These Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting are the sunshine-in-a-wrapper treat you didn't know you needed this season. These beauties are light, fluffy, and bursting with bright zesty lemon and raspberries flavor - basically everything you want in a spring cupcake as the weather warms up. The tangy-yet-sweet buttercream takes them over the top, making them the perfect treat for Mother’s Day, backyard parties, birthdays, or just a specular Tuesday. Easy to make and even easier to devour, make these cupcakes and watch them disappear in seconds.
Brainstorming a sweet treat to make for Mother's Day was my inspiration for these cupcakes. At first, I was truly at a loss - I couldn't think of a signature dessert solely tied into Mother's Day, can you? You know how we traditionally paint eggs and enjoy carrot cake for Easter? So what do restaurants serve for dessert on this day to all the moms? I was genuinely stumped.
All I did know was it had to involve flowers, and the idea of decorating cupcakes with floral designs excited me the most! Plus the flavor - is there a more delicious spring pairing than lemon and raspberries?
And if you've been following me for a while, you know that we had to take it one step further. With a simple DIY, you can turn these gorgeous cupcakes into a show-stopping gift. What do you think of this cupcake bouquet?
Looking for another delicious cupcake idea? Check out my Ultimate Moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes - wrapped with a butter walnut crumble, it's one of my favorites!
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Notes About A Few Key Ingredients
- Lemon zest and juice: Don't forget to rinse your lemons thoroughly - I like to soak them in water and baking soda for 15 minutes. Save the juice - we will be adding them to the buttercream, too.
- Eggs: Large, room temperature.
- Sour cream: Room temperature. You can easily swap it with buttermilk or plain/Greek yogurt.
- Lemon extract: Optional, but highly recommended. You can also simply increase the lemon zest if lemon extract is hard to find in your area.
- Raspberries: Use fresh or frozen.
How To Make Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Combine and mix all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
Rubbing fruit zest and the sugar together extracts essential oils from the peel and helps to bring out even more lemon flavor. You can do this for most lemon desserts!
Whisk in all your wet ingredients. The sour cream will appear lumpy at first, just continue to mix until smooth.
Once you combine your dry mix into your wet batter, be sure to avoid over-mixing. This may lead to a tough rubbery cupcake texture. Fold batter gently with a spatula until no visible dry flour remains.
Coat your raspberries with flour - this will prevent them all from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes. You can use fresh fruit, but I recommend using frozen raspberries as they do not extract as much juice while baking, but use what you prefer.
Fold dusted raspberries in gently. The more you mix, the more the raspberry juice will color the batter.
Fill each cupcake liner ¾ full - approx one leveled ice cream scoop. This recipe will yield 12 cupcakes exactly with very little batter leftover. Bake until toothpick comes out fairly clean with little crumbs, and allow to cool completely.
Sift powdered sugar: one of the fastest ways is using a very large bowl and stirring the sugar with a spoon as it passes through the sieve.
Beat softened butter until it turns pale, then add cold (yet pliable) cream cheese a few scoops at a time. If you're making only one batch of frosting, I find using a hand mixer and spatula is more effective than a stand mixer. Depending on your mixer size, you may find you're just scraping the sides of the bowl a LOT.
Add salt, vanilla, and lemon extract (optional). Start with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice - you can always add more later if needed if your frosting is too stiff.
Add sifted powdered sugar in stages and mix gently. Use slow speed if using a stand mixer. This will also ensure little air bubbles from forming to create a smooth buttercream.
Dip toothpicks into gel food coloring and apply to frosting in streaks - a little goes a long way! Stir well and add more if needed.
Once you're done coloring your buttercream, this is when you check the consistency. THE FRIDGE IS YOUR FRIEND - it's common at this stage for the frosting to be too runny for piping. Chilling them for simply 10-15 mins will help stiffen it just right. The best consistency I find looks similar to freshly scooped Greek yogurt, creamy peanut butter, or silky mash potatoes.
Optional: To pipe two-toned designs, one way is to lay one color buttercream in the center on top a second color on a sheet of cling wrap. In this case, we want to encase the yellow frosting in the middle. The goal - the piped design will have a pink outside, and yellow in the center.
Fold the long sides of the cling wrap towards the center evenly to conceal the center frosting.
Wrap it tightly, twisting each sides of the cling wrap in opposite directions until it feels secure. It's similar to how a sausage would be rolled.
Using scissors, cut off one twisted side. This will allow the two colors to flow out together.
Place filled cling wrap roll into an empty piping bag, cut-side first.
Be sure not to overfill your piping bags - you can always add more later. Practice your piping on parchment paper to check the buttercream consistency once again to see if it needs more chilling. Don't worry, you will have more than enough frosting for a dozen cupcakes.
Some bakers find it easier to hold the cupcake in their hand as they pipe. I prefer to secure it down on a table with my left hand, and pipe with my other hand. Others do better holding the piping bag with both hands. Practice and see what works best for you.
First time adding "leaves!"
Have fun using different designs and colors. Admire your cupcakes and chill before serving.
Suzy's Tips For Success
- Bring eggs and dairy ingredients to room temperature first: Take eggs, sour cream, and butter (for frosting later) out of the fridge and set them on the counter 30-60 mins before prepping - ingredients that are similar in temperature will mix more cohesively to yield a smoother batter. This will result in a good rise with overall better texture. Make it a habit to read through any recipe so you can take these ingredients out of the fridge ahead of time.
- Measure flour accurately using a kitchen scale: Using a measuring cup may yield you inconsistent results to what is truly the correct cup of flour. I always recommend using a kitchen scale and offer flour metric measurements in grams in the recipe card.
- Avoid over-mixing your batter once you add in your flour: Use a rubber spatula and fold gently using a light hand. When cakes come out with a rubbery tough texture, it's commonly due to over-mixing your batter.
- Be sure cupcakes have cooled completely: Avoid adding any frosting to warm cupcakes as they may melt, slide off, or potentially even soak into the cake.
- Use the fridge to help achieve the best frosting consistency for piping: It's very common that cream cheese frosting will appear runny at first, especially after stirring in coloring. Many times, just 10-15 mins of chill time in the fridge will help firm it. This is the perfect time to prep your piping tips and bags.
- Practice your frosting designs on parchment paper first: This recipe will yield more than enough buttercream, so take your time doing a few test runs on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Chill cupcakes before serving: Although you can eat these right away, cream cheese frosting is best when it has a little time to set.
Best Way To Store Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes w/ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Always store cupcakes with any cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the fridge, and consume within 5 days. To freeze, allow frosted cupcakes in freezer uncovered on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours to firm up the buttercream. Once firm, wrap each cupcake tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
FAQ
Although I have not attempted it, you can try substituting a gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I would ensure this blend contains xanthan gum, or you include it on your own. Just keep in mind this may vary the overall cupcake texture.
You can swap in dairy-free sour cream, cream cheese, and butter. For the eggs, you can replace the equivalent with liquid egg replacer.
You can use either! I prefer frozen, since fresh raspberries seem to extract more juice and moisture as it bakes.
Yes! Beat butter with a mixer until it's pale in color, mix in your lemon sugar mixture until it's fully incorporated, and continue with the recipe steps. Although using butter is delicious, I personally prefer using oil as it does a great job keeping cupcakes moist. You will still taste great flavor from the buttercream!
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Equipment
- 12-cup cupcake pan
- cupcake liners
- zester or microplane
- Rubber Spatula
- hand or stand mixer
- ice cream scooper optional
Ingredients
Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoon for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 lemons zested & juiced
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup any neutral oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- ½ cup sour cream sub buttermilk or yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract optional
- ¾ cup raspberries fresh or frozen
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese block-style
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp lemon extract optional
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted (use more if needed)
- pinch salt
- gel food coloring
Instructions
Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
- Preheat oven for at least 30 mins at 350℉ (175℃). Line pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine 1⅓ cup flour and the rest of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Give it a mix and set aside.1⅓ cup all-purpose flour , 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Rinse lemons thoroughly and zest the peel. Using your fingers, rub sugar and zest together until fragrant.2 lemons, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Pour in all the wet ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth.⅓ cup any neutral oil, 3 tablespoon lemon juice , ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon lemon extract , 2 large eggs
- Add dry ingredients into the wet batter. Fold in gently using a rubber spatula until no dry flour is visible - do not over-mix.
- in a separate small bowl, dust raspberries with remaining 2 tablespoon of flour until they're evenly coated. Fold them gently into the batter. Keep in mind the more you mix, the more swirls of raspberry/juice will appear throughout the batter.¾ cup raspberries
- Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners, approx 60-65g each or one leveled ice cream scooper. Bake for 16-19 mins until a toothpick poked in cupcake center comes out fairly clean. Allow to cool completely on wire rack as you prepare the frosting.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prepare your piping tips and bags. In a large mixing bowl, sift your powdered sugar and set all aside.
- in a large mixing bowl, whip softened butter until pale in color - approx 2-3 mins. Add cold cream cheese a few scoops at a time. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix. Pour in the lemon juice, vanilla & lemon extract, and salt.½ cup unsalted butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice , ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon lemon extract, pinch salt
- Scoop in sifted powder sugar slowly. If using a stand mixer, be sure to mix on SLOW speed to avoid sugar from creating a mess. This will also ensure air bubbles from forming. Continue until all powdered sugar have been incorporated and smooth.4 cups powdered sugar
- Divide into small mixing bowls and add streaks of gel food coloring, then add frosting to piping bags. Chill in fridge if consistency seems runny. I find the best piping consistency is similar to freshly scooped Greek yogurt, creamy peanut butter, or silky smooth mashed potatoes. Practice your piping on parchment paper to test it before adding to cupcakes.gel food coloring
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and chill in fridge before serving.
Notes
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- For the best consistent results, use a kitchen scale. Measuring ingredients accurately gives you the best chance for success, and a scale will give you the most precise readings.
- When gauging your buttercream to see if it's ready for piping, feel free to use more lemon juice to create a thinner consistency or more powdered sugar to make it stiff before adding them to your piping bags. However, I find that using the fridge or letting it sit on the counter will help greatly to achieve the best pipe-able consistency. You can also chill them after they are in the piping bags, I suggest in 10-15 mins increments. Test it a few times on parchment paper before piping
Nutrition
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Danielle says
I’m making the cupcakes now and noticed in the narrative you mention allowing the eggs to reach room temperature. But the recipe itself does not list eggs. Does it need eggs and how many? I just gently mixed in all the raspberries before i noticed it might need eggs.
Suzy says
Hello, Danielle. I apologize - this was a mistake on my end for not writing the 2 room temperature eggs in the recipe! Please forgive me. But do not worry - I have recently followed this recipe (eggless) and they still turn out great. I have made the correction - thank you so much for letting me know, and I hope your cupcakes came out amazing.