Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe with Buttercream Frosting
My Raspberry Cupcakes are so fun and colorful — but the flavor is all berry! Try my go-to recipe for raspberry sauce with these goodies!
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries plus 12 extra berries to decorate
- 5 tablespoons peach nectar
Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup raspberry yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon raspberry extract optional, for flavor
- 5 or 6 tablespoons of the reserved Raspberry Sauce
- Freeze-dried Raspberries to decorate optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Prepare the raspberry sauce: combine sugar, raspberries and peach nectar in a small saucepan, over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often and crushing berries with a large fork. When the mixture has thickened, (reduced by half) proceed to step 3.
- Strain the thickened raspberry mixture through a wire sieve into a small bowl, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon. Discard solids and chill the sauce.
- Prepare the cupcakes: Cream together the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy, in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each addition and scraping the bowl to ensure everything gets mixed in.
- Add the yogurt and vanilla, and blend in. Then add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes, until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners, fill each cup 2/3 full.
- Add the chilled raspberry sauce to the cupcakes by making a small well in the center of each cupcake, and adding a small amount of the sauce. Then swirl each one with a toothpick or butter knife. Reserve 5 or 6 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce for the frosting.
- Bake for 19-24 minutes, until golden or until a toothpick comes out clean (check them at 15 minutes). Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. Trim edges if necessary.
- Meanwhile prepare the buttercream frosting: In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until smooth and pale (about 2 minutes).
- Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, mixing for a minute each time, and scraping the bowl. Add the half & half, vanilla and raspberry extract, and mix for another minute.
- Remove half of the frosting and put it into a separate small bowl. Add the 5 or 6 tablespoons of reserved raspberry sauce to the remaining frosting in the mixer. Mix for two minutes, scraping the bowl.
- Place a square sheet of plastic wrap on the counter, and spoon two rows of the white and pink frosting, side by side. Roll the frosting together in the plastic wrap, snip off the end of the plastic wrap to expose one end of the frosting, and place that end down into a frosting bag. Use your favorite piping tip.
- Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes, in a round motion, forming swirling layers of frosting on the cupcakes. The frosting should come out of the piping tip half white and half pink. Top each with a fresh raspberry, and a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberries if desired.
Notes
Half and half is an American dairy product. It contains half cream and half milk. You can also substitute all heavy cream or all milk for this recipe. The heavy cream will make it a little thicker and richer, the milk will make it thinner and lighter.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 605cal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 192mg | Sugar: 70g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg