Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line a cupcake tin with 12 liners.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda together.

Step 3

Add in the egg, vanilla extract, oil, milk, and hot water, then mix until the cupcake batter is smooth.

Step 4

Pour the cupcake batter into the liners, filling up to 2/3 full and bake for 11-15 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Step 5

Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire cooling rack while you make the filling and the buttercream.

Step 6

If using fresh raspberries, wash and pat dry to remove any extra moisture or water. If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw - use directly from frozen.

Step 7

Add raspberries, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture while mashing the raspberries. Stir until combined.

Step 8

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring every so often. Let it boil for 4-5 minutes, or until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Step 9

Add the freeze dried raspberries to a small blender and grind them up into a fine powder.

Step 10

Add butter, powdered sugar, and the ground up freeze dried raspberries to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. If it's too thick, add a couple teaspoons of your milk of choice until your desired consistency is reached.

Step 11

Once the cupcakes have cooled completed, use a cupcake corer or a small pairing knife to core the middle of the cupcakes (around ¾"), being careful not to cut down to the bottom of the cupcake so the filling doesn't come out of the bottom! See photos in the post above for reference.

Step 12

Fill each cupcake almost to the top with raspberry filling, then cover with the top piece of the cored cupcake to seal.

Step 13

Pipe or spread the buttercream onto the cupcakes and enjoy!