These raspberry cupcakes taste just like summer! They have the perfect balance of tart and sweet and are packed with raspberry flavor.
They’re made with raspberry-studded vanilla cupcakes, raspberry jam filling, and a delicious raspberry buttercream.
Marbling this Frosting with Raspberry Jam
I really wanted these raspberry cupcakes to burst with flavor, so I decided to coat the inside of my piping bag with raspberry jam before filling it up with buttercream.
It gives each frosting swirl a beautiful marbled look, and makes each cupcake look so delicious!
This step is totally optional, but it’s a fun way to mix things up and give these cupcakes such a fun finished look.
Substitutions and Swaps – Raspberry Cupcake
While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!
Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe:
- All-purpose flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a cup for cup gluten free flour blend if needed.
- Granulated sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of the cupcakes.
- Sour cream – You can also use full fat yogurt, buttermilk, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat, etc.) if you’re dairy free.
- 1 large egg – If you don’t have eggs on hand or you have an egg allergy you can use a vegan egg replacer instead.
- Melted butter – You can also use any flavorless oil in the cupcake portion of this recipe like canola or sunflower oil. I advise against olive oil because of its strong flavor.
- Fresh Raspberries – If you want to add raspberries into the cupcake batter, be sure to use fresh raspberries rather than frozen! Frozen berries release a lot of extra moisture as they bake and can throw off the consistency of these cupcakes.
- Seedless raspberry jam – It’s important that you use seedless jam or jelly in this recipe! It ensure the frosting turns our smooth and makes it a lot easier to pipe.
- Fresh lemon zest – You can also use 1 tsp of lemon extract in its place in the frosting. However, the flavor won’t be quite as strong or bright.
- Unsalted butter – If you only have salted butter on hand you can use it in place of the unsalted butter in this recipe. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
Tips for Making the Best Raspberry Cupcakes:
- Properly measure your flour (fluff and level with a knife or use a scale).
- Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners and make sure they all have the same amount of batter.
- Bang your cupcake pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
- To really pack these cupcakes with raspberry flavor, fill them with your favorite raspberry jam.
- Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam inside your piping bag before filling it with frosting. It’ll give your frosting swirls even more delicious raspberry flavor.
- Use a large round piping tip to frost large swirls on top of these cupcakes! I used an Ateco 807 to frost these.
- This frosting recipe makes enough to pipe large swirls like the pictures. If you prefer less frosting, feel free to cut the frosting recipe in half.
- To make gluten free raspberry cupcakes, swap in your favorite GF flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe. Be sure to give your batter some extra stir time (helps give GF baked goods proper structure) and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
Making these Raspberry Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips
You can make these cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted and unfilled in an airtight container, they can last for 1 day at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
These cupcakes can also last up to a month in the freezer. If you plan to freeze them, wait to fill and frost them until they’re thawed.
You can also make your frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Be sure to give the frosting a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature overnight in an airtight container, but I find frosting and filling them right before serving is best.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this recipe for raspberry cupcakes, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Let me know your thoughts and sharing a comment and rating below.
Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!
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Raspberry Cupcakes
These raspberry cupcakes taste just like summer! They have the perfect balance of sweet and tart & are packed w/ raspberry flavor!
Ingredients
Raspberry Cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour blend (150g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (6g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (3g)
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature (125g)
- 1/2 cup water (120g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (56g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
- 1 cup fresh raspberries, tossed in 1 Tbsp of flour (125g)
Optional Filling
- 3/4 cup raspberry jam (240g)
Raspberry Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
- zest of 1 small lemon - about 2 tsp (4g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
- 1/4 tsp salt (1g)
- 3 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam or jelly (60g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (250 grams)
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream or whipping cream (15 grams)
- red gel food coloring - optional
Tools & Decorations
Instructions
Raspberry Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C), and place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
- Whisk together 1 ¼ cups all-flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup melted and cooled butter, 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk together until the ingredients are just combined and you can’t see any streaks of flour.
- Fill the cupcake liners half way full, then add the flour-coated raspberries on top of the batter. I like to tear large raspberries in half to help the batter around them bake more easily.
- Add a bit of batter on top of the raspberries, filling each liner 3/4 way full. Bake for 19-21 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Raspberry Buttercream:
- While the cupcakes bake and cool, make the raspberry buttercream.
- Beat 1 cup of unsalted butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with stand mixer or hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in the zest of 1 small lemon, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt and beat on low until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Add 3 Tbsp of seedless raspberry jam and mix until fully combined.
- Mix in 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream on a low speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- If you want a deeper pink color, mix in a drop of red gel food coloring. It sounds odd but it really enhances the natural pink color of the frosting.
- Once fully mixed, if the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
- If your frosting looks broken before adding it into the piping bag, add in more room-temperature butter, 1 Tbsp at a time until it comes back together.
- Stir the frosting by hand with a rubber spatula once it's made for a minute or two to make the frosting super smooth.
- If desired, add 1 Tbsp of raspberry jam into a large piping bag and spread it out to create a thin layer all around the bag.
- Cut off the tip of the bag, and fit it with a large piping tip (like an Ateco 807).
- Place the buttercream in the piping bag and seal the top with a rubber band.
Decorating these Raspberry Cupcakes:
- Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, remove the centers with a small sharp knife or a 3/4 inch circle cutter.
- Fill each cupcake with 1 Tbsp of raspberry jam.
- Pipe a generous swirl of raspberry buttercream frosting on top of each cupcake, and garnish with fresh raspberries if desired.
Notes
Yield:
One batch of this recipe makes 13 standard sized cupcakes. The raspberries take up a decent amount of space, so you'll end up with a tiny bit of extra batter once you fill a standard, 12-muffin pan.
Variations:
- To make eggless, dairy free raspberry cupcakes, use an alternative dairy milk to replace the whole milk (almond, oat, or soy) and dairy free yogurt (almond, oat, or soy) in place of the sour cream.
- To make gluten free raspberry cupcakes, swap in your favorite gluten free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for, and be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
Tips for Making the Best Raspberry Cupcakes:
- Be sure to properly measure your flour (fluff and level with a knife, or use a scale).
- Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set any cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners and make sure they all have the same amount of batter.
- Bang your cupcake pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
- To really pack these cupcakes with raspberry flavor, fill them with your favorite raspberry jam.
- Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam inside your piping bag before filling it with frosting. It'll give your frosting swirls even more delicious raspberry flavor.
- Use a large round piping tip to frost large swirls on top of these cupcakes! I used an Ateco 807 to frost these.
- The frosting recipe makes enough to pipe large swirls like the pictures. If you prefer less frosting, feel free to cut the frosting recipe in half.
- To make gluten free raspberry cupcakes, swap in your favorite GF flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe. Be sure to give your batter some extra stir time (helps give GF baked goods proper structure) and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
Making these Raspberry Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips:
Make your cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted and unfilled in an airtight container, they can last for 1 day at room temp, up to a week in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer
Make your frosting ahead of time too, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature overnight in an airtight container, but I find frosting and filling them right before serving is best.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 367Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 42mgSodium 245mgCarbohydrates 55gFiber 2gSugar 34gProtein 5g
Devon
Monday 22nd of July 2024
Hello! How sturdy is this frosting? I was planning to pipe different sized rosettes and leaves on top of the cupcakes and was curious how well they would hold their shape. I'll likely not line the piping bag with the jam, though I think it's beautiful! P.S. I always use your American buttercream recipe and love it!
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I've made this sponge recipe twice in a row now and each time it's so so dense :( I mix the dry ingredients until just combined as you say but it's getting stodgy. Any advice? I even tried it without the raspberries. The batter before baking is lovely and smooth
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