I started pinning things for Valentine’s Day on Pinterest and couldn’t stop. Thus, this blog post. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to make everything I was pinning so I decided to just put them all into one massive blog post and let you decide what to make! In my opinion, anything pink, red, strawberry, raspberry, cherry or chocolate says Valentine’s Day! And that’s pretty much what you’ll find in this post. Lots of pretty, delicious, Valentine’s Day-perfect treats and ideas! How to choose?! I hate making decisions. Especially when it comes to dessert. They all look amazing.
As you know I can’t let a holiday pass without showing all the best that the internet has to offer in themed cupcakes. And Valentine’s Day is no exception! Check out these absolutely adorable cupcake ideas!
Nutella is everywhere right now. People are putting it in cookies, cakes, brownies, cheesecakes, rice krispie treats, eating it straight out of the jar with a spoon (Who would do that?! Seriously…I don’t even know…). It’s Nutella madness! But there’s a reason. The stuff is GOOD. I mean really, really good. So I decided I must bake with it. Somehow. What to dooooo???
And then I had an idea…another really, really good thing is raspberry beer. Specifically, Framboise Lambic raspberry beer. This stuff is beyond yummy, like drinking the ripest, juiciest, sweetest raspberries. I’ve wanted to incorporate it into my baking FOREVER. Hmmm, Nutella AND raspberry?? YES. Chocolate cupcake with Nutella ganache and raspberry beer buttercream??? DOUBLE YES.
Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but this is one of the best cupcakes I’ve made to date. I simply love this one-bowl dark chocolate cake recipe from Sweetapolita. It is super moist and reminiscent of a wacky cake just like my mom used to make and reminds me of birthdays past. The Nutella ganache is decadent and gooey and the light, airy raspberry buttercream is just the perfect frosting for the whole thing. Oh and dare I suggest TOTALLY perfect for Valentine’s day with the faint pinkness of the buttercream and the cute dark chocolate heart topper?? (You can find the mold for the chocolate heart here.)
Is this the perfect cupcake? Perhaps. The best use of Nutella EVER, in all baking history?? Maybe. A really, really super delicious crazy good cupcake?!? Definitely!
⅔ c. Buttermilk (I only had whole milk so that is what I used and it seemed to work fine.)
½ c., plus 1 T. Espresso or Strong Hot Brewed Coffee (I used the coffee)
2 Eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 T. Pure Vanilla
Nutella Ganache
¾ c. Nutella Hazelnut Spread
½ c. Heavy Whipping Cream
Raspberry Buttercream
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened
½ c. Shortening
4 c. Powdered Sugar
½ c. Raspberry Beer (suggested: Lamboise Frambic)
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Cupcake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 regular cupcake pans with cupcake wrappers.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift or whisk all of the dry ingredients together. Add all remaining ingedients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and beat or 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon 3 tablespoons of cake batter into each cupcake tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and cool completely.
For the Nutella Ganache
Place the Nutella in a medium size bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil and pour over the Nutella. Whisk or stir until smooth. Let cool completely.
Raspberry Buttercream
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually beat in 2 cups of the powdered sugar and then ¼ cup of the raspberry beer. Beat in the other 2 cups of powdered sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of the raspberry beer. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
To Assemble Cupcakes
Using a serrated knife or apple corer, cut out a small piece from the middle of each cupcake. Fill with 2 teaspoons of Nutella ganache. Pipe with raspberry buttercream.
