Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

I know that I have a lot of “you” in me.  I just hope that I also got your genes for your sense of pleasure and joy and happy and boundless energy when I am around my family, and someday, my grandkids. 

Raspberry Cream Cupcake

While I know that Butterfinger ice cream pie is your favorite dessert, thank you for sharing your day with a new recipe by Giada.  I think it is a winner and is worthy of celebrating you.  The cake tasted like angel food and the whipped cream thickened with powdered sugar and raspberries was heavenly.  Now to try it as a layer cake so we can cut ourselves a bigger slice!

Happy Birthday Dad/Gigi!

Ingredients

1. 1 box white cake mix (i.e., Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
2. 1 1/3 cups water
3. 3 large eggs whites
4. 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
5. 2 tsp almond extract
6. 2 tsp vanilla extract
7. 2 (6-ounce) containers fresh raspberries, cut in half (or you could substitute strawberries)
8. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
9. 1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for dusting

Line muffin cups with muffin papers (the recipe said makes 18 – we ended up with 21 and weren’t complaining!). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the cake mix, water, egg whites, melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, or until the batter is well blended. Using about 1/3 cup of batter for each cupcake, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake the cupcakes until they are very pale golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely on a cooling rack.

Using a fork, coarsely mash 1 1/2 containers of raspberries in a medium bowl. Beat the cream and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in a large bowl until firm peaks form. Fold the mashed raspberries into the whipped cream.

Remove the muffin papers from the cupcakes and cut the tops off of each cupcake. Spoon the raspberry whipped cream atop the cupcake bottoms. Place the cupcake tops on the cupcakes. Dust with more powdered sugar and serve with the remaining berries.