Vanilla Raspberry Cupcakes
Soft vanilla cupcakes with an optional hint of lemon, topped with a delicious raspberry buttercream frosting made with real raspberries.
Prep Time35 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British
Diet: Low Salt, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 353kcal
Vanilla cupcakes
- 110 g unsalted butter softened
- 115 g white sugar finely granulated e.g. caster
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 115 g plain all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon milk
Raspberry buttercream
- 120 g raspberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice roughly ¼ a lemon
- 1 ½ tablespoon water
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 320 g powdered icing sugar
Vanilla cupcakes
Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, either using a spatula, electric hand mixer or stand mixer, until light and pale.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture, gently folding in until just combined.
Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla extract.
Line your cupcake pan with 12 cupcake cases and divide the batter evenly between them (each case should be no more than ⅔ full).
Bake in the oven for 15-20mins or until the cupcakes are lightly golden, springy to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean from the middle.
Transfer the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack while you make the frosting.
Raspberry buttercream
Using a blender or food processor, blend the raspberries, lemon juice and water until you get a smooth puree.
Sieve the pureed mix into a saucepan, pushing through as much as you can and discarding the pulp.
Heat over a low-medium heat and simmer for roughly 10-15mins until the puree has reduced to a thick liquid. Allow to cool to room temperature.
While the raspberry reduction cools, beat the butter until pale and fluffy using a stand mixer or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer or wooden spoon.
Sieve in half of the icing sugar to the butter and beat until combined, before sieving in the remaining icing sugar and beating again until smooth.
Add the raspberry reduction to the frosting 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth, until you have the desired colour and flavour (I usually use 1-3 tbsp).
Assembly and decoration
Once your cupcakes have fully cooled, add your buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice (e.g. large open star) and pipe large swirls onto each cupcake.
Add fresh raspberries or any leftover raspberry reduction to your frosted cupcakes and enjoy!
Storage: Keep your raspberry vanilla cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze your raspberry cupcakes wrapped in cling film then a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Defrost as normal and enjoy.
Top tips:
- Your vanilla sponges are cooked once they’re risen, golden and springy to the touch. An inserted toothpick or skewer should also come out clean from the middle.
- For the best flavour in your raspberry buttercream, push as much raspberry puree through your sieve as you can.
- If using frozen raspberries, it's easier if you thaw them or microwave them (30-45secs) first before you puree them.
Substitutions:
- Swap your plain flour for self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder by 1 tsp.
- You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries for this recipe.
- You can use any neutral-flavoured oil for the cupcake batter e.g. sunflower oil or canola oil.
Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 589IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg