Raspberry chocolate cupcake

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 130 g dark chocolate, 50% cocoa
• 3 eggs (organic free-range eggs) size M
• 130 g sugar, finest
• 130 g butter, room temperature
• 130 g wheat flour
• 48 raspberries
• 120 g raspberries, fresh
• 150 g pudding (raspberry pudding)
• 320 g mascarpone
• 250 g quark, 20% fat content
• 120 g meringue(s)
• 120 ml syrup (raspberry fruit syrup)
• 110 ml cream, at least 30% fat content
• 35 g sugar, finest
• 25 g cornstarch
• 1 egg yolk
• Meringue(s):
• 2 egg whites (organic free-range eggs, size M)
• 100 g sugar, finest
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar baking powder
• 12 ml water

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Preparation of chocolate cupcakes with raspberry meringue cream

The recipe calls for 3-4 raspberries to be placed on top of the batter, one for each cupcake as decoration, and 125g for the pudding, so a total of around 300g of fresh raspberries should be sufficient. All instructions are based on baking cups that have a diameter of 6.5cm at the top, 5.5cm at the bottom, and 3.5cm high. If you use larger or smaller baking cups, you will get more or fewer pieces from my recipe. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat) and line a muffin tin with baking cups. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt the chocolate while stirring. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with 65g of the sugar until stiff peaks. In a second bowl, cream the butter on high for about 2 minutes until light yellow, then add the melted chocolate and mix for about 1 minute until the mixture is cold. Gradually add the egg yolks and the remaining sugar (65g). Stir the wheat flour into the mixture on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds. Fold in the egg whites with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the baking cups; they should be about 2/3 full. Place three or four raspberries on each cupcake and press them lightly into the batter. The cupcakes are then baked on the middle rack for about 30 minutes. Every oven bakes differently, so keep an eye on your cupcakes, especially if you are making this recipe for the first time. After the baking time, let the cupcakes cool completely. For the raspberry pudding, bring the granulated sugar, cream, and 50ml raspberry fruit syrup to a boil in a saucepan. Mix the remaining syrup with the cornstarch and egg yolks until smooth (mix very well, otherwise you will have starch lumps in your topping later!). Add this to the boiling cream and syrup mixture and stir well. Remove from the heat immediately, continuing to stir vigorously. Return to the stovetop for another 5 seconds. Stir and then remove from the stovetop. Stir vigorously to prevent burning! Pour into a bowl and let cool. For the meringue, place a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk the egg whites with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until frothy, then add the sugar and cream of tartar. Beat for another 2 minutes, then add the water. Beat on high speed for 12-15 minutes until the mixture feels smooth and supple. If you still feel granules between your fingers, the sugar isn’t completely melted; in this case, increase the water temperature slightly. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before use. For the topping, puree the raspberries and pass through a sieve. If using frozen raspberries, drain off the liquid first. Too much liquid will make the topping too soft, which will prevent it from holding up properly when piping hot. Beat the cold pudding on medium speed for about 30 seconds until creamy. Then add the raspberry puree and beat for another 30 seconds. Add the mascarpone and quark and beat for another 20 seconds until creamy. Carefully fold in the meringue by hand. Fill a piping bag fitted with an 18 or 16 mm star nozzle and pipe in circular motions. Tip: If the meringue is too complicated, you can sweeten it with 60g of powdered sugar. The topping won’t be quite as fluffy as with meringue, but it will still be very good.