Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
Servings: 23 cupcakes
Calories: 476kcal
Delicious raspberry cupcakes topped with a rich raspberry buttercream frosting. These soft-textured treats are perfect for anyone who loves fruity, flavorful desserts.
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US Customary - Metric
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (Measured correctly: Spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off – don't scoop and pack the flour into the cup, that will add too much flour.)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream, near room temperature
- ¼ cup milk, near room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 cup frozen raspberries, chopped (You’ll need a large bag (or two small bags) of frozen raspberries, since you’ll need them for the frosting as well.)
For the frosting:
- 1 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 6 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans (24 cupcakes) with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Chop the frozen raspberries, enough to measure 1 cup for the cake batter, and set aside while you mix the cake batter.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk well, then set aside.
- In another medium-sized bowl, add the sour cream, milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature butter and the sugar and mix on medium-high speed with an electric mixer for a couple minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time mixing for about 20 seconds after each egg.
- Alternately add in the dry mixture and the liquid mixture to the butter/egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry mixture.
- (Add in ⅓ of the dry mixture and mix on medium speed just until combined. Add in ½ the liquid mixture, mixing on medium speed only until combined. Add in another ⅓ of the dry mixture, mixing on medium speed only until combined. Add in the last of the liquid mixture, mixing on medium speed only until combined, then the last of the dry mixture and mix until combined.)
- Be very careful only to mix until well combined. Mixing too long and at too high of a speed can cause the cupcakes to come out dense and rubbery.
- The batter will be thick at this point.
- Before adding the raspberries, add about 1 heaping tablespoon of plain cupcake batter to each cupcake liner and spread around the bottom of the liner.
- Add the chopped raspberries to the remaining batter in the mixing bowl and fold in with a large spoon or silicone spatula.
- Add the rest of the batter to the cupcake liners. (Doing it this way will help keep the raspberries from sinking all the way to the bottom.) In my opinion, this works better than coating fruit with flour, but use the method you prefer.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes. Ovens vary, so watch the cupcakes closely starting at about 15 minutes. Cupcakes are done with they're puffed up slighty, lightly golden on the edges and a toothpick into one of the middle of a couple of cupcakes comes out with either a few moist crumbs on it or clean. Be very careful not to bake too long or the cupcakes could dry out.
- Place the cupcake pans on cooling racks and let cool in the pans for about 7 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans and let them cool on the wire racks until completely cooled. The tops of the cupcakes may flatten out as they cool. That’s normal for these cupcakes.
- Mix the frosting according to the directions below and add the frosting to the cooled cupcakes.
- See the notes section for best ways to store these cupcakes, how to serve them and for more questions.
For the frosting:
- Add the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil and mash up the raspberries.
- Lower the heat a bit and continue to boil until it thickens, about 8-10 minutes or so. Make sure to stir frequently. You want to make sure that it really thickens or the frosting will end up too runny.
- Strain the raspberry sauce through a fine mesh strainer if you do not want any seeds in the frosting. You'll need to mash the sauce in the strainer because it will be a thick.
- Throw out the seeds and cover the bowl of raspberry sauce, then chill in the fridge until cooled.
- Once cooled, finish making the frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and salt and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add three cups of the confectioner’s sugar plus 2 tablespoons of milk and mix on low speed until incorporated, then on medium-high speed until well mixed.
- Add the raspberry sauce and the vanilla extract and mix well on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the last three cups of confectioner’s sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then on medium-high speed until well mixed.
- Check the consistency. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. If it's too thin, add another cup of confectioner's sugar and mix well. If it's very thin, you may not have reduced (cooked) the raspberry sauce long enough.
- Pipe or spoon the frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes.
Notes
How to store: These cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can last up to 5 days.
How to serve: These cupcakes are best served closer to room temperature, so that the texture is soft. If the cupcakes are cold, set it them out to come closer to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
For other questions: Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs section of this post, which should answer other questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes, etc.
Nutritional values are an estimate.
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Nutrition
Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 812IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg