These Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes are light, moist, and sunshiny sweet! Topped with lemon cream cheese frosting, lemon slices, lemon zest, and fresh raspberries, they’re the perfect Summer dessert. A must try for lemon lovers!
Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
TGIF! What are your weekend plans? Are you doing anything fun and Summery?!
Because I leave for Paris in 6 days, it’s a work weekend for this girl. My goal is to shoot 6 new recipes and hopefully even get a little editing done. That way I have plenty of new stuff to tempt you with while I’m eating my way through the city of light (or as I like to call it, the city of wine and cheese). Did I tell you I’m even taking a baking class over there? I can’t wait to come home and share what I learn with you.
I also need to start packing… but knowing me I’ll leave that for last minute and then have a complete meltdown. C’est la vie!
But let’s talk about why you’re really here: dessert! More specifically, these luscious lemon and raspberry cupcakes. They’re sweet, tangy, and bursting with juicy berries in every bite. I love them! And I know you will, too.
Lemon Raspberry Cupcake Recipe from Scratch
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- Because we want the moistest cupcakes possible, this recipe calls for cake flour. Cake flour is extra finely ground and gives the cupcakes their extra soft texture. In most grocery stores, you’ll probably find cake flour in the baking aisle. You can also buy it online here.
- When you measure your cake flour, be sure you’re not packing it into the measuring cup. Packed flour yields dense and dry cupcakes.
- You must toss the raspberries in flour before adding them to the batter. This dusting of flour helps keep the berries afloat during the baking process, and ensures you won’t bite into a cupcake full of sunken berries.
- Feel free to use fresh or frozen raspberries for this recipe. If you use frozen, don’t thaw them first.
- I don’t recommend using extremely large berries, which can cause the cupcakes to collapse or sink in the middle. So if you see any gigantic ones, just set them aside for another use.
- Also, don’t add more berries than called for. This too can cause the cupcakes to sink.
- Before you begin baking, make sure your butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk have all come to room temperature. Cold ingredients do not bond!
- For the lemon cream cheese frosting, you’ll want to make sure your butter and cream cheese are both VERY soft before you make it.
- Because I wanted a potent lemon flavor, I call for lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract in this recipe. I love Watkins pure lemon extract because it’s 100% natural, doesn’t contain any artificial flavors, colors, or additives, and just tastes like pure lemon.
More Lemon Raspberry Recipes:
If you try this recipe for Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥
Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes:
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 and 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons cake flour, divided
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen, if using frozen don't thaw first
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, VERY soft
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, VERY soft
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, more if needed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
For the Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter, vanilla extract, lemon extract, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in the sour cream, then the milk. Turn mixer off. Add in 3 and 1/4 cups of the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a fork to lightly toss the dry ingredients together. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter, mixing just until combined. Be sure not to over mix here or your cupcakes will be dense! Set aside. In a small bowl combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour with the raspberries; toss to coat. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the raspberries and any excess flour into the batter, stirring just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared cupcake tins (filling each mold 3/4 of the way). Bake one pan at a time, for about 22 minutes, or until a cupcake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and lemon extract on medium-high speed until completely smooth; about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted confectioners' sugar. Add in the lemon juice and zest. Once incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, spread or pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes. Decorate with fresh raspberries and a lemon slice, if desired.
Storage:
- Cupcakes are best the day they are made, but will keep, covered and stored in the fridge, for 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Lynda Bee says
All I can say is wow ! Not only did these come out beautifully I also for some reason enough batter to make 24 cupcakes and a cake! Maybe my conversions to UK were out, but bonus!
Joi says
How long do you recommend leaving the butter and cream cheese out to get them soft enough, but also not too so soft so we are keeping the frosting firm and thick enough to pipe?
Vickie L Plasterer says
I don’t have time to ice cup cakes, or even a round stacked cake. I am at a loss for some other recipe, however I do have all of the ingredients for this lemon raspberry cake. May I create a 9 X 13 cake using this same recipe?
Sandra says
Hi. This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I plan to substitute wild black raspberries for the regular red raspberries. Would you recommend using less whole raspberries considering they are considerably smaller than the ones you buy in the grocery store? They range in size from about 1/3 to 1/8 the size of a regular raspberry.
Soba says
Hi, the cupcakes look lovely ! May I know the tip used for piping this gorgeous sundae like frosting?
Beth Ann Sarpong says
These were really good! My daughter wanted raspberry cupcakes with chocolate frosting for her 5th birthday (♀️) so I omitted the lemon because I thought that lemon and chocolate would be a bit strange to a 5 year old. They were fantastic! But even better was the fact that I was able to freeze the leftovers (without frosting of course) and we ate them for breakfast later in the week! They are not too sweet so they are more like muffins when they are not frosted. They reheated beautifully in the microwave for around 40 seconds. I will definitely make these again to freeze and have raspberry muffins for breakfast!
Anh says
Hi! Can you tell me why you use a different lemon cupcake base for this recipe than the lemon blackberry frosting one (back in 2014)? I love, love the 2014 lemon cupcake version but would like to try the raspberry in it. Not sure it would hold up well in the previous version as the ingredients and steps differ. Thanks!
Rina says
Absolutely heavenly delicious!!! So light and lemony ❤ will make them for my daughter’s first birthday! Thank you for sharing
Meggen says
When using frozen rasberries do you still toss them in the flour while they are frozen?
Natalie says
When I make the frosting it comes out really runny even after adding an additional cup of powdered sugar. I’m not sure where I’m going wrong. This has happened twice now. It tastes great but I can’t pipe it on my cupcakes. I’m really bummed!
bakerbynature says
It sounds like your butter may be too soft.
Louise says
Try to cool your icing before you pipe it the heat from your hands holding the piping bag is melting your icing other wise use a knife and spread it on so your not handling it so much if you cool it to long it will get hard so put a damp cloth over it when you put it in the fridge or seal it with plastic wrap this has helped me or cut down on your liquids or butter just some suggestions
Brenda says
Tried this today, though I don’t have any lemon extract nor lemon zest ~only lemon juice, it worked out great! My boyfriend really love it! Cake flour does really makes a difference. 🙂 Thank you for this recipe!