If you could capture happiness in a dessert, it would be these Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes! The homemade cupcake batter and whipped buttercream frosting tastes like these cupcakes came from a professional bakery
These perfect little lemon raspberry cupcakes are bursting with a bright and colorful flavor, and are guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Lemon & Raspberry – Have you ever met a flavor combination that was more perfect for each other? Obsessed with this pairing in these cupcakes!
Bakery Grade – These look and taste like they came from your local bakery down the road.
Perfect for Summer – Also known as Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes, these fruity, refreshing treats will steal the show at the summer dessert table.
Homemade – Homemade cake batter and frosting can’t be beat!
Picture Perfect – When you make these, the first thing you’re gonna want to do is get a picture for the ‘gram!
If you really want to impress someone with your baking, I highly recommend starting with these raspberry cupcakes. The best part about these sweet treats, is that you only need fresh ingredients to make them! The beautiful flavors will come naturally from the fruit.
Ingredient Info
Let’s discuss how to make raspberry cupcakes, as well as the ingredients that are needed. Please take note that below you will find discussion, expert tips, and answers to frequently asked questions about this recipe to help you recreate it in your kitchen. If you *just* want the recipe itself, scroll down. The full printable recipe itself, with exact measurements and instructions, is found at the bottom of this page.
- Raspberries – For this recipe you’ll need fresh raspberries, and freeze dried raspberries for topping, if desired. For most of these ingredients, you’ll need them for the cupcakes and the frosting, so make sure to pay good attention to the measurements listed in the recipe card.
- Lemons – Since you’ll need zest and juice for this recipe, I recommend just using fresh lemons. You can use bottled lemon juice if you’d like, but I always recommend using the fresh stuff.
- Sugar – You’ll need white granulated sugar for this recipe as well as powdered sugar.
- Butter – Since you’ll add salt to the recipe, make sure you use unsalted butter. You don’t want your cupcakes coming out salty!
- Raspberry Yogurt – This adds a lovely raspberry flavor, and makes these cupcakes SO moist. If you cannot find raspberry yogurt, you could use vanilla yogurt and use a few drops of raspberry extract.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract will add to the lovely dimensions of flavor these cupcakes already have!
- Eggs – Make sure the eggs have come to room temperature before adding it to the recipe.
- Flour – Make sure you don’t overmeasure your flour or else the cupcakes will come out dry. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off before adding it to the recipe.
Step By Step Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line your cupcake pan with cupcakes liners. Grab a large mixing bowl, and add the sugar and softened butter. Mix that together with a hand or stand electric mixer until the mixture becomes fluffy and light. Add the room temperature eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Continue to beat until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Beat it together with the mixer until a batter forms.
- Add the raspberry yogurt to the batter and beat it til combined.
- Add the fresh raspberries and use a spatula to gently fold it into the batter until evenly combined.
- Spoon the cake batter into each cupcake liner until it’s about 2/3rds of the way full. Fill until you run out of cupcake batter. Bake the cupcakes for 19-24 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Take them out of the oven and move the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, start on the frosting.
- For the frosting, bring a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the fresh raspberries to the pan as well as the lemon juice. Stir to combine and let the raspberries cook down.
- Once soft, mash the raspberries with a fork, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat. Over a separate bowl, pour the raspberry puree over a sieve to drain the juice from the rest of the fruit. Set the juice aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter together until light, pale, and smooth. This will take about 5 minutes. Add half of powdered sugar and whip that together until light and fluffy. add the remaining powdered sugar and continue to beat it together.
- Finally, add the raspberry juice and lemon juice and beat that together until the frosting becomes pink. If you want, you can add a drop or two of food coloring to enhance the color. Add the finished frosting to a piping bag and pipe the cupcakes once they’ve completely cooled. Top the cupcakes with crushed, freeze dried raspberries and enjoy!
Tips And Advice
Storage – You can store the frosted cupcakes covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Make Ahead – If you want, you can make these a day or two ahead of time. Just bake the cupcake batter, and make the frosting as you would in the recipe. Keep the frosting in the fridge, and the cupcakes covered at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble.
Filled Cupcakes
If you’d like an extra burst of lemon flavor in these cupcakes, you can fill them with lemon curd! Just dig a little well in the center of the cupcakes, pipe the lemon curd into the well, frost and voila! Great idea if you really want to elevate these cupcakes.
Equipment
You may want or need a few of these materials before you make Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes!
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Hand or Stand Mixer
- Cupcake Tin
- Cupcake Liners
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Cooling Rack
- Piping Bag and Tip
FAQs
Thankfully, since cupcake batter is fairly light, the raspberries shouldn’t all sink to the bottom. If you’re worried about it however, you can lightly coat the raspberries in flour before you add it to the batter.
Absolutely! In fact, I highly recommend it. Especially, if you’re not serving the cupcakes until the next day. Your cupcakes will taste and look fresher.
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Still in the cupcake mood? Here are some other fruity & fun cupcake recipes you’re bound to fall in love with!
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Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 medium size eggs at room temperature
- zest of two lemons
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup raspberry yogurt
- 1 1/4 cups fresh raspberries
Raspberry Frosting
- 1 1/4 cups raspberries plus 12 extra to decorate
- 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- freeze dried raspberries – optional for garnish
- 2 drops of red or pink food coloring — optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and pale in a large bowl with an electric mixer. About 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, lemon zest and juice, vanilla, salt, flour and baking powder. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes, until well combined. Then fold in the raspberries.
- Divide the batter evenly in the cupcake liners, to the 2/3 level.
- Bake for 19-24 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool.
Frosting
- For the buttercream, put the raspberries and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat them slowly until they begin to break down, then mash them with a fork, and simmer for 10 minutes. Press the cooked raspberries through a sieve to get the juice, and allow to cool.
- Beat the softened butter in a mixer for 5 minutes, until pale. Add the confectioners’ sugar in 2 stages, mixing for 2 minutes each time. When fully mixed, gradually add the raspberry juice and mix until the butter cream is pink, and fluffy in consistency.
- Pipe the icing on top of the cupcakes, and top each with a fresh raspberry, a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberries if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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