Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, filled with a luscious raspberry chocolate cream cheese and topped with a semi-homemade raspberry frosting, are a stunning dessert for any time! This recipe elevates a humble chocolate cupcake boxed mix into something special.

Close up of cupcakes in decorative wrappers with birthday number candles

I have been a chocolate fan my entire life.

I could eat chocolate with any meal (including breakfast because holy cow, these Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Chips are amazing), and I always have some good dark chocolate on hand.

Turns out, I come by my chocoholic tendencies honestly.

Why I love this recipe:

This rich Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake recipe was made in honor of my mother’s 60th birthday!

She’s a huge chocolate lover, and I remember purchasing her chocolate-covered strawberries from a local chocolatier every year for Mother’s Day.

I wanted to make something special for my mom to celebrate her birthday, but since I’m a new mom, I didn’t have all the time in the world to tinker in my kitchen.

So I doctored up some store-bought ingredients, including chocolate cake mix and a can of buttercream frosting, to make this batch of birthday cupcakes.

The chocolate cupcake is rich and moist and filled with a tart raspberry chocolate cream cheese filling, striking a lovely balance.

After popping a fresh raspberry into the filling, I topped these beauties with an easy raspberry buttercream frosting. Because, well, this flavor combination is awesome. And because I think my mom will love it, too.

More cupcake recipes: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Baileys Frosting | Bourbon Maple Bacon Cupcakes | Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes | Margarita Cupcakes with Salted Tequila Frosting | Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting | Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Cupcakes

A line of cupcakes in striped wrappers on top of white stands

What you need to make this recipe:

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Cupcake tin (or muffin tin)
Cupcake liners (these parchment paper ones are my favorite)
Mixing bowl
Hand mixer or stand mixer
Cookie scoop
Piping bag or ziptop plastic bag

Let’s talk ingredients!

In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

Chocolate Cake Mix — I used a 17 oz. box to make this recipe, which are no longer available. Most boxed mixes are 15-16 oz.
Unsalted butter — you’ll need some to make the cupcakes, as well as the frosting. Make sure it’s softened.
Unsweetened applesauce — this adds extra moisture to our cupcakes without adding more fat. Make sure it’s at room temperature.
Whole milk — for more moisture in the cupcakes. I like using whole milk in baked goods for all the flavor, but a lower fat milk would also work.
Eggs — these help with the structure of the cupcakes.
Cream cheese — make sure to set the block on the countertop an hour before baking because you want it softened. This will make it easier to mix.
Powdered sugar — also known as confectioners sugar, this adds sweetness to the chocolate-raspberry filling and the frosting. There is no replacement.
Dark chocolate chips — or your favorite chocolate chips. Semisweet or bittersweet would both work here without making the cupcakes too sweet.
Raspberry preserves — please make sure they’re seedless! We use this for the filling, as well as the easy raspberry frosting recipe.
Fresh raspberries — we’ll pop these into the filling for decoration. Clean them and gently pat them try.
Water — this will thin out the frosting a bit if it’s too thick.

Collage of step by step pictures filling cupcakes with toppings

How to make Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

First, I whipped up the cupcakes using a boxed cake mix as my base. That box called for a stick of butter, three eggs and a cup of milk. Most box mixes call for a cup of water, 3 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil.

I’ve obviously adapted this to add more flavor to the cake mix. We’re adding butter AND unsweetened applesauce because I love applesauce in cakes.

Once the mix was smooth, I poured them evenly into cupcake liners and popped them in the oven to bake. (It took a little longer in my oven, but keep in mind that it’s ancient.)

How to make the filling and Easy Raspberry Frosting

While the Chocolate Cupcakes baked, I made the raspberry chocolate cream cheese filling.

I combined a block of softened cream cheese with powdered sugar, melted dark chocolate and raspberry preserves.

Then I combined the powdered sugar for the frosting with raspberry preserves, softened butter and water until it was perfect.

Overhead view of cupcakes with raspberries on table

How to decorate these Chocolate Cupcakes with Filling

Decorating these cupcakes was a blast, too, and was easily the most time-consuming part of this process. That being said, you can easily delegate tasks to little hands to help with this… it’s messy, but fun!

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, it’s time to get started!

With a butter knife or a tablespoon measure, scoop out a 1″ section of the cupcake for the filling, then dollop the filling in. Add a raspberry on top because it’s cute and makes a nice surprise to bite into!

Then you’ll ice the cupcakes.

If you’re fancy, bust on out those decorating and pastry bags! If you’re like me and are nowhere close to being a professional decorator, use my trick: a gallon-sized plastic bag with one of the corners snipped.

Let your creativity shine as you ice these beauts. I thought the thin ribbons of icing were super cute.

And then you eat these cupcakes… or surprise someone you love with them.

Close up view of inside sliced cupcake with raspberries on plate

These cupcakes are part of my mom’s 60th birthday present.

So if you’re reading this, Mom? The rest of your birthday present is with Leigh. I ordered it weeks ago. (Because while I might not have tons of time to spend in the kitchen, I’ve become very good at ordering things online. eCommerce FTW!)

I’ll be sure to eat a cupcake for you as y’all celebrate your birthday in style this evening! And I’ll figure out how to ship cupcakes like these so you can enjoy ’em, too!