Celebrating Mom with Chocolate and Raspberries...

When I was growing up and it was my birthday, my mom made me feel like on that day I was a princess. She sent flowers or balloons to school, there were notes and cards in my lunchbox, there was usually a party or special dinner, and there were always presents, whether big or small, that were always perfect because she knew just what I liked. Mom still makes my birthday feel this way. This past Wednesday happened to be my mom's birthday. She had a busy week but we made time for a birthday dinner and I made cupcakes (of course!)

My mom's favorite dessert is anything raspberry with chocolate - a love that she has passed on to me! These cupcakes are just a variation of other recipes that I found. I tweaked them and came up with this little creation of my own. I'm so excited to share this recipe because these were the best cupcakes that I have ever made!

For Cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix & required ingredients (I used Duncan Heinz Dark Chocolate)
Raspberry Preserves
Fresh raspberries
Mini chocolate chips
Raspberry dessert sauce (Optional but if you can find it, this adds soooo much.)
For Frosting:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons baking cocoa
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Mix the cake batter per the directions on the box. Mix in a handful of mini chocolate chips for good measure. As you read this recipe keep in mind there's no such thing as too much chocolate...

Once you have mixed in the chips and spooned the batter into your cupcake liners add your secret ingredient: a spoonful of the raspberry preserves! I also sprinkled a couple more chocolate chips right on top because they tend to go to the bottom of the batter. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes (or follow the time on your cake mix) at 350 degrees. While they bake you can mix up your frosting. Cream the butter, cocoa, and sugar and then add the milk at little bit at a time as you mix it to make sure you get the right consistency.

Once your cupcakes cool - my favorite part - time to decorate! The frosting looks so pretty if you pipe it on from a pastry bag. I used fresh raspberries for the top, sprinkled with more mini-chips, and then drizzled with raspberry dessert sauce. (I found this at Kroger and Melissa's was the brand. It is SO yummy...) I only used a little bit so I look forward to trying it with other desserts.

Just want to wish my Mom a happy birthday again. I hope this year brings her lots of joy. She deserves it  much more than I can say.