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Cupcakes aren’t something we eat regularly in our house. These sweet treats are reserved for special occasions.  The Santa Barbara News-Press asked the girls and me to make cupcakes for a recent article and this is what we come up with. With Valentine’s Day coming up next month I thought it the perfect time to share some very special cupcakes to wow your love. These have a chocolate raspberry surprise in the middle. To make them extra glam we top them with a single raspberry and a sprinkling of edible gold leaf. Who could resist that?
Photo by THOMAS KELSEY/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Next Thursday, 1/26 from 9 – 10 AM (PST) you can catch me on KZSB AM 1290 (Santa Barbara, California). The program also streams live audio and video online at www.nippers.com and www.newspress.com, and appears On Demand on Cox Cable.

Raspberry & Chocolate Filled Cupcakes
printer friendly recipe 
Makes 12 cupcakes
1 cup white sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk
Filling
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1/2cup heavy cream
24 raspberries, divided
Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream the butter with a mixer at medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture until combined. Slowly mix in the milk until smooth, taking care not to overbeat. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely.  
For the Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla and confectioners sugar. Set aside.
For the Filling:
In a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate with cream, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour into a pastry bag or a plastic bag with small corner snipped off.
To Assemble:
Using a melon baller, scoop a hole about the size of a raspberry from the center of the cupcakes. Pipe about half a teaspoon of chocolate into the holes. Insert a raspberry upside down on top and fill with chocolate. Frost Cupcakes and top with a single raspberry.

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