It was a wonderful September weekend filled with good company, pleasant weather, and delicious food. I had a great reason to make cupcakes, because I got to see my parents and my future in-laws on Saturday. We met in Boonville to eat a nice dinner and celebrate the recent engagement. I brought my in-laws a batch of cupcakes, and I saved some back for my parents to eat for dessert when we returned to Columbia. I decided to try the same "from scratch" devil's food cupcakes I'd made earlier this summer. Then, I filled them with seedless raspberry jam. I topped them with real whipped cream, and I added a hint of raspberry jam to give the cream a subtle fruity flavor. They were a perfect combination of rich chocolate and sweet raspberry. A taste comparison occurred late on Sunday after my mother and I returned from a wedding show with several cake samples from local bakeries. The verdict: My chocolate raspberry cupcakes were better than all of the samples we tried. Of course, that came from my mother, father, and fiance who know the right thing to say if they want more cupcakes anytime soon. In fact, my finance and I discussed how we might have to make chocolate raspberry one of the choices for cake at our wedding. I'm assuming you know when I say "cake" at the wedding, I mean cupcakes. But, we'll have to find a superb bakery, because I, the bride, will not be baking on the day before our wedding.
