Chocolate Raspberry Truffletini

This decadent Chocolate Raspberry Truffletini is a smooth & creamy combination of Bailey's Irish cream, Godiva liqueur, raspberry vodka, & muddled fresh raspberries... 

St. Patrick's Day happens to be just one week away, folks! And guess what? I made you all a creamy, decadent cocktail just for the occasion. 

Now I know it isn't green (who really likes green beer anyways?), & it doesn't have any whiskey in it. But it does have Bailey's Irish Cream in it, so that totally makes it St. Patty's Day worthy, right? ;) (Everyone just nod your head in agreement, okay?)

This Chocolate Raspberry Truffletini is actually inspired by a cocktail that I had at a local Italian restaurant where I live. My husband & have seriously upped our date night game over the last month (go us!). 

Life had did that thing that it sometimes does, and we found ourselves only making date night a priority once or twice every couple of months. But over the past month and a half, we have had a date night almost every week. 

During one such date night last month, we decided to hop over to the bar at this Italian restaurant for a cocktail or two after dinner. I asked the bartender to whip me up a martini that tasted just like dessert, and this truffletini is more or less what he made for me- a smooth & creamy combination of Bailey's Irish cream, Godiva liqueur, raspberry vodka, & muddled fresh raspberries. 

I knew I was going to have to recreate that boozy deliciousness at home and share it with all of you...

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

With its rich & chocolaty cake layers frosted with a fresh raspberry buttercream, you certainly cannot go wrong with this crowd-pleasing Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake for your next party or celebration...

Let me start this post off by first offering an apology to any of my Instagram followers who may have seen the teaser photo I posted back in August for this insanely decadent cake. You all have been waiting almost two months for this recipe, and I didn't mean to make you all wait that long for this one. 

But you know, life & work & the kids starting back to school got in the way. But today the wait is finally over, my friends!

I actually whipped up this cake for my son's 20th birthday party in August. And yes, I did say TWENTY. I mean, how does that even happen anyways? 

When they say the years go by fast, they are not exaggerating, you all. One day you are planning a Blue's Clues themed party for their first birthday, and then the next thing you know they have officially left their teen years and are in their twenties. I can't even wrap my head around it sometimes.

Framboise Raspberry Cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This is one of the first recipes that I have posted that I cannot really claim as "frugal".  You have to use quality ingredients to create a quality cup cake.  And quality, decadence, and eye candy is what I was going for here.  For the first time in my life, I entered a baking contest this past weekend.  A Cup Cake Bake-Off at a local festival, to be exact.  Now while I did not take the top prize, I did place third so I think I am able to claim my cup cake recipe as award-winning, right? ;)

The inspiration for my cup cake recipe came after my family and I had visited Pittsburgh over the weekend for a Pirates game and to have dinner at one our favorite local restaurants.  Since finding good craft beer is a challenge in our hometown, we carried out a six-pack from the above-mentioned restaurant.  Included in this six-pack was a bottle of Lindeman's Framboise Lambic.  Now you could use any raspberry lambic that you like, but I am partial to Lindeman's.

What you will need to make 12 cup cakes:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp of canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup raspberry lambic beer
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• Raspberry puree (2/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed; 1 tbsp of sugar; 3 tbsp of water- blend all 3 together until smooth & then strain out seeds with a wire mesh strainer.)

 Straining out the raspberry seeds

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add the sugar, beating well.  

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add vanilla and beat again.

Mix together beer and evaporated milk in a measuring cup and then quickly add and beat into the butter mixture. (Don't wait too long after mixing to add it to the batter! It will start curdling like a Irish Car Bomb that didn't get chugged fast enough. ;) )  

Beat in the flour mixture to the beer/butter mixture a little bit at time.

Now you have your Framboise batter, raspberry puree, and cupcake liners all ready to go.  Start by filling each cup cake liner 1/3 full with batter.  Then add a tbsp or so of raspberry puree, and then top with a little more batter.

Using a toothpick, thoroughly swirl the raspberry puree and batter in each cup cake liner until it looks a little something like the photo above and to the right.  

Bake the cup cakes at 375 for 17 minutes, or until slightly golden & a toothpick in the center comes out with little more than a bit of raspberry on it.

Let the cup cakes cool completely before you even think about frosting them with the rich chocolate frosting below. ;)

 Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

What you will need:

1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 oz of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled ( I used baking chocolate.)

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

A few splashes of Framboise (optional)

Using the whisk attachment for your mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then gradually whisk in the powdered sugar.  Do this on low speed unless you want powdered sugar flying everywhere!  Once the powdered sugar is well incorporated, add the vanilla and beat again on medium-high.  Add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  

(Note:  To melt the chocolate, cut into smaller pieces and microwave in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time.  Mix after each 30 second interval until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Then let cool for about 10 minutes.)

Make sure you continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically so that everything is mixed well.  If you prefer, add a few splashes of Framboise to the frosting and beat well.

Now get your icing bag (or in my case, gallon-sized food storage bag) and frosting tips and frost away.  

I garnished my cup cakes with some bittersweet chocolate shavings and a fresh raspberry.

Pssst.... I made this cupcake carrier myself.  I used an empty cereal box, some wrapping paper, and a box cutter.

Just wrap the cereal box with wrapping paper (I was lucky that I found cup cake wrapping paper at the dollar store!), and then cut large X's in the top of the wrapped box with a box cutter.  That's it!  Cute, functional, and disposable!

Cup cake recipe adapted from Miss Make.

Frosting recipe adapted from the browneyedbaker.

Framboise Raspberry Cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes

6045039

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp of canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup raspberry lambic beer
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• Raspberry puree (2/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed; 1 tbsp of sugar; 3 tbsp of water- blend all 3 together until smooth & then strain out seeds with a wire mesh strainer.)

For the dark chocolate buttercream frosting

• 1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 oz of bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled ( I used baking chocolate.)
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
• A few splashes of Framboise (optional)

Instructions

For the cupcakes

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, beating well.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add vanilla and beat again.

Mix together beer and evaporated milk in a measuring cup and then quickly add and beat into the butter mixture. (Don't wait too long after mixing to add it to the batter! It will start curdling like a Irish Car Bomb that didn't get chugged fast enough. ;) )

Beat in the flour mixture to the beer/butter mixture a little bit at time.

Now you have your Framboise batter, raspberry puree, and cupcake liners all ready to go. Start by filling each cup cake liner 1/3 full with batter. Then add a tbsp or so of raspberry puree, and then top with a little more batter.

Using a toothpick, thoroughly swirl the raspberry puree and batter in each cup cake liner until it looks a little something like the photo above and to the right.

Bake the cup cakes at 375 for 17 minutes, or until slightly golden & a toothpick in the center comes out with little more than a bit of raspberry on it.

Let the cup cakes cool completely before you even think about frosting them with the rich chocolate frosting.

For the frosting

Using the whisk attachment for your mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then gradually whisk in the powdered sugar. Do this on low speed unless you want powdered sugar flying everywhere!

Once the powdered sugar is well incorporated, add the vanilla and beat again on medium-high. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

(Note: To melt the chocolate, cut into smaller pieces and microwave in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time. Mix after each 30 second interval until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Then let cool for about 10 minutes.)

Make sure you continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically so that everything is mixed well. If you prefer, add a few splashes of Framboise to the frosting and beat well.

Now get your icing bag (or in my case, gallon-sized food storage bag) and frosting tips and frost away.

I garnished my cup cakes with some bittersweet chocolate shavings and a fresh raspberry.

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For Nutritional Info on this recipe, please CLICK HERE.

Chocolate Raspberry Chia Seed Smoothie

This creamy & healthy Chocolate Raspberry Chia Seed Smoothie only tastes like a decadent treat...

I am partnering with Hamilton Beach today to bring you all this recipe. As always, all opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

I have had a love/hate relationship with making smoothies. I love sipping on smoothies and packing them full of the good stuff. But I have often found myself hating actually having to blend them up. 

You do that first pulse of the blender just to have to take a spoon to scrape down the sides of the blender cup and scoop up what is laying on the bottom to get it all blended in and smooth & creamy. And often times I have to repeat that once or twice more. 

I know that a fancy pants high tech blender would solve my little blender conundrum, but have you all seen the price tags on some of those blender models?? Yikes! 

When Hamilton Beach approached me about giving their new Wave-Action® Blender a whirl (see what I just did there ;) ), I was all in. I mean, what did I have to lose? Besides possibly my smoothie/blender frustrations. 

And the first thing that I whipped up in my new sleek & shiny Wave Action Blender was this smooth and creamy Chocolate Raspberry Chia Seed Smoothie. 

I kind of have a thing for making smoothies that tastes just like desserts since my mean sweet tooth can often get in the way of my attempts to eat healthier. ;) This creamy and chocolaty smoothie satisfied my sweet tooth without the guilt...

Mini Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

My husband and I made a startling discovery over the past couple of weeks...

Our two year old daughter does not like cheesecake!

Gasp.

It first started when we were at our local Sam's Club doing a little shopping. One of baby girl's favorite things about going to Sam's is the little sampling stations.

And who am I kidding?

It is definitely one of my fave perks as well. ;) 

On this rare occasion, my husband was off from work and joined us on our shopping trip.

They were passing out New York cheesecake samples at one of the stations, and my husband grabbed three little paper cups of cheesecake- one for each of us.

Now you see, my husband and I just love cheesecake. 

But baby girl? 

Not so much. She took one bite, immediately made a gagging sort of noise, and then spit it out.

Yes, folks- she spit it out!

My husband and I just looked at each other in wide-eyed disbelief. The little girl who eats and likes just about anything doesn't like cheesecake??

Maybe it is an acquired taste that she will learn to appreciate with age, but for the meantime I am going to fully enjoy and take advantage of the one dessert that my two year old doesn't actually want to share with me.

Yes, the cheesecake is mine all mine... for now.

I certainly had no desire to share this creamy & delicious Mini Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with anyone anyways. ;)

I adapted this recipe from the Mini Cheesecakes recipe I found in my Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System recipe booklet and made my own lightened up version- no butter in these babies and I subbed some of the cream cheese with healthy, nonfat Greek yogurt...

Chocolate Nutella Fudge

This two ingredient Chocolate Nutella Fudge has a rich chocolate taste with just a touch of hazelnut goodness...

Happy February, folks! Did you know that February happens to be National Chocolate Lovers month? I mean, it totally makes sense with Valentine's Day being less than a couple of weeks away. And chocolate definitely speaks the language of love, am I right? ;)

And then we have World Nutella Day on the 5th! An entire day dedicated to celebrating that creamy, chocolaty goodness that is Nutella hazelnut spread. Other than maybe cookie butter, Nutella has be one of the best things ever to come out of a jar. 

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the intersection of National Chocolate Lovers Month with World Nutella Day than with this super easy to make, two ingredient Chocolate Nutella Fudge...

Triple Chocolate Tiramisu

Whether you are a chocolate addict or a tiramisu lover, this Triple Chocolate Tiramisu is sure to become your new favorite dessert...

This Triple Chocolate Tiramisu has been in the making for a couple of weeks now. Tiramisu happens to be my absolute favorite dessert. And when I heard about the 2015 Dixie Crystals Chocolate Dessert Recipe Contest for the Food & Wine Conference this July in sunny Orlando, I knew exactly what I wanted to make- a chocoholic's dream of a homemade tiramisu. 

I knew that I wanted this dessert to have chocolate in every layer and component, including the espresso soaked ladyfingers. But I was posed with a problem- where could I buy chocolate ladyfingers? Since specialty bakeries are very few and far between around here, I decided to embark on making my own chocolate ladyfingers. 

My first attempt at baking my own chocolate ladyfingers ended up being a complete baking fail which I shared over on my Instagram. I ended up with what looked more like small flat chocolate pancakes than ladyfingers, so it was back to the recipe drawing board. Not wanting to deal with that whole piping of the ladyfinger batter mess again, I decided why not make the batter into a sheet cake instead? And folks, that plan worked perfectly.  The chocolate ladyfinger cake turned out exactly like I had hoped that it would! :)

From the chocolate ladyfinger cake to the mocha coffee it is soaked in, to the chocolate mascarpone topping, and then the finishing touch of a cocoa powder dusting and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips, this Triple Chocolate Tiramisu is a chocolate lover's dream dessert...

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

With it's super moist chocolaty cake layers frosted with a rich peanut buttery mousse, this Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake is chocolate cake perfection...

Do you all know what day it is today?

Nope.... It isn't hump day (that's tomorrow, folks). ;)

It is National Chocolate Cake Day! (As if we all need a national food holiday to eat a slice or two of chocolate cake today, right?)

I have actually been holding onto this recipe for a decadent Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake for a little while now. Inspired by my Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie, this cake has been served at my son's birthday party for the past two years, and it has been requested by my mother for her department's work birthday parties several times in the past year.  

To say that this cake has been thoroughly tested and taste tested would be an understatement, friends. ;)

I could think of no better day to finally share this recipe with you all than for National Chocolate Cake Day. How can you go wrong with super moist chocolaty cake layers frosted with a rich peanut buttery mousse and then topped with your favorite whipped topping, lots of chocolate syrup and honey roasted peanuts? 

I mean, unless you are not a fan of chocolate... or peanut butter... or cake. Does someone like that even exist anyways? ;)

Chocolate Screwdriver Angel Food Cake

This Chocolate Screwdriver Angel Food Cake is a light, airy chocolaty orange angel food cake with a rich, gooey chocolate ganache glaze oozing down each slice of it...

I may have been a little excited when Julie (aka, This Gal Cooks) and I had decided on the Spiked! Recipe Challenge ingredient for this month.  I had kind of been just itching for a reason to go buy some chocolate liquor.  I originally was gunning for a bottle of Godiva liqueur, but the only bottle my local liquor store had of it was practically a ginormous jug.  I am sure I could have put very good use to an extremely large bottle of Godiva chocolate alcohol, but I wasn't going to risk it. ;)

After poking around the store a bit longer, I found my favorite liquor- Pinnacle Whipped Vodka in chocolate.

Say what??

Yeah, I was sold.

Raspberry Swirl Pancakes with Nutella

This post was brought to you by Nutella® hazelnut spread and Ferrero U.S.A., Inc. I

received compensation to write this post…all opinions expressed are my own.

Not that you would ever need an excuse to whip up some delicious pancakes today, but did you all know that it is International Pancake Tuesday? Yep, folks! International Pancake Tuesday is a thing, and a very good thing at that. ;) It also happens to also be the perfect excuse to serve up a platter of these beautiful Raspberry Swirl Pancakes for breakfast this morning or to plan a belated pancake celebration for the weekend. 

These soft & thick pancakes are hearty from a little whole wheat flour and ground oats.  A touch of tart sweetness is added to them with a fresh raspberry sauce swirl. The only thing that could possibly make these Raspberry Swirl Pancakes even more delicious would be a small dollop of Nutella hazelnut spread to top them off!  The Nutella spread with it's roasted hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of cocoa pairs perfectly with the raspberries swirled into these easy homemade pancakes...

White Chocolate Peeps Cookiewiches

A Peeps marshmallow buttercream is sandwiched between two white chocolate pudding cookies in this perfect sweet treat for Easter or spring...

I told you all earlier this week when I posted my recipe for S'mores Bunny Graham Bars that I felt like I owed you all some serious Easter recipes this year since I pretty much slacked in that department last year.

I am making good on that promise with this recipe for White Chocolate Peeps Cookiewiches.

Seriously. What says Easter more than Peeps, my friends? ;)

You may be scanning the photo above wondering where in the heck are these Peeps I am talking about. Well folks, I melted them down and turned them into that pretty pink buttercream you see sandwiched between those soft, thick cookies there. Yep, the Peeps are in the frosting! :)

Strawberry-Raspberry Lime Chia Jam

This easy to make & low-sugar Strawberry-Raspberry Lime Chia Jam is the perfect combination of fresh strawberries, sweet raspberries, and tart lime... 

I want to preface today's recipe post with the fact that I do not make homemade jam on the regular. I can probably count on one hand just how many times I have whipped up a batch of homemade jam in my whole entire lifetime. ;) But after seeing recipes for super simple chia jams popping up everywhere, I finally decided to give it a whirl and see what all the fuss was about. I am no stranger to chia seeds. 

In fact, I have several recipes on the blog already that feature chia seeds as one of the main ingredients. Chia seeds are amazing at absorbing liquids so it totally makes sense to use them in homemade jams as a thickening agent. And it doesn't hurt that they happen to provide a nice little nutritional boost as well.

I think there are like a million recipes out there for simple strawberry or raspberry chia jams, but I wanted to create my own version that would really capture the flavors of summer. I think I achieved just that in this super simple jam with the combination of fresh strawberries, sweet raspberries, and tart lime. And since we are using naturally sweet, in-season berries & chia seeds to thicken it up this jam, you hardly need to add any kind of sweetener to this making it lower in calories and sugar than your traditional berry jams... :)

3 Easy Dessert "Pizza" Muffins

With 3 different topping combinations to choose from, these Easy Dessert "Pizza" Muffins are the perfect no-bake treat for summertime...

This post is sponsored by Thomas' English Muffins & Megaphone. All opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

Who else happens to be a fan of no-bake recipes for those hot summer days? When the temperatures rise & the humidity is on, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven to whip up a sweet treat for myself & the kiddos. That's why when Thomas' English Muffins asked me to come up with a perfect for summertime recipe that went beyond the breakfast table, I knew I wanted to create a dessert recipe that was simple & easy and required no baking time whatsoever.

I stopped in at my local Walmart & picked up everything that I would need to make these Easy Dessert "Pizza" Muffins, including my favorite Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffins. These dessert "pizzas" go from toaster to table in just 20 minutes! Plus with 3 varieties to choose from & make, there is sure to be a perfect dessert muffin for each member of your family.