Fluffy vanilla cupcakes filled with tangy raspberry jam, topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting for a sweet and fruity cupcake!
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Why make these raspberry cupcakes?
Raspberries and cream cheese are a dream combination. The pairing of tangy and creamy makes for an absolutely delicious dessert.
These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are topped with this delicious raspberry cream cheese frosting that tastes just like cheesecake!
Unlike regular cupcakes, these aren't too heavy and greasy. That's because the raspberry jam cuts through the sweetness and greasiness. On top of that, the frosting is much lighter than buttercream. This ensures a perfect balance of sweetness in this dreamy cupcake!
Tips for a perfect cream cheese frosting
This cream cheese frosting is so easy to make and it tastes just like raspberry cheesecake. Here are a few tips and tricks that can help you achieve a perfectly smooth and silky cream cheese frosting!
Use room temperature ingredients
Cream cheese is particularly sensitive to temperature. If you use cold cream cheese your frosting can turn out lumpy and uneven. Beating the room temperature cream cheese with sugar at the very start helps to prevent this.
If you find that your cream cheese has clumped up you can transfer the frosting to the bowl of a food processor and pulse it until smooth.
Don't overbeat
Overbeating the frosting can cause the cream to split and separate. This results in a grainy and watery frosting. This is why we add the cream last!
If you find that your frosting has split, transfer the frosting to a food processor and add a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese. Pulse on short bursts until it comes back together.
Keep it chilled
As this frosting is made from cream cheese and cream it benefits from staying chilled. If you find that the frosting is starting to get runny, or isn't as firm as you would like just put it in the fridge for half an hour to chill.
The cream should thicken up to the perfect pipeable consistency.
Cupcake Ingredients
The ingredients needed to make these cupcakes are pretty typical, there isn't anything out of the ordinary and you'll be able to find most of these ingredients in your pantry.
- Whole milk: Make sure you use whole milk, the fat content of the milk helps create a moister, fluffier cupcake.
- White vinegar: The vinegar is needed to react with the milk and curdle it. This helps with moisture and rise as it reacts with baking soda.
- Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil adds fat while keeping the cupcakes light!
- Unsalted butter: Butter adds fat while giving the cupcakes a more fragrant flavor
- Granulated sugar: Sugar is needed for sweetness, as well as an extra lightness to the cupcakes
- Eggs: Binds everything together
- Vanilla extract: Adds a delicious aroma to the cupcakes!
- Plain flour: Plain flour or all-purpose flour forms the structure of the cupcakes
- Baking powder: Gives the cupcakes rise, but is less potent than baking soda
- Baking soda: Reacts with the curdled milk for an extra rise
- Pinch of salt: Balances out the flavors in the cupcake
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese makes up the bulk of the frosting as it is a cream cheese frosting! Make sure you use block-style cream cheese otherwise the frosting will be too runny.
- Thickened or heavy cream: Thickened and heavy cream are the same thing, in this case, they will be thinning out the cream cheese to the perfect pipeable consistency.
- White sugar: Sugar is needed to sweeten the frosting! Feel free to add more or less to your taste. Keep in mind that the raspberry jam will add a little sweetness to the frosting too.
Raspberry Jam Ingredients
- Raspberries: Either fresh or frozen raspberries work great here!
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is needed to help the jam thicken as well as give the jam a little tang
- White sugar: Sugar sweetens the jam and balances out the sourness of the raspberries and lemon juice. You can add more or less to your taste
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is added at the very end to thicken the jam. You can use potato or tapioca starch if you don't have any cornstarch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do cupcakes last?
These cupcakes will last up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Make sure you keep these cupcakes chilled as they are made with cream cheese and cream. If you leave them out at room temperature for too long the cream will begin to melt.
What is the best storage method for these cupcakes?
Make sure you store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. When you are ready to eat these simply take them out and let them rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before consuming for the best texture!
Can I make these with other berries?
Yes! This recipe is interchangeable with any kind of berry. Berries like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are perfect!
Why is my cream cheese frosting runny?
There are a couple of reasons why your frosting is runny:
- You didn't use block cream cheese
- The frosting is too warm
- Too much cream was added
Why are my cupcakes dense?
There are a few reasons why your cupcakes may be dense:
- The cupcake batter was overmixed
- The baking powder used wasn't active
- The butter, sugar, and oil weren't creamed together properly.
Let's Get Cooking
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Raspberry Cupcake Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcake
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 120ml Whole milk (½ cup)
- 1 tsp White vinegar
- 60ml Vegetable oil (¼ cup)
- 30g Unsalted butter (2 tablespoon 1 tsp), room temperature
- 150g White sugar (¾ cup)
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 165g Plain flour (1 ⅓ cup)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- Pinch of salt
Raspberry Jam
- 300g Frozen or fresh raspberries, roughly chopped (10.5oz)
- 100g White sugar (½ cup)
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 400 g Cream cheese, softened (14 oz)
- 180 g Thickened/Heavy cream (¾ cup)
- 70 g White sugar (⅓ cup)
- 2 tbsp Raspberry jam
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
- Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners
- Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, set aside
- Add sugar, butter, and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer, or large mixing bowl and beat for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter and beat on high for 1 minute, until well combined
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk to combine
- Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined
- Add the milk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting
Raspberry Jam
- While the cupcakes are baking make the raspberry jam
- Combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice together in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the raspberries have broken down and the mixture has thickened slightly
- Add the cornstarch and whisk constantly until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon)
- Remove from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve to remove the seeds
- Place in the fridge to chill completely
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine the softened cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or in a large bowl
- Whisk on medium-high speed until lightened in color and fluffy
- Add the thickened cream and cooled raspberry jam, and whisk until the frosting has lightened in texture and reached stiff peaks
Assembly
- Make a small cavity at the top of each cupcake and fill with the raspberry jam
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe swirls of frosting on top of each cooled cupcake.
- Top with your desired decorations and enjoy!
Jenny
easy to follow and so yummy! Thanks for sharing all your amazing recipes <3
Catherine Zhang
You're welcome <3