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frosted raspberry cupcakes sitting on a wire rack

Raspberry Cupcakes

Raspberry cupcakes with raspberry buttercream are a simple dessert that packs a big punch of raspberry flavor!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling time 2 hours
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

Raspberry cupcakes

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • finely grated zest of half a lemon
  • 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour divided
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries coarsely chopped

Raspberry buttercream

  • 1 cup frozen raspberries defrosted and drained
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Instructions

Cupcakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 to 12 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Combine the butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium until well combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
  3. Add the milk, egg, vanilla, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest and beat until combined.
  4. Fold in the 3/4 cup flour with a rubber spatula. Place raspberries in a small bowl with the remaining tablespoon of flour and stir until berries are coated. Fold the berries into the cake batter. (Batter will be thick.)
  5. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream

  1. Puree the berries in a blender or food processor. Pour into a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
  2. Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until puree reduces by about half (5 or 6 minutes). You'll have about a 1/4 cup of puree.
  3. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl to remove the seeds. Use a rubber spatula to press the puree through the sieve, extracting as much of the raspberry juices as possible. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  4. Once puree is cool, place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth.
  5. Add 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and the salt and beat to combine. (Depending on how sweet your berries are, you may want to add a little more salt than this recipe calls for.)
  6. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then turn mixer to medium and beat until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin and additional milk if frosting is too thick.
  7. Frost and decorate cooled cupcakes as desired.

Recipe Notes

  • If you prefer to divide your work up over a couple of days, you can store the cupcakes overnight at room temperature covered with plastic wrap. Don’t cover the cupcakes until they’ve cooled completely!
  • You can also make the frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge (covered!) overnight. When you’re ready to frost your cupcakes, beat the frosting with an electric mixer on high speed until it’s a spreadable/pipe-able consistency. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of milk if the frosting is too thick.
  • Uneaten cupcakes can be stored at room temp (covered) for up to 2 days or in the freezer (tightly wrapped) for up to 2 months.