Happy Birthday to my precious niece! Ethne turned 7 and her parents asked me to bake her birthday cake. Since we had to travel 3 hours and they weren't having the party until 2 days after we arrived, I knew a cake wouldn't last. And I can't properly do a cake without my kitchen and my gadgets. I made the cake version of this same recipe in May for Heather's birthday and it turned out fantastic. I also made these cupcakes earlier this summer for a family reunion in Sunriver, OR, however the problem there was the altitude made them all sink in the middle (but you can't tell in the picture below). I wanted to give them another go, and I had faith that at a normal elevation, these would be perfect.
The raspberry toppings can be made in advance, but I wouldn't do it more than 1 day before because you want the freshest raspberries possible. (Have I mentioned that the hair on raspberries offends me? It does.) I buy the long rectangular carton of raspberries and there are always just a few leftover. When you pass these around for people to sample, they'll flock to you like flies to honey.
To fill the cupcakes, I used seedless raspberry jam, warmed it, and piped it with a Wilton filling tip (the very long, skinny one). I could have filled them a little more, but it's hard to tell how much is going into each cupcake.
The jam used in the frosting gives it a natural flavor that is unbeatable. I was going to throw the extra frosting away, but the shrieks of protest stopped me and I put it in a covered bowl for finger-tasting.
These cupcakes have a few extra steps than most, but the end result is so impressive and delicious!
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