Raspberry Brownie Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift and whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

Chop dark chocolate into small bits, transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water and stir with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add butter. Stir until smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Whisk until combined. Set aside to cool. It should be room temperature.

Lightly whisk eggs. Add pure vanilla extract and then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Whisk until combined but be careful to not overmix it. Then stir in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing well after each addition (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). One more time, be really gentle, be careful not to overbeat it!

Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.

Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan, and let cool completely. Hollow out the center of each cupcake and fill those small holes with 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam.

For the raspberry juice (makes about 1/3 cup):
Puree the raspberries in a blender (or however you want to do it). Run through a sieve to remove the seeds.

For the raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream :
Place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl. Set bowl over 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk gently until mixture reaches 140°F (60°C), or until sugar has dissolved and mixture is no longer grainy when you rub it between your fingers.

Remove from heat and, using an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed until egg whites are cool to touch (this takes a while; it should be cooler than your hand). Continue beating, gradually add soft butter by tablespoon pieces and continue to beat. It will first look watery or separated, but after 10-15 minutes, it will come together. Once desired, pipe-able consistency has been reached, fold in raspberry juice/puree until well incorporated.

Frost your cupcakes. Eat a cupcake!

Recipe for Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream adapted from JasonandShawnda.com.