Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
Light and moist lemon cupcakes topped with an easy raspberry buttercream frosting. These Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting are absolutely delicious!
I think cupcakes have to be one of my favorite things to create and photograph for this blog. Sadly, it’s been over 5 months since the last time I posted a cupcake recipe. I guess other things like these brownie bites and no-bake cheesecakes have been on my mind lately.
But today I’m changing that with these cupcakes. The idea for these lemon cupcakes came from my Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Squares, which happen to be one of the most popular recipes (and one of my favorite recipes) on the blog. I love lemon desserts and I know a lot of you do too, but they’re even better when paired with berries! So, I decided to make these lemon cupcakes and top them with a delicious and easy raspberry buttercream frosting.
Let me just start off by saying that making homemade cupcakes is not too difficult. Please, don’t let it intimidate you! One of the most important tips I can give when making cupcakes from scratch is to measure your flour correctly with the spoon and level method. In other words, stir the flour around, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level the top off with the back of a knife.
You want to avoid using the measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container because you can end up with too much in your recipe. Measuring your flour correctly is crucial to making soft, light, delicious cupcakes. I explain how to spoon and level flour in more detail in this post.
The flour is mixed together with a little baking powder and salt. Simple so far, right?
For the wet ingredients, you’ll start out with some butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Once everything is mixed together you’ll mix in some lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and sour cream. The first time I tested these cupcakes I tried using just sour cream with the lemon juice, but they were a little too dense. So I adjusted the recipe by reducing the sour cream and adding some milk to make them soft and light, which worked perfectly.
The lemon juice and lemon zest in this recipe add a beautiful light lemon flavor. It’s not too overpowering, but you can definitely taste the lemon in these cupcakes. For the best texture and flavor, always use full-fat ingredients. They do make a difference!
I also used raspberry preserves to bring out the raspberry flavor in the frosting. I’ve tried fresh berries in frosting and it tends to curdle, which isn’t so pretty. I really wanted to try out freeze-dried raspberries in this frosting, but I could not find them ANYWHERE. After almost ordering a pack online, I decided if I couldn’t find them that easily then there’s a good chance a lot of you wouldn’t be able to either. So, I stuck with using raspberry preserves in the frosting. Just a note, the frosting recipe will make enough to give these cupcakes a nice frosting just like the pictures. If you prefer less frosting, feel free to cut it in half.
Lastly, don’t overfill your cupcake liners. This recipe will make 15-16 cupcakes, I always end up with exactly 15 cupcakes when I make these. Filling the cupcake liners too full will cause them to overflow and you’ll end up with muffin tops. Cute on muffins, but not so much on cupcakes.
Ok, I think I’ve talked enough about cupcakes. I promise I won’t wait another 5 months to share another cupcake recipe with you too. Enjoy!
Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
Ingredients
For the lemon cupcakes:
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 medium lemons)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
For the raspberry buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup raspberry preserves or jam
- tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
To make the lemon cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with 15 cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in each egg one at a time, then the vanilla extract, making sure to mix well after each ingredient. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, mix until well combined, then mix in the milk and sour cream until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, making sure not to overmix the batter. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to turn the batter and make sure everything is well combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter between all 15 cupcake liners, making sure to only fill them a little over halfway full. Bake in batches at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove from the oven, then carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To make the raspberry buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add in the raspberry preserves (or jam) and salt and continue mixing until fully combined.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.
If you really love lemon, try filling them with my Microwave Lemon Curd recipe!
Just because I love cupcakes, here’s my favorite Vanilla Cupcake recipe.
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