Equipment
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcake Batter
- 150 g cake flour
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 60 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 30 ml neutral oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 90 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 4 g baking powder
- 2 g salt
Raspberry Punch Filling
- 150 g raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 4 g cornstarch
Raspberry Buttercream
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 250 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 15 g freeze-dried raspberries, pulverized into a fine powder
- 15 ml heavy cream
- 3 ml vanilla extract
- 1 g salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 374 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 48 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 37 g
- Sodium
- 162 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 74 mg
- Potassium
- 65 mg
- Calcium
- 44 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 7 mg
- Phosphorus
- 44 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 153 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.12 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.12 mg
- Niacin
- 0.9 mg
- Folate
- 31 mcg
- Water
- 25 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, neutral oil, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat the room temperature eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold gently until just combined to avoid a tough crumb.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes.
Allow the cupcakes to rest in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes cool, prepare the filling. Combine the raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until the berries break down and the mixture thickens into a jam-like consistency. Let cool completely.
Using an apple corer or small paring knife, carve out a small well in the center of each fully cooled cupcake, removing a core of cake about 2 centimeters deep.
Spoon roughly a teaspoon of the cooled raspberry filling into the hollowed center of each cupcake.
To make the buttercream, whip the softened butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until creamy and pale. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, pulverized freeze-dried raspberry powder, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Whip until extremely light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Transfer the raspberry buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a generous rosette onto each filled cupcake. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Chef's Notes
- Using freeze-dried raspberry powder in the buttercream is a game-changer. It provides an intense, tart flavor and a natural pink color without introducing excess moisture that would split the frosting.
- A combination of butter and a touch of neutral oil in the batter gives you the best of both worlds: the flavor of butter and the lasting moisture of oil.
- When hollowing out the cupcakes, save the cake scraps. They can be crumbled over the tops for decoration or saved to make cake truffles.
- Always sift your powdered sugar and freeze-dried raspberry powder. Uncrushed raspberry seeds can clog your piping tip and ruin the appearance of your rosettes.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent the cupcakes from drying out.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unfrosted and unfilled cupcakes wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Troubleshooting
Cupcakes are dense and heavy
Cause: Overmixing the batter once the flour was added, or using cold ingredients
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, serve with extra frosting to add moisture
Prevention: Ensure eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature and fold the dry ingredients in just until incorporated
Buttercream is split or curdled
Cause: The butter was either too warm and melting, or the kitchen environment was too cold during mixing
Fix: Take 2 tablespoons of the split buttercream, microwave it for 10 seconds until melted, and slowly whip it back into the main batch to restore the emulsion
Prevention: Use properly softened room-temperature butter (it should yield to pressure but not look greasy)
Raspberry filling leaked into the cake crumb
Cause: The filling was too hot when assembled, or not thickened enough
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Boil the cornstarch mixture fully for 1 minute to activate its thickening properties, and chill completely before filling
Cultural Context
Cupcakes originated in the United States in the late 18th century, with the name derived either from the amount of ingredients used to measure the recipe (a cup of butter, two cups of sugar) or the small pottery cups they were baked in. They surged into high fashion during the early 2000s bakery boom, transforming from simple children's treats into sophisticated, multi-layered gourmet desserts perfect for elevated events.
