These Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes feature a lemon cake with raspberry jam filling and lemon and raspberry swirled buttercream frosting. They taste just like a sweet refreshing drink on a hot summer's day!
I think I'm still in denial that it's spring. Probably because it snowed for an entire day last week. But now it's teetering on 70 degrees, so I'm finally starting to feel comfortable diving into ALL THINGS SPRING!
Like fresh raspberries and lemon desserts galore.
I initially made these Lemon-Raspberry cupcakes way back in 2008, but when I revisited them recently, I decided they needed a major overhaul.
I made the cupcake recipe better, added on a swirled buttercream frosting (instead of just a simple icing), and am hereby calling them raspberry lemonade cupcakes.
Because they taste just like a nice cold, refreshing glass of raspberry lemonade.
Ingredients
These cupcakes are made with pretty standard baking ingredients... Plus a whole lot of lemon zest and lemon juice.
The raspberry flavor is introduced through a raspberry jam filling in each cupcake. Plus a raspberry buttercream frosting that's swirled with a lemon one, too.
Here's what you need for the cupcakes:
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners' sugar
- Lemon zest
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Buttermilk
- Lemon juice
- Raspberry jam
And here's what you need for the buttercream frostings:
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners' sugar
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Raspberry Jam
- Whole milk
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
How to Make Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
These cupcakes are super easy to make... The toughest part is grating all that fresh lemon zest!
But it's so worth it because it adds such a nice fresh spring zing to both the cupcakes and the frosting. We don't want any of that artificial lemon flavoring around here!
Once you've grated all the lemon zest and juiced a couple of the lemons, too (pro tip: always zest your lemons BEFORE you juice them!), you're ready to start the cupcake batter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
With mixer on low speed, beat in half the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and lemon juice, mixing to just combine. Blend in the rest of the flour until just incorporated, taking care not to over-mix.
Look at that pretty lemon yellow batter!
Now, fill cupcake papers a little more than ½ way with batter. Place 1 tsp of jam over each.
Use remaining batter to cover jam. It's OK if some jam is still peeking through. The jam definitely sinks a little bit, which is why you want to add it close to the top of the batter.
Bake the cupcakes for 19-22 minutes, until they're just turning golden at edges and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let them rest in the tin for a couple minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely before you frost them.
While they're cooling, you can make the buttercream frosting.
How to Make Swirled Frosting
For the raspberry lemonade frosting, I made two separate buttercreams, added them both to a pastry bag, and swirled the frosting onto each cupcake.
Swirling frosting is super easy and has a stunning visual appeal! I use two different frostings here, but it's even easy to do three frostings.
For the lemon buttercream, beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer until creamy.
With mixer on low, blend in confectioner’s sugar until well-combined. Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, vanilla, and salt and blend until combined.
If you want to use the same bowl for the raspberry buttercream, you can move lemon frosting to a bowl. You don't have to wash the bowl out or anything as it's not the end of the world if there's a little lemon in your raspberry frosting.
Now for the raspberry buttercream, beat the butter until creamy.
With mixer on low, blend in confectioner’s sugar until well-combined. Mix in raspberry jam, vanilla, milk, and salt and blend until combined.
And fill your pastry bag. I recommend placing the pastry bag (fitted with a tip- I used a Wilton 1M for these cupcakes) into a tall drinking glass. Using a spatula, fill half the pastry bag with the lemon buttercream and the other half with raspberry.
You don't likely be able to fit all the frosting in at once and will have to refill during the cupcake frosting.
Swirl on that frosting! How easy is that??
And add on a fresh raspberry and tiny lemon wedge for garnish. I also like adding a tiny straw on to really emphasize that these are raspberry lemonade cupcakes!
If you want to make cupcakes that taste just like summer, these lemon raspberry cupcakes will definitely get you in the mood for hot days, beach time, and refreshing drinks.
They have just the right amount of tart lemon flavor along with the added sweetness from the raspberry jam filling and are perfect for any spring or summer gatherings you're planning.
More Lemon Desserts
Lemon desserts just screams spring/summer to me and I have plenty of lemon recipes in my arsenal that I continue to return to. Here are some of my very favorites:
- Lemon Cookie Dough Bars
- Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Cookies
- Tuscan Lemon Muffins
- Glazed Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lavender Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cups
- Blueberry, Lemon, and White Chocolate Cookies
- Lemon Cheesecake (from Urban Bakes)
- Lemon Pudding Cookies (from Chew Out Loud)
That should be enough lemon recipes to get you through at least the first part of spring/summer!
I hope these raspberry lemonade cupcakes add a little extra deliciousness to your spring and summer celebrations!
And if nothing else, I hope this recipe teaches you how easy it is to get the swirled frosting look on cupcakes. Not only does it look fun, but I love that youc can combine two or three different frosting flavors on one cupcake!
What's your favorite lemon dessert?
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup raspberry jam
- 12 fresh raspberries, for garnish
- 12 tiny lemon wedges, for garnish
- 4 straws cut into thirds, for garnish
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp whole milk
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tbsp raspberry jam
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp whole milk
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 papers.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With mixer on low speed, beat in half the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and lemon juice, mixing to just combine. Blend in the rest of the flour until just incorporated, taking care not to over-mix.
- Fill cupcake papers a little more than ½ way with batter. Place 1 tsp of jam over each and use remaining batter to cover jam (it's OK if some jam is still peeking through).
- Bake cupcakes for 19-22 minutes, until they're just turning golden at edges and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cupcakes rest in tin for a couple minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.
- Place pastry bag fitted with tip (I used 1M) in a tall drinking glass. Using a spatula, fill one side of the pastry bag with lemon buttercream. Fill other side with raspberry buttercream. Frost cupcakes using swirl design.
- Top cupcakes with a fresh raspberry, tiny lemon wedge, and little straw.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
- With mixer on low, blend in confectioner’s sugar until well-combined. Mix in lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, vanilla, and salt and blend until combined.
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
- With mixer on low, blend in confectioner’s sugar until well-combined. Mix in raspberry jam, vanilla, milk, and salt and blend until combined.
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ToKissTheCook says
Man alive. You know you're in for a treat when the batter's thick like that. They look ADORABLE and I am SO glad you didn't break out in hives from all that raz-amazingness!
Alya says
It looks exactly like the cover of the mag! Good going!
Sara says
so pretty! they look awesome!
Jenn says
Those look ridiculously delicious!
Gjelly says
I was at a bookstore this weekend and saw that issue and totally thought of you! 🙂 They look tasty!
design for mankind. says
SHUT UP WITH THIS! DANG!!!
Raquelle says
Those look delicious!
I'm loving your blog. Great concept, lots of interesting entries, lots of photos! Keep up the good work.
~Raquelle~
toni says
are you sure you're not martha? that looks so goooooooooood!!!
Hearts and Crafts says
Those are adorable! they look delicious too!
Jessica says
Literally years later...
But another post who had done the same recipe recommended sprinkling a little flour on the jam after you put it so it sticks to the batter rather than sunk. My first batch sunk to the bottom, and the 2nd batch remained close to the top with a beautiful marble to them.
Lisa Leong says
Your cake is beautiful. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I baked ths similar cake ( fresh rasberry replace with the jam) for my husband birthday. All the cakes disappeared very fast. That day I ran out of cake cases in the kitchen, I used taller
Cupcake liner in replace of the common cases.
Happy baking.