Heart Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is only a couple weeks away!  Do you bake for your kiddos or your sweetie?  Everyone loves receiving a special baked treat and these Heart Cupcakes are perfect!

They start with a yummy chocolate cake and are filled with a fluffy raspberry cream cheese frosting. Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter makes them look impressive, but they are super easy.

Heart Cupcakes Supplies:

●    Chocolate Cupcakes, baked in Valentine baking cups and cooled
●    Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting {recipe below}
●    Small heart shaped cookie cutter
●    Apple corer to create hole for filling
●    Small knife to cut cupcake

Bake and cool cupcakes, then with a serrated knife, cut the top mounded part of the cupcake off, set aside. I filled my cupcake liners a little more than I usually do, so that when they baked there would be an extra mound. Then to create the hole for the filling, I use an apple corer, try not to go down all the way to the bottom of the cupcake {if you do it's not a big deal} turn the corer and bring out the cupcake plug. Fill the hole with frosting.

Then with a small heart shaped cookie cutter, I used one that came in a box with several other cutters from Wilton, cut out the heart. Mound the Raspberry Cream Cheese frosting in the middle of the cupcake, push a little to the edge. Then place the top onto the cupcake, then carefully add a little more frosting inside the heart, if necessary.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

●    1 (8 oz) Cream Cheese, room temperature
●    1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
●    1/2 cup shortening (or 1 cup butter)
●    1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves or other flavor you like
●    2 tablespoons Raspberry Liquor or liquid from fresh raspberries {I used liquid from frozen raspberries)
●    4-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1.    Cream the butter, shortening, and cream cheese until smooth.
2.    Mix in the preserves and liquid.
3.    Slowly add the powdered sugar until you get the consistency you like.