Lambic, in case you didn’t know, is the best beer ever. Yes, it’s true. It’s a Belgian beer and it’s fermented differently than other beers, using wild yeasts and bacteria instead of brewer’s yeasts. (Thanks, Wikipedia!) The most well-known lambics are the ones made with the addition of fruit–Framboise, Kriek, and Peche (raspberry, cherry, and peach). And in my opinion, these are also the most delicious lambics. While I’ve tried other fruity beers, lambics are the only ones that I really like. Although lambic might not be found at your local grocery store, you can usually find it at specialty liquor stores and at World Market, which is where we buy it.
Having seen desserts and other confections made with stout beer, I wanted to try using Framboise lambic to flavor cupcakes. Because I was worried the raspberry flavor wouldn’t be able to compete with chocolate, I added raspberry puree to the frosting. (And then I had “Raspberry Beret” stuck in my head for several days, substituting the word “puree” for “beret.” I’m not sure what kind of raspberry puree you buy at a second hand store, but I have a feeling it’s not very good.) I really had nothing to worry about, though, because the raspberry flavor definitely comes through in the cake; the batter tastes like a chocolate raspberry truffle (salmonella never tasted so delicious!) and when the cupcakes are baking in the oven, your whole kitchen will smell like chocolate and raspberries. The cake is light, fluffy, and moist–so light, it’s almost like angel food cake. Almost, but not quite.
The addition of the puree to the frosting makes it a little bit thin–this is not the kind of frosting that can be piped into 3-inch tall peaks. If that’s your thing, you can omit or reduce the amount of raspberry puree that you add or simply add more powdered sugar. Refrigerating the frosting before piping it onto the cupcakes will also make it thicker, but if you keep the cupcakes out for any length of time, the icing will probably start to deflate a little.
My husband doesn’t like cake or frosting, but he loved these chocolate lambic cupcakes. And I am a big fan of cake and frosting, and these just might be the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. They’re decadent, but not too heavy. And they’re sweet, but not cloyingly so. These are the perfect cupcakes for adult palates. Because, you know, there’s beer in them.
Decadent cupcakes made with Framboise Lambic and topped with raspberry cream cheese frosting. Adapted from Dave Lieberman's Chocolate Stout Cupcakes.
Ingredients
- Cupcakes:
- 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
- 2 c. sugar
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 12 oz. Framboise Lambic
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 c. sour cream
- Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 5 tbs. butter, softened
- 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 6 oz. fresh raspberries, pureed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
- Whisk together cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together Lambic, melted butter, and vanilla. With hand mixer on low, beat in one egg at a time and then add sour cream. Mix until smooth.
- With hand mixer still on low speed, slowly add dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until well-combined.
- Pour batter into muffin tins, filling each 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12 minutes; rotate pans. Bake for another 12-13 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- While cupcakes are cooling, start making frosting. Use a hand mixer to beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Fold in raspberry puree. Generously frost each cupcake.
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As if raspberry and chocolate wasn’t enough, you go and make them boozy too! I love this!
Boozy cupcakes are the best cupcakes.
Those look absolutely delicious! Yum, yum, yum! And lol to Kelly’s comment!
Thank you! They are goooood. As soon as I posted this, I started craving them–need to make more.
These look right up my alley! I’m the only one who likes raspberry so I guess I’ll have to eat them all by myself. What a shame!
Ha! Yeah, normally my husband doesn’t like cupcakes so I have to admit, I was a little bit disappointed that he wanted to eat these and I had less for myself.
Love these! My husband is a homebrewer, so I’m always looking for new beer-inspired recipes. Can’t wait to try these!
Thank you! Have your husband make some raspberry beer ASAP (maybe mail some to me too?)!
I’m drooling! I love your photo of the one cupcake in focus with three in the background. If you like Lambics you might like sour beers. Have you ever tried one? A good sour beer is the best thing on the planet!
That’s funny, I almost trashed that photo, but Chris really liked it, so I included it. I always take a gazillion pictures and then I have so much trouble choosing which ones to use!
No, I don’t think I’ve tried sour beers. Is that what they say on the label? Because I’m going to look for them this weekend…
oh they are soooo delicious and tart!! i asked chris what you should look for and he gave me some long winded answer about the chemistry of the beer…. basically, its not on the label, but you should ask at a liquor store that sells craft beer and they will guide you to a few. Let me know if you get one!
amazing recipe! so much so that i used one of your pictures in a blog that I recently published. i linked the picture back to this page and gave you all the credit, of course! thank you again for sharing. my readers will love it! here’s the link – http://reluctantwwfoodie.com/2012/02/13/sweets-for-your-sweetie/
Thanks for the mention–I definitely don’t mind lending a photo with credit & a link.
And despite what you may think from this recipe (ha), I’m actually on WW too, so I’m happy to find your blog!
I was just looking at lambic at the store. Now I know what I can do with it! P.S. how do you get your recipes so neat and tidy on your blog?
Ooh, but you can drink it too!
Or buy some for cupcakes and buy some to drink. I’m not a big beer drinker, but I looove lambic.
I use the ZipList plugin for my recipes. I’ve also tried Easy Recipe, but I really like ZipList best.
I never knew about Lambic not until I reached your post. I am glad I stumbled upon your site…This I have got to try. =)
Oh, you should definitely look for lambic–it’s so good! I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I love lambic.
Kudos for using natural food coloring! I have used beets in the past, but I love the idea of using raspberries! I have a few bags of frozen fruit in the freezer that would be perfect for this!
Yeah, I’m not a fan of food coloring either. The raspberries are perfect–they tone down the sweetness of the frosting and they make it such a pretty pink color too!
They look fantastic, both pretty and delicious! Wish I had some!
Thank you! This was my first attempt at piping frosting onto cupcakes, so they turned out slightly imperfect–I picked the least lopsided ones to photograph.
Never heard of Lambic before.
I think I could just eat the frosting all by itself =).
My husband DID eat the frosting by itself, which was amazing because he hates frosting with a passion. Standing at the countertop squeezing leftover frosting into his mouth from the pastry bag wasn’t one of his finer moments.
Your chocolate and raspberry dessert looks perfect for Valentine’s Day! I especially love the little flecks of raspberry in the icing–as pretty as sprinkles
Oh, I’m glad you think so–I was worried people would look at it and be like, “She didn’t put the puree through a sieve before using it?!” But no, I didn’t–I love raspberry seeds!
Wow, I have never heard of that but it looks so good!
Oh, you need to find some lambic and try it ASAP! Fruity beer is so good.
I love Lambic, and these look absolutely srumptious! Perfect for V-Day.
Ha, I can’t stand Valentine’s Day and it was totally unintentional that I had this recipe scheduled for this week, but people are pinning it and saying that they’re making them today, so I guess they are kind of perfect for the holiday.
mhhh raspberries are my favourie fruits. will def try this recipe
Raspberries are one of my favorite fruits too, which is probably why I love these cupcakes.
Oh gosh, these look amazing!! And I would have them all to myself since I’m one of the few people in my family who like raspberries.
How can your family not like raspberries?!
You are officially trying to kill me with all of these amazing dessert recipes. This looks amazing!
Ha! Well, my theory is that if you eat healthy most of the time, you can afford to splurge a little now and then. These cupcakes are a good splurge!
I love Frambois Lambic. I first tried it about 13 years ago and love love love it. So can you taste the flavor in the cupcake? I was actually googling around to find a frosting recipe using it much like champagne. Have you ever tried it in the frosting? my guess is that it might come out too runny. I love everything about your recipe, i was just asking because for some odd reason I want to be able to say the whole thing has beer in it
don’t ask me why!
Yes, you can taste it in the cupcakes! And you can also smell it in the cupcakes as they bake–it is the best smell ever.
I haven’t used it in the frosting, though. You could probably add a tablespoon or so and it would retain its texture but not add much flavor and any more than a tablespoon, it would impart more of a taste but the texture would be a bit thinner–more of a glaze than a frosting. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!