanilla cupcake recipe and cream cheese frosting recipe were inspired by Joy the Baker! :)

Here’s what I did:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Whisk together and set aside:

-1 1/3 c. flour
-3/4 t. baking powder
– 1/4 t. salt

Cream together with an electric mixer:

-1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
-1 c. sugar

Beat for about  3 minutes, and then add:

-2 eggs (one at a time)
-2 t. vanilla extract

Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add:

-1/2 c. whole milk

Then add the rest of the flour mixture, and mix together until just incorporated.

Stir in with a spatula:

-1 c. washed and dried fresh raspberries 
-1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks (I used 73%)

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, and bake until golden brown ~20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and let them rest for a minute before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Once they’re COMPLETELY cooled, frost them with the cream cheese icing:

Beat together in an electric mixer:

-8 oz. softened cream cheese
-1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Beat for one minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through.

Add in, and beat together (starting slowly so that you don’t end up in a cloud of powdered sug):

-Pinch of salt
-2 c. powdered sugar
-2 t. vanilla extract 

If you’re feelin’ faaaaancy, put the icing into a pastry bag, and pipe it on to make it purdy! :)

Enjoy!!!