Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry-Grapefruit Buttercream

For Mothers' Day! this post is self-explanatory......

Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar (I reduced it to half cup)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 
3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
4. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely 
6. Decorate as desired.

Raspberry-Grapefruit Buttercream filling 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick butter, at room temp
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 Tbsp grapefruit zest, unpacked
• 1 1/2 Tbsp grapefruit juice
• 1/2 tsp Marks & Spencer Bat's Blood

Method:

1. Cream the butter, powdered sugar, salt, and grapefruit zest on high 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bat's blood and mix for another minute