Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
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.
Ingredients for This Recipe
These lemon raspberry cupcakes use primarily pantry staples, plus a few special ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make the cupcakes and raspberry frosting:
- All-purpose flour: 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.
- Baking powder: Gives the cupcakes a little lift in the oven.
- Salt: Balances out the flavors in the cupcake batter.
- Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands. If using salted butter, reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon per stick of butter in the recipe.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cupcakes.
- Eggs: Should be room temperature before mixing into the batter.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Lemon juice and zest: 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.
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk in this recipe. 2% should work as well, but avoid fat-free milk.
- 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.
- Powdered sugar: This is used to sweeten and thicken the frosting.
- Heavy cream: Just a splash is needed to loosen up the frosting.
- Raspberry preserves: Both raspberry preserves and raspberry jam will work in this recipe.
How to Make Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
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.
Divide the batter between cupcake liners and bake until done. Don’t overfill your cupcake liners. This recipe will make 15 to 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.
Let the lemon cupcakes cool completely before making the frosting and topping the cupcakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Fresh Raspberries 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.
Can I Make a Layered Cake with This Recipe?
Yes, if you double the cupcake batter and multiply the frosting recipe by 1.5. This will be enough for a two-layer cake.
How Do You Store Them?
You may store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Baking Tips
- One of the most important tips I can give when making cupcakes from scratch is to measure your flour correctly. 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.
- For the best texture and flavor, always use full-fat ingredients. They do make a difference!
- 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.
More Easy Cupcake Recipes to Try!
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes
Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
Ingredients
For the lemon cupcakes:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 medium lemons)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) sour cream
For the raspberry buttercream:
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter , softened
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup raspberry preserves (or jam)
- tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
To make the lemon cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). 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.
Can I make this without the sour cream?
You can replace with plain Greek yogurt.
Hi Danielle
I’m enjoying your recipes and photos
I live in India and just wonder if I can replace sour cream with yoghurt? Or half yoghurt half cream?
Thanks !
Yogurt should be fine in place of the sour cream.
Will using salted butter be fine if I were to skip the use of regular salt?
You can reduce the salt in the cupcakes to 1/4 teaspoon. I haven’t used salted butter in the frosting though.
My daughter and I just made these! So delicious.
Do you think we could add less icing sugar to make the icing a little less sweet? Or do u think it would affect the consistency?
Hi, Lisa! I wouldn’t suggest it for this frosting because it may make it too thin to pipe. If you used some blended freeze-dried raspberries instead of the jam, you could definitely reduce the sugar by 1/2-1 cup.
Do you feel the raspberry seeds when you make this frosting? I really like the idea of this flavor combination but worry about the seeds.
I don’t notice it too much when I make this frosting. You could use seedless jam if you’re worried about it or blend some freeze-dried raspberries and mix that into the frosting instead (just add a little more heavy cream if needed).
Made this frosting today for a lemon cupcake. It came out pretty good. Just a little disappointed I didn’t the pink frosting like yours. Definitely making it again.
You can add a few drops of pink food coloring or food gel and that should help. Glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Allison!
These were delicious! I made them for a bake sale to benefit my friend’s charity organization. They were not only a breeze to make and super tasty, but they turned out incredibly cute topped with a raspberry, lemon wedge and mint leaf. I think they’ll be a huge hit!
Your toppings for the cupcakes sound so cute, Laura! Glad you liked them as well!
Hi!
Do you think this ‘recipe will work with almond milk?
That should be fine, Denise. I find that full-fat milk is best in these cupcakes though.
These are fun to make and delicious. VERY sweet!!!
Glad you liked the cupcakes, Ruth!
Made these with my daughter. Absolutely delicious. We doubled the recipe and sent a couple dozen off to work with my husband. The agents loved them too! One was heard saying… OMG the frosting…and he doubled back for a second cupcake. This recipe is a keeper!!! Thank you for sharing it with us!
That is so wonderful to hear, Karen! I’m glad everyone enjoyed the cupcakes!
These look amazing! How long will they stay fresh for? Can I bake Thursday night for a Saturday event? Thank you!
They’ll stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can prep the cupcakes and frosting ahead of time, but I would wait to frost them until the night before or the day you plan to serve them. You can refrigerate the cupcakes and frosting seperately, then just bring them both to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.
I made these for my coworkers and they loved them. One of my coworkers was so in love I had to share the recipe with her. They were over the moon with the raspberry frosting. Perfect cupcakes to celebrate spring! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
How far in advance can I make these without them drying out?
You can make them about two days in advance and store them in the refrigerator, just bring to room temperature before serving.
Hello Danielle! I tried your recipe over the weekend and they came out gorgeous! I absolutely loved them, thanks for sharing! The frosting was delicious, but it seems I didn’t do something quite right as it was pretty runny and not malleable enough to decorate the cupcakes with; even after about an hour in the fridge and some time in the freezer. Any tips on how to avoid runny frosting? I suspect that the raspberry jam was the culprit. Thanks!
Hi, Jess! I’m glad you liked the cupcakes! I find that some preserves/jams tend to work better than others in this frosting. I really like Bonne Maman preserves, if you try these again you may try that brand and see if it helps. You could also use freeze-dried raspberries, grind them up in a blender, and mix them in the frosting with another tablespoon of heavy cream. I can never find them where I live, but if you can get your hands on some they work really well in terms of flavor and keeping the frosting thicker. Hope that helps!
This looks amazing. Could the batter be used in 8 inch cake pans?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I imagine that you could bake it in an 8-inch cake pan. I’m not sure on the baking time though.
Hi Danielle in your lemon cupcakes recipe you’ve put granulated sugar ive always used caster sugar never heard of using granulated in fillings for cakes , does it not make the filling crunchy . Hope you can make sence of this .
Hi, Ann! In the US, granulated sugar is what we typically use. It’s similar to caster sugar, but caster sugar is finer. It doesn’t give the filling a crunchy texture using or anything. I think it would be fine to use caster sugar in place of the granulated sugar though.
Can the same recipe be used without lemon? Will it change the texture?
I haven’t tried these without the lemon, so I’m not quite sure how they would turn out.
Yep! These are a winner. So moist..and easy to make. My husband has given them the big thumbs up! Delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So glad you both liked the cupcakes, Edith!
Well, My daughter won first prize at our Holiday craft fair at our church!
These cupcakes we’re amazing!
She followed your recipe perfectly and Won!
Thanks for posting!
That is so wonderful to hear, Cynthia! Tell your daughter I said congratulations! 🙂
Really great cupcake recipe. I converted it to gluten free by substituting Better Batter gluten free flour blend. The cupcakes came out light, fluffy and had a tender crumb. Fabulous. The buttercream wasn’t such a hit. I tried using the 1/3 cup of jam to flavor it (sour cherry) and there just wasn’t much cherry flavor. But no one turned them down. Thanks for the great cupcake recipe!
So glad you liked the cupcakes, Christine! As for the frosting, I really like to use Bonne Maman preserves. I feel like the flavor is stronger and better too. I’ve also found that freeze dried fruit works really great in frosting as well. I have a post on how to make buttercream frosting here: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-make-buttercream-frosting/. One example is with freeze dried strawberries, but you can use another kind of freeze dried fruit instead!
Really excited to make these! But I have cake flour, is there any difference using that over the all purpose flour?
Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, so it creates a more delicate texture in baked goods. I haven’t tried it yet, but I *think* it would work okay for these cupcakes. A general rule of thumb is to use 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of cake flour in place of 1 cup of all-purpose flour. I would suggest using 1 and 1/2 cups + 3 tablespoons of cake flour in place of the all-purpose flour in this recipe if you do use it. I hope that helps!
These are the best lemon cupcakes I’ve ever made! And I’ve made a lot. 🙂 Thank you for sharing the delicious recipe! Do you think adding fresh blueberries would work with the recipe? Thanks!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Kelly! Adding blueberries should be fine. I would use about 1 cup of blueberries and toss them with 1 tablespoon of flour, just to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes.
I’m planning on making these for school, but I wanted to make them mini cupcakes instead of regular sized ones. How should I adjust the baking time/oven temp? I don’t want to accidentally ruin them!
I haven’t tried these as mini cupcakes yet, but I would keep the oven temperature the same and maybe adjust the baking time to 11-13 minutes. When they’re finished the tops will be set and a toothpick will come out clean. Maybe check them at 10-11 minutes and go from there. Hope that helps!
I made them today, and they turned out beautifully! I did what you suggested, and it only took about 11-12 minutes, and for me, I got about 48 mini cupcakes! Can’t wait to eat them!
So glad to hear that, Georgia! And thanks for commenting back with how long they took, that will be helpful for others as well 🙂
I love your recipes! Cupcakes are always perfect! And so yummy! Do you know if you can transfer that receipt into a cake? Thank you!
So glad you like the recipes, Anastasia! I haven’t tried this as a cake yet, but I think it would work. The baking time would need to be increased and it will vary depending on the pan you use too. I’ve been planning to work on a lemon cake recipe and when I do, I’ll come back here and link to it. In the meantime, if you try this as a cake I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Just made this into a cake for my mom’s birthday. We made the cupcakes a couple months ago and they were so good! The cake just came out of oven, the batter made enough to fill one circular cake pan, so double recipe if you want the typical two later round cake. It took about a half hour in oven. Smells great!
Thank you so much for sharing, Aimee! I’ve been meaning to test this recipe out as a cake, so I’m glad to hear that it worked great for you. Hope your mother enjoyed the cake for her birthday! 🙂
Hi! You can find freeze dried raspberries at Trader Joe’s!
Thanks for sharing, Helen! Unfortunately I don’t have one anywhere close to me, but if I find one I’ll definitely stock up on some freeze dried raspberries 😉
These are so gorgeous Danielle! I just adore the combo of lemon and raspberries! Pinned!
You’re so kind, Jess! Thank you!
You’re inspiring me to make some cupcakes, Danielle! Yours look picture picture (I need to work on my piping skills big time!). Such a good idea to use preserves instead of fresh berries in the frosting. I’ve had some fails when it comes to all that extra moisture from fresh berries so I’ll be using that tip for sure.
Thank you, Alyssa! It took me a while to figure out how to pipe decently, but it’s easier once you get the hang of it. Definitely give it a try!
I love making and photographing cupcakes too but I rarely do! Is that weird? I think I only maybe have one… maybe two cupcake recipes on the blog? That is so wrong! I definitely need to make more (and start with these!).
They really are so easy to photograph! Thanks, Ashley!
These look awesome! Like Gayle, I also have zero cupcake recipes on my site- I don’t know why. I loooove eating them, but I just can’t compare my decorating skills!
Thank you, Medha!
Can you believe that I don’t have even one cupcake recipe on my site? Although I love them, my frosting skills need some work! These cuties look gorgeous, Danielle! I love the light flavors from the lemon and raspberry frosting. This just screams summer!
Thank you, Gayle! I think you would do just fine frosting them, if I can do it anyone can 😉