Description
These sunshine-inspired lemon raspberry jam cupcakes combine deliciously soft and moist lemon cake, sweet raspberry jam, and creamy-rich raspberry buttercream. Every bite is bursting with bright and fruity flavor, so they’re the perfect dessert in the spring and summertime. I used Wilton 1M to pipe the frosting on the pictured cupcakes.
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
Filling
- 1/2 cup (165g) thick raspberry preserves or jam*
Raspberry Frosting
- 3/4 cups (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (165g) thick raspberry preserves or jam*
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional for garnish: fresh raspberries and lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and then beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and then turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour in the milk and lemon juice. Beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour/spoon the batter evenly into the liners. Bake for 18–21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Fill the cupcakes: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be sort of cone-shaped. Spoon jam inside each carved-out cupcake—use however much will fit. (I use a teaspoon for this. Usually you can fit between 1–2 teaspoons of filling in each.) Slice/tear off the pointy end of the “cone” piece of cupcake you removed, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Make the frosting: Beat softened butter on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes until completely smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, jam, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt. Start the mixer on low speed and beat for 30 seconds. Turn it up to high speed and beat for 1 minute or until combined. Beat in more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, is separating (due to the juicy jam), or looks too wet. Taste; beat in more salt if too sweet.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and top each with a fresh raspberry and lemon slice, if desired. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M or Ateco 826. This is a softer-style buttercream and does not crust. If the cupcakes sit out for several hours, or are in the direct heat, the frosting will begin to lose shape. I recommend refrigerating the cupcakes for at least 1 hour before serving, to help set the frosting.
- Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. A cupcake carrier makes storing and transporting easy.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Make and fill the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep the cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Frost the next day. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 826 Piping Tip or Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Lemons: You need about 2-3 medium lemons to yield this amount of zest and juice.
- Whole Milk or Buttermilk: You can use either. You can use lower fat or nondairy milks in a pinch, but the cupcakes won’t taste nearly as rich and moist.
- Jam/Preserves: I always use and strongly recommend Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves. (Not sponsored, just a big fan!)
- Mini Cupcakes: For around 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature. I do not recommend filling mini cupcakes; they’re simply too small.
- Can I Use a Homemade Raspberry Filling? Yes, you can skip the store-bought preserves and make my homemade raspberry filling instead (that recipe makes enough for the filling and buttercream). It’s going to give you the same results. You can use it as the filling inside the cupcakes and in place of the raspberry jam in the frosting. If you decide to do this, make the raspberry filling on the stove before you begin the cupcakes so it can cool completely.
- Other Flavor Jam/Preserves: You can swap in blueberry, strawberry, or other flavor jam/preserves for the filling and use it in the frosting instead of raspberry.
- Can I Skip the Filling? Yes. Feel free to skip the jam filling and keep these cupcakes un-filled.
- Amount of Batter/6-Inch Cake: This recipe yields between 3-4 cups of batter which is helpful if you’re reviewing the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions page. You can use this batter for a 6-inch layer cake and see my 6-inch cake recipes page for complete details and instructions. I recommend piping a “frosting dam” around the bottom and center layer of the cakes so the raspberry jam doesn’t spill out. See my chocolate raspberry cake for a visual.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!