Name: Raspberry cupcakes recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes: 12
Cuisine: Baking, British
Ingredients: 170g butter, softened; 3 eggs; 170g caster sugar; 170g self-raising flour; 1tsp baking powder; Few drops of vanilla extract (optional); 150g raspberries

By Jessica Ransom

last updated 18 August 2023

in Recipes

These raspberry cupcakes bake for 15 minutes and are delicious with or without the buttercream frosting.

This cupcake recipe has a delicious fruity twist. It has raspberries hidden in the cake sponge and a delicious raspberry coulis buttercream. For extra colour and some added crunch, we have decorated the cakes with freeze-dried raspberries too.

Ingredients

170g butter, softened
3 eggs
170g caster sugar
170g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
Few drops of vanilla extract (optional)
150g raspberries

For the buttercream:

384g icing sugar
128g butter, softened
1tbsp raspberry coulis or raspberry jam

For decorating: (optional)

12 raspberries
Freeze-dried raspberry pieces

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Method

Heat the oven 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Put 12 cupcake cases into a cupcake or muffin tray.
Put the butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and some vanilla extract, if using, into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients together until thick and creamy.
Half fill the cases with cake batter. Add two or three raspberries on top and slightly push them in.
Cover the raspberries with some more cake batter then bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden and risen. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the buttercream, mix the icing sugar, butter and raspberry coulis or jam together with an electric hand whisk. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe on top of the cupcakes.
If you like, finish the cakes with fresh raspberries and freeze-dried raspberries pieces on top too.

Top tips for making raspberry cupcakes

We use fresh raspberries but if they aren’t in season you could use frozen. We recommend defrosting the berries and discarding the thawing liquid. Carefully dab as much moisture off the fruit as possible without breaking the raspberries too much. For more tricks and ingredient substitutions, read our tips below.

Should raspberry filled cupcakes be refrigerated?

Unless it is very warm in your kitchen, the cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days. If you store the cakes in the fridge they will last a little longer but they will dry out.

How do you make raspberries not sink in cake?

If you’d like the raspberries to appear as though they are suspended in cake batter and not all sink to the bottom you can coat them in a tablespoon of the flour before dropping them into the mix.

What can I use instead of vanilla extract?

The vanilla in the cake batter is optional but does add a nice delicate flavour. If you’d prefer a cheaper boost of flavour, lemon or orange zest are both good options that will pair well with the raspberries.

Instead of using raspberry jam or a shop-bought coulis you could make your own using leftover fresh raspberries. All you need is a small saucepan like this one from ProCook and a sieve if you want it super smooth.

If you don’t like raspberries try our classic vanilla cupcake recipe instead. You could also make our rainbow cupcakes if you still want a colourful bake or these mini cupcakes are perfect for parties and picnics.

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.