Raspberry Cream Cupcakes – vanilla cupcakes with raspberry cream frosting.
Hard to believe February is here tomorrow! January is truly the longest month of the year and I’m not one bit sad to say goodbye to it.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I have more Valentine’s Day desserts coming your way!
Raspberry Cream Cupcakes
Last week I posted my new Pink Pavlova and today we have my new Raspberry Cream Cupcakes made with a tender vanilla bean cupcake and raspberry cream. The combination of these two simple elements is a light, but truly delicious treat.
Ingredients You Need to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
These vanilla cupcakes are easy-to-make and bake up beautifully. To get started, make sure you have the following ingredients on hand:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg whites
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (I like the latter)
- Buttermilk
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sour cream
How to Make the Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
To get started, line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, you’ll start by combining the butter and sugar. Remember, butter and all ingredients coming from the fridge should be ROOM TEMPERATURE before you start.
- Beat the butter and the sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Gradually add the egg whites and vanilla. Make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl between additions to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated evenly.
- Beat the batter for an additional 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed until the batter is smooth and nearly double in size.
- With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour, baking powder, and salt with the buttermilk. Stir just until combined (meaning, no streaks of flour remain). Do not overmix.
- Fold in the sour cream. PRO TIP: the sour cream adds fat – fat adds and helps retain moisture in the cake.
- Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3-¾ full and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes.
Raspberry Cream
The whipped cream filling for this cake is truly something special. You’ll be amazed at how easily this comes together and how stable it is. We’re even piping with it!
What You’ll Need:
- Food processor
- Heavy whipping cream
- Granulated sugar
- Freeze-dried raspberries (you CANNOT use fresh or frozen berries – the reason the cream can get so thick is because the freeze-dried fruit, when pulverized, absorbs some of the moisture from the cream and helps to create a Greek yogurt like texture.
How to Make Raspberry Cream
- The raspberry cream is best made in a food processor, but can also be done in a blender.
- Make sure to use a high-fat heavy whipping cream. I like 40% Darigold.
- Start by processing the freeze-dried raspberries in your food processor until the fruit resembles a powder.
- Add the sugar and cream and pulse until the mixture thickens. It will have the texture of Greek yogurt.
If you don’t want raspberry filling, you can sub any freeze-dried fruit for the raspberries.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Raspberry Cream Cupcake
Tender and flavorful vanilla bean cupcakes with raspberry cream frosting.
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp. (13 g) vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
- 1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp. (5 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM
- 1/2 cups (15 g) freeze dried raspberries, ***You cannot sub with fresh or frozen berries***
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (460 g) heavy whipping cream, cold
Instructions
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition.
- Add the vanilla bean paste or extract and beat until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by ½ cup of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, ⅓ flour mixture, ½ cup buttermilk and the final ⅓ flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low. Fold in the sour cream.
- Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3-¾ full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).
FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM
- In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they resemble a powder.
- Add the sugar and the cream. Scrape down the sides and corners of the food processor.
- Pulse the mixture for about 2 minutes, until the cream becomes thick – like Greek yogurt.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Hi there! How many cupcakes does this make? Would it be okay to cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch?
About 24. And you definitely can!
I’m making this right now and I’m wondering if I over mixed because the mixture looks like it’s curded a little? And I want to make sure but you don’t use all the flour mixture you are only using putting in three 1/3 cups right?
You use the entire flour mixture. You put in 1/3 of the entire mixture first, then the buttermilk, then another 1/3 of the entire mixture, then buttermilk and then finish with the rest of the flour. It’s not 1/3 cups.
How many cupcakes will this recipe make ?
About two dozen
You step 6 needs to be fixed. It says 1/3 flour mixture then it says 1/3 cup flour mixture
Thanks!
Hi! There are no directions on how to put these together. Do we actually fill the cupcakes, or is the filling just frosted on top? Thanks!
The filling is piped on top!
Hi,
Would it be ok to reduce the amount of sugar to 250 grams? The cupcakes were delicious (puffy yet really moist), but a little too sweet for my taste.
Sure!
Could this same concept be used to make strawberry cream to use with your strawberry lemonade cake? I plan to make that into cupcakes and we loved the raspberry cream so
Much from the chocolate raspberry cake that I thought maybe I’d just frost them with strawberry cream instead of strawberry buttercream?
Why not??
Do the egg whites have to be beaten first before they are added to the mixture?
No
Do you use the fan bake or the bake option on oven?
Thanks
Regular bake
Love this recipe! Fantastic light and fluffy cupcakes! Has anyone tried to use it for a layered cake? Wondering if it would hold up to three layers of a 6 inch cake.
Can this filling be used for a layer cake? Or is it not sturdy enough?
Sure!
Love the raspberry cream so much! I’m wondering if I can store it in the fridge for a few days before using it, or do you think it will get weird and weepy like whipped cream does when stored?
I have the same question! Did you end up trying it, Chery?
Hi! I am so excited to try this recipe!
I want to make mini cupcakes and I’m wondering how long I should bake?
I haven’t made this as mini cupcakes, but start checking them at about 10 minutes
Hi, can I make the vanilla raspberry cupcake recipe as a cake?
Absolutely!
Hello could you use this as a filling instead of on top of the cupcake?
Totally!
Hi! Everyone is asking questions, but no one is complementing this recipe! It’s perfect!! These cupcakes were a hit at my work party; I had several people ask for the recipe. Thank you! <3
thank you Brianna!!
Is this recipe sturdy enough to hold your strawberry basil cake filling? Worried they will be too light for any filling. If not, which of your vanilla cake recipes shall I convert to filled cupcakes?
Thank you and love you!
Made the frosting for a cake but with freeze dried strawberries and it was a hit! I’m wondering if these can be made ahead of time and frozen
yes!
Can you use dried blueberries (not technically freeze dried)?
Unfortunately, no. For this recipe the fruit needs to be freeze dried for it to work.