Dark chocolate and raspberry cupcakes

National Cupcake Week starts tomorrow! Great excuse to get into the kitchen and whip up some scrummy treats for the family. Betta Living has challenged bloggers to post our most inventive cupcake recipe for their #bettabakeoff challenge. How could I refuse?!

I asked 3yr old Little E what she thought should go into our cupcake recipe and she decided on chocolate and raspberries. Usually I opt for white chocolate in my cupcakes but I decided to change things up for this challenge by making decadent dark chocolate cupcakes with a rich ganache topping. Chocolate overload alert! Here's the recipe:

Dark chocolate and raspberry cupcakes

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes

175g self raising flour

150g caster sugar

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

150ml sunflower oil

150ml semi-skimmed milk

2 eggs (beaten)

2tbsp cocoa powder

100g melted dark chocolate

For the ganache topping

150ml double cream

75g dark chocolate

75g milk chocolate

200g fresh raspberries

Start with the ganache topping.

1. Place the chocolate in a bowl.

2. In a heavy bottom saucepan bring the double cream to the point of boiling.

3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.

4. Leave for a few minutes until the chocolate has melted then whisk to a creamy, smooth mixture.

5. Pop in the fridge to cool for a couple of hours until it is semi-set.

6. Whip with an electric whisk until peaks form.

7. Smash half the fresh raspberries into the ganache.

Creamy molten chocolate ganache

Meanwhile heat the oven to 170c. Line a muffin tin with cases. Now for the sponge...

8. Sieve the flour, bicarb and cocoa into a bowl.

9. Add the caster sugar and mix well.

10. Make a well in the centre and add eggs, oil and milk.

11. Beat well with an electric whisk until smooth.

12. Add the melted chocolate and mix again until combined.

13. Pour into baking cases and cook for approx. 20minutes.

Sift, whisk and mix...

Little E wanted to make butterfly cakes so we chopped the top off of the cupcakes, swirled some ganache on top then decorated with the sponge top 'wings' and some of the fresh raspberries.

The finished cupcakes

With a 3yr old helping decorate they weren't exactly the most delicate looking cakes but they tasted super scrummy - I think her face in this photo says it all, eyes closed to fully savour the first bite!

How much can I get in at once?

This is my entry to the Betta Living National Cupcake Week (15-21 September) competition. Share your cupcake recipes this week on Twitter using the hashtag #bettabakeoff. You can find out more here.

Linking up with #tastytuesday with honestmum.com