Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. This ensures your cupcakes bake evenly and don’t stick to the pan.

Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. This step helps evenly distribute the dry ingredients, so your cupcakes rise perfectly.

Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and egg until smooth. The oil and buttermilk will give the cupcakes their tender, moist texture.

Add the wet to the dry: Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing gently with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; this can make the cupcakes dense instead of light and fluffy.

Incorporate the hot water: Slowly add the hot water to the batter. It might look thin, but that’s exactly what you want! The water intensifies the chocolate flavor and helps create a moist texture.

Fold in the raspberries: Gently fold in the fresh raspberries. Try not to crush them too much—keep those little bursts of berry goodness intact.

Fill the cupcake liners: Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full. This allows room for the cupcakes to rise without overflowing.

Bake and cool: Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once done, remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.