Chateau Monet Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing

I made these for my daughter's 21st birthday. Huge hit! They were gone faster than any cupcakes I've made in the past. This is my own recipe, based on a recipe I developed earlier in this blog for triple chocolate cupcakes with strawberry icing. The texture and richness are to die for.

Chateau Monet Chocolate Cupcakes

First Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 oz melted 100% cocoa chocolate bar (cooled)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup Chateau Monet

Second Ingredients:
2 cups white, all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine First Ingredients in order, beating constantly until smooth. Combine Second Ingredients in a bowl, then add to first ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fill muffin tins to 3/4 full. Bake mini cupcakes for 13 minutes or until done. Bake full sized cupcakes for 35 minutes or until done. Frost with raspberry icing.

Raspberry Icing:
1 lb of powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh raspberry preserves
1- 2 Tbsp Chateau Monet (to texture)

Whip the butter and sugar until crumbly. Add the vanilla, then add the preserves and Chateau Monet until consistency is just right for spreading over cupcakes.