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Home » Dessert » Cake » Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting

By Valerie · February 12, 2013 · Updated May 24, 2020 19 Comments

S Dessert H Holidays
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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

These luscious Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting pack a serious citrus punch that is complemented beautifully by the sweet, velvety frosting. They will satisfy your most intense lemon cravings.

Lemon Raspberry Cupcake served on a plate.

I can usually exhibit a decent amount of self control when it comes to desserts. I learned this skill at a young age when I worked for a big law firm where it seemed every day we were in a conference room staring down a ginormous cake in celebration of someone’s birthday. Over time it became easy to say “no thank you”. At home, I cut things in half and share with whoever is closest. There is always a willing dessert lover close by in this house.

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting served on a plate.

All of that changed with these seemingly innocent cupcakes.

I can’t decide what I like best about them. It might be the lemon curd/cream cheese frosting that is oh, so light and dreamy and packed with luscious lemon flavor. Or maybe it is the lemony cupcake that has a wonderful, light texture and a fresh raspberry baked inside. The cupcakes are good enough to eat on their own but you wouldn’t want to miss out on this amazing frosting. Trust me. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

All the ingredients required to make Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes.

The grocery list – Granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, cake flour, milk, eggs, fresh raspberries, a lemon, and butter.

All the ingredients required to make Lemon Curd Frosting.

For the frosting – Neufchatel or regular cream cheese, lemon curd, and powdered sugar.

Let’s get started on the cupcakes first.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. I didn’t take a picture of this process because flour is boring but one note – please be sure to use cake flour. It is responsible for the delicate texture of this cupcake.

Butter and lemon zest in a bowl.

Place a stick of softened butter in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon zest.

The butter mixture being whipped with a hand mixer.

Give it a whirl with your hand mixer until it is well combined and creamy.

Sugar is added to the butter mixture.

In goes the granulated sugar.

Fresh lemon juice is added to the mixture.

Beat this mixture with your hand mixture for a couple of minutes and then add in the fresh lemon juice. Mix for another minute.

Egg yolks are added to the mixture.

Add the egg yolks, two at a time, mixing well after each addition.

The dry ingredients are added.

Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time.

Milk is added to the mixture.

Alternating with the milk, mixing after each addition.

Ingredients are scraped off from the side of the bowl with a spatula.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula or spoon as needed.

The finished cupcake batter.

The cupcake batter is ready to roll.

A muffin tin with cupcake batter inside being topped with a raspberry.

Divide the batter between 18 cupcake liners and place a fresh raspberry right on top of each one. There is no need to press the berry down, it will sink in as it bakes.

A raspberry sits on top of each mound of batter.

Bake at 350 for 22 to 25 minutes. When the cupcakes come out of the oven, let them cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

A jar of Trader Joe's Lemon Curd.

Time to move on to the frosting. Lemon curd is wonderful made from scratch but for convenience sake, I like to keep some prepared lemon curd in my pantry. This one from Trader Joe’s is inexpensive and very good.

Powdered sugar is added to a mixture of cream cheese and lemon curd.

Beat the cream cheese and lemon curd with your hand mixer till well combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat again.

The finished lemon curd frosting.

That’s it! Three ingredients and ready in minutes.

A box for the Wilton Dessert Decorator Pro.

Cake decorating is NOT my strong point so this little kit from Wilton has made the whole process so much easier with their Dessert Decorator Pro. I love this gadget!

The Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with frosting added on top.

You can also use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes to make them fancy schmancy.

A raspberry is added to the top of the frosting.

Top them off with a fresh raspberry.

A Lemon Raspberry Cupcake with Lemon Curd Frosting is being cut in half.

I tried cutting it in half to share. Honest.

The cut in half cupcake is revealed to have a raspberry inside.

Then I went and got another.

Lemon Raspberry Cupcake with Lemon Curd Frosting served on a dish.

You gotta try it. A sweet, delicious alternative to chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

A cupcake with swirled frosting and a raspberry.

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting

These luscious Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting pack a serious citrus punch that is complemented beautifully by the sweet, velvety frosting. They will satisfy your most intense lemon cravings.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Calories: 386kcal
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter , softened
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (use a Meyer lemon if available)
  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice approximately 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 ounces fresh raspberries

Lemon Curd Frosting:

  • 10.5 ounces lemon curd (approximately 3/4 cup)
  • 16 ounces cream cheese (regular or Neufchatel) (2 8-ounce packages)
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with 18 paper liners.
  • Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer, cream butter and lemon rind together. Add granulated sugar, beating for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Add lemon juice and beat for another minute. Add egg yolks two at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to the butter mixture, a small amount at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat until well combined, smooth, and creamy.
  • Use a small spoon to divide the batter between the 18 cupcake liners. You should fill each about about 3/4 full. Set one raspberry on top of each cupcake. There is no need to press them into the batter; they will sink in as they bake.
  • Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans for about 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  • To prepare the frosting, beat the lemon curd with the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl till well combined. Beat in the powdered sugar till smooth and creamy.
  • For a decorative look, use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting on to the cupcakes. Top each frosted cupcake with a raspberry.
  • Store cupcakes covered in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg
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Valerie’s Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 

Categories: Cake, Dessert, Holidays, Recipe, Valentine's Day

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  1. Penny Hawes says

    September 18, 2020 at 7:51 am

    5 stars
    This is my daughter’s absolute favorite dessert. It’s been her birthday cake choice since I found the recipe (she turned 36 yesterday) Thank you for this – it’s absolutely delicious!!

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      September 20, 2020 at 10:17 am

      Happy Birthday to your daughter and thanks so much for your comment 🙂

      Reply
  2. Penny says

    September 18, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    These are amazing. My daughter’s favorite (so they have become the standard for her birthday). I’m not even a cupcake lover and I adore these! Getting ready to whip up a batch now. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      September 18, 2015 at 2:27 pm

      How wonderful! Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Penny 🙂

      Reply
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