RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper liners.
• Mix together vanilla cake mix, 1 cup water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until cake mix is moist. Raise mixer speed to medium and beat until batter is smooth, 2 minutes.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes are very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 23 minutes.
• Cool cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes; transfer cupcakes to cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Place raspberries, 1 tablespoon water, and white sugar in a blender and pulse several times to chop raspberries; blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.
• Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until thoroughly combined; pour mixture into the raspberry mixture in the blender and blend again until smooth.
• Pour raspberry mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let the raspberry filling cool.
• Cut a core out of each cupcake about 1 1/2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.
• Spoon about 2 teaspoons raspberry filling into each cupcake.
• Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals until chips begin to melt, about 1 minute. Stir and repeat, heating chips about 10 seconds at a time, until thoroughly melted. Stir until chocolate is smooth and no more lumps remain.
• Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in half the confectioners' sugar, melted white chocolate chips, and milk until mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Slowly beat in remaining confectioners' sugar until smooth; if frosting is too stiff, beat in more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Spread or pipe the white chocolate frosting over the cupcakes to cover the raspberry filling; drizzle or pipe any remaining raspberry filling over cupcakes.

Steps:

• For cake:.
• Heat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour 2 9” round cake pans.
• Melt the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. (It will probably hold most of its shape even though it is starting to melt). Remove from the microwave and stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until smooth. Let cool for approximately 5 minutes.
• Place the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, egg whites, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate. Mix with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop your mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Using a medium speed, mix again for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Divide the batter between your prepared cake pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula, then place the pans in the oven on the center rack, side by side.
• Set the timer for 28 minutes and then check for doneness. The layers should be golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. It may take up to 4 minutes longer in the oven, but don’t overcook.
• Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.
• Run a knife around the edge of each layer and invert onto a rack, then invert on another rack so that each layer is right side up. Allow to cool for at least 30 more minutes.
• For frosting:.
• Place the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
• Add the remaining powdered sugar alternately with the milk and lemon juice (1 cup of sugar, then 1 T liquid at a time), blending with the mixer after each addition. Add the lemon zest. If the frosting seems very stiff, add up to 1 more tablespoon milk. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, approx 1 minute.
• To assemble:.
• Place the raspberry preserves in a small bowl and stir until it is smooth and no lumps are present.
• Using a long serrated knife, carefully split the first cake layer horizontally into halves, creating 2 layers. Place the bottom half on a cake plate, cut side up. Spread ¼ cup of the raspberry preserves on it. Place the top half of the layer, cut side down, on top of the first half. Again, spread with ¼ cup of the preserves.
• Split the 2nd layer in the same way you did the first. Place the bottom half on top of your partially assembled cake, cut side up, and top with the remaining ¼ cup of preserves. Then top with the top half, cut side down.
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with the lemon buttercream frosting.
• If you are garnishing the cake with fresh raspberries, wait until right before you serve it. Otherwise juice from the raspberries will start to spread into the frosting. It won’t ruin it, but it won’t look very pretty after a while.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator.