Raspberry Cream Cheese Surprise Cupcakes

It's been approximately one year since we moved into this new house. We absolutely LOVE it here for so many reasons. The house itself is fantastic with a huge yard, close to a massive park that has live entertainment on the weekends, a great elementary school within walking distance, and last but not least, fun neighbors!

So our neighbors told us a few weeks ago to 'save the date' for the street block party, I quickly added it to my calendar. Well, last night was it! So much fun. Everyone pulled out their lawn chairs and grills along with coolers (for the adults, of course). We had different games set up (bags, etc) and the kids enjoyed riding their bikes up and down the street free of traffic. Stories were told and jokes were shared, it was such a fun night! As for food, few neighbors provided the hotdogs and burgers while everyone else was asked to bring a side dish.

I knew I wanted to make something fun, but also something that could be enjoyed by everyone. And who doesn't love cupcakes? Raspberry cream cheese cupcakes seemed to be the perfect fit.

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix



• 8 oz sour cream



• 2 eggs



• 1/2 cup vegetable oil



• 1/2 cup water



• Raspberry preserves



• Fresh raspberries for garnish



• Half a block of cream cheese (for the surprise!)



• Cream cheese frosting

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 and place your cupcake liners in the pan.



• Mix the top five items (cake mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, water) together in a large bowl. The batter will be thicker than what you're used to. And that's a good thing, it's delicious!



• Fill your cupcakes a little less than 2/3 full.



• Now cut up your block of cream cheese into little pieces.



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• Add one piece of cream cheese to each cupcake, gently pressing down into the batter.



• In a separate bowl, stir together some of your raspberry preserves. This helps make them smooth and easier to work with.



• Add a dollop of preserves on top of your cream cheese piece. This bakes into the cupcake to be a yummy surprise!



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• Bake approximately 20 minutes until tops start to brown a bit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.



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• Now frost with cream cheese frosting and add a fresh raspberry for flavor and flair!

These were a HOT item at the block party! The kids loved them as much as the adults. Of course I had the luxury of trying one (errr, two) before heading out the door.

Aren't they pretty? Trust me, they're as delicious as they look. The sour cream added really gives a nice texture and flavor to the cupcake. Don't worry, it doesn't taste like sour cream... just creamy! The little surprise of cream cheese and raspberry preserves was fun but I think it couldn't have used a bit more raspberry. In fact, next time I make these I'll probably do a raspberry cream cheese frosting to really carry the flavor through a bit more.

Regardless, I'd still call this cupcake a tasty success!

Source: Betty Crocker