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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.
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.
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.
The grocery list – Granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, cake flour, milk, eggs, fresh raspberries, a lemon, and butter.
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.
Place a stick of softened butter in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon zest.
Give it a whirl with your hand mixer until it is well combined and creamy.
In goes the granulated sugar.
Beat this mixture with your hand mixture for a couple of minutes and then add in the fresh lemon juice. Mix for another minute.
Add the egg yolks, two at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time.
Alternating with the milk, mixing after each addition.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula or spoon as needed.
The cupcake batter is ready to roll.
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.
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.
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.
Beat the cream cheese and lemon curd with your hand mixer till well combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat again.
That’s it! Three ingredients and ready in minutes.
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!
You can also use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes to make them fancy schmancy.
Top them off with a fresh raspberry.
I tried cutting it in half to share. Honest.
Then I went and got another.
You gotta try it. A sweet, delicious alternative to chocolate on Valentine’s Day.
Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Frosting
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
- 1 6 ounce container fresh raspberries
Lemon Curd Frosting:
- 1 10.5 ounce jar lemon curd (approximately 3/4 cup)
- 2 8 ounces packages cream cheese (regular or Neufchatel)
- 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 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.
- Inspired by Allrecipes-UK/Ireland and Allrecipes.com
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Penny says
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!
Valerie says
How wonderful! Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Penny 🙂
Lynda says
Made these this afternoon, and I do not know what I did wrong, but the cupcakes wouldn’t come out of the cupcake papers and fell apart when we ate them with a fork lol. I was very careful or I thought I was 🙂 to follow the instructions very carefully. I do bake, but I’m more of a cook, and I’ve not experienced this before. The flavor is totally awesome, but I would sure like to serve them in their papers for folks to peel and not use a fork hahaha. Thanks I appreciate your help and a really wonderful tasting cupcake. Oh and I had a little left over as my cupcake pan is just a tad smaller than normal, so I put the remaining batter into a loaf pan and had sprayed it well and it did come out okay, but broke apart also. Help 🙁
Valerie says
I’m so sorry to hear this! It’s very frustrating to have a recipe fail. The only thing I can imagine being the cause is some of the measurements being off or maybe you used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour? The recipe calls for cake flour and using all-purpose flour could change the outcome quite a bit. I’ve baked these many times and the consistency comes out just right and as pictured above. I hope this helps.
Lynda says
Thanks for your response. I used cake flour, so that wouldn’t be it, but plan on making them again next week as the flavor is outstanding plus I can’t stand to make something, have it go wrong, and just leave it hahaha, so will let you know if I figure it out. I will also let you know how the next batch turn out. Thanks again for responding, appreciate it a lot.
Nanda says
Made these a couple of days ago. They were delicious. Had to take a dozen to work so I wouldn’t eat them all myself 🙂 Very well received!
Valerie says
Fantastic! So glad to hear that they worked out well for you. Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Julia says
Cake decorating is not my strong suit either! That cake decorating kit looks like it would really help! These look delicious.
Lynna says
You`ve sold me with the title alone! I`m simply in LOVE with lemon and raspberry. I`ve always wanted to make something with that flavor combo in cupcakes! I`m just scared I might eat them all…
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Wow, what a great flavor combination! These cupcakes look incredible Valerie!
Shelby says
I absolutely love lemon curd. I have used it in cheesecake to swirl…never have bought it before, have only made it myself. Memories of my Christopher loving it so much that he would eat it by the spoonful on me. lol. This is a perfect pairing – raspberry and lemon. Love it and as far as I am concerned much better than chocolate!
Joyti says
That looks delicious. I love the flavors of lemon and raspberry. And I have an excess of lemons – over a dozen of them…to use up…so your recipe is quite perfect for me.
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
It’s always a big mystery how bakers can resist their own delicious creations. I have zero control over good desserts and I really cannot stay around them. If it’s not good, then I can easily say no… so that’s a good part. But when these cupcakes appear around me, oh my, I can’t help it. I’ve been IN LOVE with TJ’s lemon card too. I really think it’s very delicious for the price. How does TJ’s do that all the time? I have at least 2 extra in my pantry because my son goes crazy too. Your cupcakes look perfect and delicious!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
These sound amazing! Love that you baked a raspberry into the cupcakes!
Anita at Hungry Couple says
I read the words lemon curd cream cheese frosting and my willpower packed up and left town!
Medeja says
These cupcakes look wonderful! Lemon and raspberry sounds really good..
Lillian @ My Recipe Journey says
I love the idea of a raspberry hiding inside! It’s nice to see you on RN again! (((HUGS)))