July 31, 2017
Lemon and Raspberry Cupcakes!
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Lemon cupcakes with a raspberry jam centre, and swirled lemon and raspberry buttercream. My new favourite summery lemon and raspberry cupcakes!
So recently I was asked to bake a few cupcakes for work, and I was a little stuck for ideas. It seems ironic, as I have so many on my blog… but I just couldn’t decide what flavours to bake! When I was buying the ingredients, I bought lemons as I thought lemon would be the best choice (if potentially boring to some) but when I strolled past the freeze dried raspberries, I thought… YES. yesssssss. Lemon AND raspberry cupcakes!
I am questioning to myself why I have never thought to do these before, because I have regularly made cake versions, or loaf cake versions, but honestly… one of my new favourite cupcake flavours now exist in my world.
Lemon Bakes
Now we all know that lemon bakes are some of the most iconic and classic bakes that you will find in bakeries, cafes, coffee shops and so on… so making them at home is even better. My lemon drizzle cheesecake is one of my favourites, along with my lemon celebration cake.
Combining lemon with other fruits is always delicious, such as with my lemon & blueberry sweet rolls. However, in cake form, it is just that much better. It’s so fresh, and somehow you feel less guilty about eating cake when its so fruity.
Raspberry Bakes
Just like lemon bakes, raspberry recipes are utterly delicious and I want to eat them all. My white chocolate raspberry tart is super popular and is so easy to make, and my raspberry crumble bars are a delicious traybake that I can’t stop making over and over.
I will admit though, the lemon and raspberry combination is why I am so obsessed with all things raspberry. It’s just such a good combination that I always want to make over and over. My lemon & raspberry cheesecakes and my lemon raspberry cake are some of my favourites. The tart flavour of the raspberry helps cut through the zesty lemon and it’s just splendid.
Cupcakes
The cupcakes themselves are super easy to make, with a few extra ingredients because of the fruity delicious flavour…
- Butter – I tend to use a baking spread when it comes to the sponge of a cake as I find it makes a nice and light sponge
- Sugar – I used caster sugar as it’s a classic and works well for lighter coloured sponges like these
- Flour – self raising as always.. you can make your own though by mixing 2 level tsps of baking powder per 150g of plain flour before using
- Eggs – I use medium, so used 3
- Lemon – I used the zest of an actual lemon, but you can easily use 1tsp lemon extract if you don’t want to buy lemons
- Raspberry – I originally used freeze dried raspberries for these, but switched it up to fresh raspberries – both work well though.
Frosting
To jazz these up slightly I did decide that swirling together raspberry buttercream with lemon buttercream would give it the show it needed, along with representing that its double flavoured.
- Butter – as this is for buttercream, you really do need to use block butter and not a baking spread or margarine
- Sugar – icing sugar as always guys!
- Lemon – you can either use lemon juice, or lemon extract – lemon extract would be stronger in flavour
- Raspberry – I used a little raspberry jam to flavour it, but it’s not a super strong flavour (but it is in the centre of the cupcake so it’s fine!)
- Colours – I used a pink colour to help colour the frosting a little more raspberry and let the lemon as it was.
Decoration
I decided to take these even more to the next level by coring ou the middle of the cupcake slightly and adding in some raspberry jam – this is of course optional, but it’s just even more flavour.
To create the swirly buttercream frosting, I got a large piece of clingfilm and put it onto my work surface. I lined the two frostings next to each other in the middle of the cling film, wrapped it up into a sausage, and then cut the end off. Put it into a piping bag with your favourite piping tip and you have dual colour frosting.
I piped the buttercream onto the cupcakes, sprinkled on some freeze dried raspberries, lemon zest and added a fresh raspberry and they were done! I do think they’re super pretty cupcakes, as well as being utterly scrumptious.
Tips & Tricks
- I buy my Cupcakes Cases/Baking Cups from Iced Jems – here!
- These lemon and raspberry cupcakes will last in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature!
- These cupcakes can freeze for 3+ months
- I use this pretty piping tip
- I use these large piping bags
Lemon & Raspberry Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 150 g unsalted butter/baking spread
- 150 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 150 g self raising flour
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 150 g raspberries (optional)
Lemon/Raspberry Buttercream
- 150 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 350 g icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (or lemon extract)
- 1 tbsp raspberry jam
- pink food colouring
Decoration
- raspberry jam
- freeze dried raspberries
- lemon zest
- raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180ºc/160ºcfan and prep 12 cupcakes cases
- Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and mix to combine
- Add the eggs, flour and lemon zest and mix again
- Pour the raspberries into the mix if you're using them and gently mix them through.
- Spoon your cupcake mix into your cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Beat the room temperature butter until smooth
- Add the icing sugar and mix again until combined
- Split the frosting between two bowls. Add the lemon to one, and beat. Add the raspberry jam, and a little pink food colouring to the other and beat.
- Once both buttercreams are combined, line the two frostings next to each other on a large piece of clingfilm.
- Roll this up into a sausage, snip off the end, and to a piping bag with your favourite piping tip.
- Hollow out some of the cupcake, and then spoon in a little raspberry jam.
- Pipe the frosting on top however you like and decorate with freeze dried raspberries, lemon zest and fresh raspberries
Notes
- I buy my Cupcakes Cases/Baking Cups from Iced Jems – here!
- These lemon and raspberry cupcakes will last in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature!
- These cupcakes can freeze for 3+ months
- I use this pretty piping tip
- I use these large piping bags
ENJOY!
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J x
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Can i make these gluten free?
Also just want to say I am OBSESSED with your recipes!! Thanks for what you do! xx
Yes that should be fine! And thank you!!
Does anyone know any UK supermarkets selling freeze dried raspberries? I used to be able to get them in Sainsburys or Tesco but both seem to have delisted them! Thanks 🙂
I saw some in hobbycraft this week and you can also buy a big bag from Amazon!
Can you use cake flour for this recipe?
Hi Jane!
I recently made these cupcakes for my family and they tasted amazing! Everyone couldn’t stop talking about them, so thank you for sharing your recipe with us. I’ve been asked if I could make these cupcakes into a lemon sponge cake (3 or 4 layers in 10 inch tin), is it possible to do so? If so do I need to just keep the ingredient measurements the same or should I double them?
Jess 🙂
Hiya! Take a look at my lemon and raspberry cake recipe! Hope this helps, enjoy! x
Great recipe! Only problem I had was after I separated the buttercream & added the lemon juice to one half. It was too loose so added another 6tbs of icing sugar. This helped a bit but will have to remember next time that I don’t need need 2tbs of lemon juice as think 1 would have been plenty! X
Hi Jane!
These were such beautiful cupcakes; light and spongey and so pretty too! The only problem I had was that after adding the lemon juice and raspberry jam, the butter cream was too soft to pipe. I tried to pop it back in the fridge for a while to stiffen up which helped but after they warmed back up to room temperature they were very soft again…
Literally LOVE following your recipes – my favourite therapy! Thank you!
Lianne x
I made these and they were INCREDIBLE! So delicious, so light and fluffy, mine didn’t look anywhere near as pretty as yours, I need to work on my piping skills, but thank you for ANOTHER great recipe.
I tell anyone who’ll listen about your website, I’ve never had a bad recipe or a failed bake since finding you. Just wanted to say THANK YOU!
Hey!! Oh my gosh this is actually the nicest message ever. Thank you so much it makes me so happy to hear that you love my recipes. You are so welcome and thank you for all your support!xx
Hiya, would I be able to swap the raspberries for blueberries?
Yes!! x
My pink buttercream was fab but as soon as a I added lemon juice to my lemon buttercream it was so sloppy and lost its shape when I piped it? I used proper butter from Tesco and tried to add more icing sugar but no luck🤦🏼♀️ Please help, what did I do wrong?
That’s really strange – I have never had that with block butter! It sounds like too much lemon juice or the butter was far too soft x
Will the raspberry jam split the buttercream? And does it give a strong flavour? Thank you!!’
No it doesn’t! And it’s not a hugely strong flavour, but its a lovely flavour!
I would like to add some gin to this cupcake recipe, how best would i do it? in the icing or cupcakes or both and do you think flavouring or actual gin would be best?
many thanks
Flavouring is the safer way as liquids can ruin a buttercream for example, or you can try the gin drizzle from my G&T cupcakes x
Hi Jane,
I recently made these but unfortunately they turned out quite dry. I’m sure its something I have done and not your recipe, but I can’t work out what. Any ideas?
I also recently made your carrot cake cupcakes and they were amazing and light. Just wish these would have been as good!
Any tips greatly received.
Thank you xx
That sounds like they are over baked – usually these are softer due to the fruit so it’s quite strange that they are dry! x
Hi Jane I’ve just made the lemon and raspberry cupcakes. Can I freeze them with the jam in the middle until I want to pipe them ? X
Yeah you can do!! x
My buttercream was super runny and lost all of its shape when piping. Any suggestions on how to improve? Super tasty recipe though! X
What type of butter did you use? x
Can you turn those into a cake?
I’m wondering if you think these will work with fresh raspberries?
I’m sure it would!
Hi Jane.
I make these this week to take to work. They were amazing and everyone loved them. 😋 The freeze dried raspberrys on the top were fab . Thanks for a great recipe will definitely make these again soon. Going to try your crunchier ones next week.
These look beautiful! I particularly love the freeze dried raspberry topping. I made similar cupcakes last year (not as pretty as yours though!) but used a lemon cream cheese icing which worked really well.
Hi Jane,
Recently when I am baking cupcakes some are peeling away as soon as they come out oven and others a bit later? This never used to happen and I haven’t changed ingredients.
I use stork for cakes and beat with sugar so really light first?
Any ideas why this happening?
Thank you xx
Hey!! So this typically means the cupcakes haven’t finished baking/need a bit longer! It can also depend on what cupcake cases or baking cups you use. For example, with the baking cups I use, you could cool them on the tray you baked them on, so the cooling process is slightly slower! x