Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

5 from 1 rating

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

This recipe for raspberry lemonade cupcakes taste just like your favorite drink, and is seriously the perfect summer cupcake flavor!

Prep Time10

Cook Time19

Additional Time30

Total Time59

Course: Cupcakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Calories: 367kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

1 cup granulated sugar 200g
zest of 1 small lemon - about 2 tsp 4g
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour blend 150g
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 6g
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature 125g
1/3 cup water 80g
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice - about 1 small lemon 60g
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled 56g
1 large egg, room temperature 56g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
yellow gel food coloring - optional

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 or vanilla bean paste 4g
1/4 tsp fine salt 1g
3 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam or jelly 60g
2 cups powdered sugar 250 grams
1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, room temperature 15 grams
red gel food coloring - optional

Tools & Decorations

Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Muffin tin
Cupcake liners
1 small lemon
3 Yellow straws
1/2 cup yellow sprinkle blend
1 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam
Large round piping tip like an Ateco 807
Large piping bag

Instructions

Lemon Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C), and place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
Whisk together 1 cup of granulated sugar and the zest of 1 lemon in large bowl. This helps release the oil from the lemon zest. The mixture should become pretty aromatic and the sugar should become slightly yellow in color.
Add in 1 ¼ cups all-flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk together, then set aside.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/4 cup melted and cooled butter, 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract until combined.
If you want your cupcakes to have a brighter yellow color, mix a drop of yellow gel food coloring into the wet ingredients.
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 about 3/4 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.
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 Lemonade 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 a segment of a lemon slice, a 1-inch piece of straw and sprinkles.

Video

Notes

Yield:

One batch of this recipe makes 12 standard sized cupcakes. It can also be used to make about 30 mini cupcakes (bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 F).

Variations:

To make eggless, dairy free raspberry lemonade 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 lemonade 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.

Making these Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips:

Make your cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted and unfilled in an airtight container, they can last for 2 days at room temp, up to a week in the fridge, or up to 3 months 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