Raspberry filled Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

(makes 12)

One of my very best friends celebrated her birthday with a picnic in Fairmount Park during quarantine. Everyone who came brought a variety of food and drinks. I, of course, brought homemade cupcakes (and a large charcuterie board). 

This particular friend loves lemon desserts, as do I, so the cake selection was easy! I went with a lemon cake topped with light lemon cream cheese frosting. However, what makes these cupcakes a little extra special is the surprise raspberry filling you find when biting into one. 

If you can’t tell by now, I pride myself in not only how my food tastes but also how it looks. With a background in design, I find any sort of cake decorating to be extremely satisfying. It’s always so much fun to be able to find a creative way to match the cakes to the personality of the person it’s for. In this case, super girly with hints of gold!

Ingredients:

Cake

- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup granulated sugar

- 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter (melted)

- 2 eggs (room temperature)

- 1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature)

- 1/4 cup milk (room temperature)

- Juice of 2 medium lemons

- Zest of 2 medium lemons

Frosting

- 8 oz of cream cheese (room temperature)

- 1 stick of salted butter (room temperature)

- 3 cups of powdered sugar

- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Filling

- 8 oz. jar of raspberry preserves

Instructions:

Cake

Line your cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a food processor blend the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is a pale yellow. If you do not have a food processor, this step can totally be skipped. It simply allows the lemon zest to be more integrated into the mix.

In your stand mixer or a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Mix in the eggs, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, sour cream, and sugar until evenly incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly into 12 cupcake tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 10-12 minutes.

Allow to cool completely.

Frosting

Using your hand or stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and lemon juice until smooth.

Slowly add in your powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated.

Assembling

Gently core the center of each cupcake (about a 3/4" circle) and fill with the preserves. Be careful not to core through the bottom of your cupcake so your filling doesn't fall through when unwrapped. I like to use an apple corer for this, but a sharp knife will do just fine!

Place a gallon ziploc bag into a tall drinking glass and fill with your frosting. This is will become your piping bag! Twist the bag and push all of the frosting to one of the bottom corners. Cut off a small tip of the bottom and begin to frost your cupcakes in a swirl-like pattern.

Decorate

Have fun with this! Add sprinkles, edible glitter, etc. I personally like to go to the craft store, get themed stickers and stick them on to toothpicks and then into the cakes. Its an easy and inexpensive trick that makes your cupcakes look super high end!

As always, don’t forget to use salted butter with your cupcakes!