To me From me Cupcakes

Orange-Almond Cupcakes with a Raspberry Center and Orange Buttercream Frosting.

Ever heard of a to me from me gift? Well this year mine was cupcakes. I had a left over Duncan Hines Moist White Cake mix that I needed to use, so I decided since it was my birthday, to incorporate some of my favorite things.

I used Giada's cupcake recipe plus the zest of one orange and 1/4 cup or so of fresh orange juice. While baking, make the filling...

For the Raspberry Filling:
*2 cups of frozen raspberries
*1/2 cup or so of sugar (depending how sweet you want it
*3 Tbls of Cornstarch
*1 tsp of Orange juice

About 30min-1 hr before, place frozen raspberries and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a bowl. Allow raspberries to defrost with sugar on them a bit.

In a medium sauce pan, incorporate all ingredients. Cook over medium-medium high heat, continuously stirring. Slowly it will start to thicken and create a jelly-like substance. If it's too thick, add some water. If too runny, add more cornstarch. Place in bowl and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely. *Note: If you're not a fan of seeds, use a mesh strainer to separate.

While the cupcakes and filling are cooling, make the icing.
I'm not a fan of buttercream, but I needed something that didn't require refrigeration. Next time I would use Giada's whipped frosting recipe (found in above link) and just add orange instead of raspberries. But if you like buttercream, this is a great recipe.
Changes made: I added the zest of an orange, a squeeze of oj, and food coloring.

Adding the filling: 
I'm not a fancy pastry chef, and I don't have a cupcake filler, so I used a decent paring knife to cut holes in the centers. Using your writing hang, make a small cut in the cupcake, being sure to not hit the bottom of the cake. With the other hand, slowly turn the cupcake similar to a door knob, keeping your hand with the knife in the same spot. This will give you a perfect circle.

Using a teaspoon or pastry bag, fill holes 3/4 of the way full. It's okay if they don't look perfect, you'll be covering them with icing anyways.

Place an icing tip in a pastry bag or zip lock or just cut a small hole in the end and go to town.You can top with fresh berries, but I had some of the filling left over and decided to use that to garnish.

Finished product!!

Happy birthday to me! I'm thinking something apple-y or pumkin-y next. Any suggestions?!?