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These raspberry lemon cupcakes are made with ultra-moist lemon cupcakes, that are filled with a bright lemon curd, and topped with a silky raspberry buttercream that’s naturally coloured with freeze-dried raspberries. The combination of tangy citrus and vibrant raspberry flavor creates the perfect balance that’s both fresh and delicious!
The reverse creaming method gives these cupcakes a fine, tender crumb that stays soft for days, while the lemon curd adds a burst of intense lemon flavor in every bite.
These raspberry lemon cupcakes are bright, fresh and taste so delicious. They have a light and soft lemon cupcake that is filled with a tangy lemon curd and topped with a raspberry buttercream. The buttercream is naturally colored used freeze-dried raspberries, giving it lots of flavor and a beautiful bright pink color! These cupcakes are perfect for any spring or summer gathering or birthday.
For more cupcake recipes, try my Salted Caramel Cupcakes, the best Chocolate Cupcakes, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Ultra moist lemon cupcakes: The lemon cupcakes are super soft and fluffy.
- Homemade lemon curd filling: These cupcakes are filled with a bright and tangy lemon curd filling.
- Naturally raspberry buttercream: These cupcakes are topped with the best raspberry buttercream that is made with freeze-dried raspberries for a beautiful natural pink color and lots of raspberry flavor.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Cake flour: Gives a light and airy cupcakes. Cake flour only has a protein at around 9,5% which gives the cupcakes a super light and fluffy texture. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour.
- Granulated sugar: The sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cupcakes.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cupcakes, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the cupcakes.
- Eggs: Take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking, so they come to room temperature. (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moister to the cupcakes, as well as helps give the cupcakes a great structure.
- Butter: The butter is used for the cupcakes and buttercream. Bring it out and let it come to room temperature.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes. This recipe needs some bowls, a hand whisk and a electric mixer.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 320ºF conventional oven. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin lined with cupcake paper liners.
STEP 1: For the lemon curd, in a saucepan add lemon juice, sugar, egg, and egg yolk. With a whisk, constantly whisk the curd, while heating it up until it starts to thicken. Take it off the heat, and pour it through a sieve over a bowl.
STEP 2: Then add the cold butter and stir it in while it melts into the curd. Cover the curd with a piece of cling film so it touches the surface of the curd and place it in the fridge.
STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl or in a bowl of a stand mixer, add granulated sugar and lemon zest and rub it together to release all of the lemon zest flavor. Then add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix it together so everything has been combined.
STEP 4: Then add the butter and with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix it together until the butter has coated the dry ingredients and it looks sandy and crumbly.
STEP 5: In another mixing bowl add the sour cream, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract and with a hand whisk mix it all together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and with the electric mixer mix it all together until smooth. Divide the cupcake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 22-23 minutes. Let them cool down completely on a cooling rack.
BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLING
STEP 1: Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy on medium-high speed. Add the powdered sugar, freeze-dried raspberry powder, and whole milk in 2 parts. Whipping until each addition is fully incorporated. Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a star piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1M.
STEP 2: Using an end of a piping tip or cupcake corer, dig out the core of cupcakes, to make an indent for the lemon curd. Add the lemon curd in the middle of the cupcakes. Thereafter pipe the buttercream of the cupcakes and decorate with fresh raspberries and lemon slices on top of each cupcake.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, replace it 1:1 with full-fat Greek yogurt.
Yes, make each element the day before, so you only need to assemble it the next day. Store the cupcake at room temperature in an airtight container. Make the lemon curd and buttercream and cover it with plastic wrap so it touches each the surface of the lemon curd and buttercream or in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge. Take the buttercream out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before assembling to come to room temperature. Give the buttercream a good mix and assemble it as instructed in the recipe card.
I recommend using a cake tester or a toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of one of the cupcakes and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
Yes, I have a recipe for Raspberry Cupcakes filled with Raspberry Jam
HOW TO STORE
Store the Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container. When wanting to eat them, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. It's best enjoyed within a 2-3 days.
Other Cupcake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling
Ingredients
LEMON CURD
- 80 g lemon juice
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolks
- 50 g butter cold cut into smaller pieces
LEMON CUPCAKE
- 200 g granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 210 g cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 80 g butter
- 240 g sour cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- 150 g butter cool room temperature
- 250 g powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon freeze dried raspberry powder
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Decoration: Fresh raspberries and lemon
Instructions
LEMON CURD
- In a medium sized saucepan add lemon juice, sugar, egg, and egg yolk. With a whisk, constantly whisk the curd, while heating it up on a medium heat until it starts to thicken.80 g lemon juice, 100 g granulated sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolks
- Then take it off the heat, and pour it through a sieve over a bowl, to catch any cooked egg bits.
- Let it sit for about 2 minutes to slightly cool down. Then add the cold cubed butter and stir it in while it melts into the curd. Cover the curd with a piece of cling film so it touches the surface of the curd and place it in the fridge. Let it cool down until it’s needed.50 g butter
LEMON CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven at 160ºC/320ºF conventional oven and line a 12-cup cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest and rub it together to release all of the lemon zest flavor, until it looks like wet sand. Then add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix it together so everything has been combined.200 g granulated sugar, Zest of 1 lemon, 210 g cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Then add the butter and with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix it together until the butter has coated the dry ingredients and it looks sandy and crumbly.80 g butter
- In another mixing bowl add the sour cream, eggs, vegetable oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract and with a hand whisk mix it all together until combined.240 g sour cream, 2 large eggs room temperature, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and with the electric mixer mix it all together until smooth. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
- Divide the cupcake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 22-23 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely on a wire rack.
RASPBERY BUTTERCREAM
- Sift the powdered sugar and freeze-dried raspberry powder and set it aside.250 g powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon freeze dried raspberry powder
- Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer for 4 minutes on medium/high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 2 minutes.150 g butter
- Add the powdered sugar, freeze-dried raspberry powder, and milk in 2 parts. Whipping until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give the buttercream a final mix for 1 minute on low speed. Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a star piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1M.1 tablespoon milk
- Using an end of another piping tip or cupcake corer, dig out the core of cupcakes, to make an indent for the lemon curd. Add the lemon curd in the middle of the cupcakes. Thereafter pipe the buttercream of the cupcakes and optionally decorate with fresh raspberries and lemon slices on top of each cupcake.Decoration: Fresh raspberries and lemon
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