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5 from 7 reviews

These raspberry cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and filled with bursts of raspberry flavor. They’re topped with a creamy raspberry frosting and perfect for any occasion. I’ve included two different frosting options as well – one with fresh raspberries and one with freeze dried!

a raspberry cupcake with a bite taken out of it

I have a major weak spot for anything raspberry flavored. These white chocolate raspberry blondies are one of my most popular recipes, so I know the readers love raspberry desserts too! And that’s why I decided to make these raspberry cupcakes!

I love these because they can be made for so many occasions! They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, baby showers, bridal showers, birthdays, or even Fourth of July!

Why You’ll Love My Raspberry Cupcakes

  • These cupcakes can be made with fresh raspberries or frozen fresh raspberries, so they can be made year round, not just when raspberries are in season!
  • I’ve provided two frosting options. If you have plenty of fresh raspberries to use up and don’t mind a recipe with a few more steps, you can make the fresh raspberry buttercream. If you want something quicker, you can make the frosting with freeze dried raspberries!
  • This recipe has been tested to work with either dairy free ingredients or regular dairy ingredients.
  • Both the raspberry cupcakes and the buttercream can be made ahead of time and frozen!

Ingredients Needed

ingredients needed to make raspberry cupcakes in bowls with labels

I don’t recommend any substitutions to most of the ingredients in this recipe, as it will affect the texture of the raspberry cupcakes, but here are a few notes about the ingredients:

  • Butter: You can use regular unsalted butter or dairy free butter for both the cupcakes and the buttercream. I usually prefer to use salted!
  • Milk: You can use any dairy free milk that you have on hand or regular dairy milk.
  • Raspberries: Much like my summer raspberry cake, these cupcakes can be made with frozen raspberries or fresh. However, if using fresh I do recommend freezing them before making the cupcakes so that they don’t bleed into the batter.
  • Vegetable Shortening: This helps keep the buttercream more firm if you are using vegan butter. If you are using regular butter (not dairy free), feel free to replace the shortening with butter.

Testing Fresh, Frozen, and Freeze Dried Raspberries

When I was testing these cupcakes, I found that frozen raspberries in the batter held their shape better than fresh, which is why I recommend that if you use fresh, you freeze them first!

For the buttercream, I found that the fresh raspberry buttercream was a little bit less firm because even though they are boiled down, the raspberries still have a little bit of moisture (especially when compared to freeze dried raspberries). This was more apparent when using vegan butter, which sometimes doesn’t hold it’s shape as well. It was less of an issue when tested with regular dairy butter.

This wasn’t an issue at all with freeze dried raspberries, since they don’t add any moisture to the buttercream.

In the end, I truly couldn’t decide which of the two buttercreams I liked better, so I decided to give you both options! Pictured below is the freeze dried raspberry buttercream, which is also what I use in my chocolate raspberry cupcakes.

A stainless steel mixing bowl filled with fluffy, light pink frosting, showing creamy texture. Mixer paddle attachment partially visible.

Step by Step Instructions

butter and sugar in a glass mixing bowl on a wooden countertop

Step One: Preheat the oven, then beat butter and sugar together!

wet ingredients mixed together in a glass mixing bowl on a wooden countertop.

Step Two: Mix in eggs, egg whites, vanilla, and milk!

vanilla cupcake batter in a glass bowl on a wooden countertop.

Step Three: Add in the dry ingredients!

frozen raspberries covered in flour in a white glass bowl.

Step Four: Toss the raspberries in flour!

cupcake batter with raspberries mixed into it in a glass mixing bowl on a wooden countertop.

Step Five: Add raspberries to the cupcake batter!

six raspberry cupcake batter in paper liners in an aluminium cupcake tin.

Step Six: Scoop batter into the liners then bake!

Making Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

raspberries pureed in a glass blender on a white countertop.

Step One: Puree the raspberries!

raspberry puree in a black frying pan.

Step Two: Boil down the raspberry puree.

a mesh sieve over a white bowl with a wooden spoon inside squishing raspberry puree into the bowl.

Step Three: Remove the seeds!

raspberry buttercream closeup in a white bowl.

Step Four: Add to a bowl with the remaining buttercream ingredients and mix it up!

To make the buttercream with freeze dried raspberries, just combine the three ingredients in a bowl and voila!

Expert Tips

  • Properly measure your flour – Over-measuring your flour will lead to dry cupcakes, which is why I highly recommend a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, use the fluff, scoop, and level method to measure your flour. Scooping the flour right out of the bag using a measuring cup will result in too much flour!
  • Careful not to over-mix – When making the cupcakes, the dry ingredients should be mixed into the wet ingredients only until just combined. This is key to getting fluffy cupcakes!
  • Fill the liners only two thirds full – This prevents the batter from overflowing over the top.
  • Refrigerate the buttercream before frosting the cupcakes – This helps it to firm up quite a bit so that it’s easier to work with. Refrigerate for 20 minutes at least or even overnight.
a raspberry cupcake with a bite taken out of it

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If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

a raspberry cupcake with a bite taken out of it
5 from 7 reviews

Raspberry Cupcakes

Gabby Kislanko
These raspberry cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and topped with a creamy raspberry buttercream! They can be made with fresh or frozen raspberries with 2 different buttercream options.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 15 cupcakes
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Ingredients
 

Raspberry Cupcakes

  • ¼ cup +2 Tablespoons (79 g) butter (regular or vegan)
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup (250 ml) milk of choice, (regular or vegan)
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon (229 g) all purpose flour, seperated, SEE NOTES
  • ¾-1 cup raspberries, (frozen works best) SEE NOTES

Option 1: Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

  • 2½ cups fresh or frozen, thawed raspberries, SEE NOTES
  • 1 cup (210 g) butter, softened , (vegan or regular)
  • ½ cup (125 g) vegetable shortening, (or butter – SEE NOTES)
  • 3-3½ cup (420 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)

Option 2: Freeze Dried Raspberry Buttercream

  • ¾ cup freeze dried raspberries, ground up into a powder
  • ¾ cup (158 g) butter, softened
  • 1½ cup (180 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)

Instructions
 

Raspberry Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with 12 liners. Line a second muffin tin with 3 more liners – this recipe makes 15 cupcakes.
  • In a medium bowl, combine 1 ¾ flour, baking powder, and salt and set it aside.
  • In the bowl of a standing or handheld mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, around 1-2 minutes. Add in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, then add in the vanilla extract and milk.
  • Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix!
  • Put 1 tbsp of flour in a seperate bowl and toss the frozen raspberries in it until they are covered in flour. If the raspberries are really big you can break them up a little bit, but not too small.
  • Fill the muffin tins ⅔ full with cupcake batter then push 3-5 raspberries into each one. You can also fold the raspberries right into the batter before filling the muffin liners.
  • Bake the cupcakes for 16-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely while you make the buttercream.

Option 1: Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

  • Pour the raspberries into a blender or food processor until fully pureed. Add the pureed raspberries to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
  • Allow the raspberries to boil for 30 seconds then turn the heat down to a low simmer. Continue stirring every few minutes for between 5-15 minutes, or until the amount of raspberry puree is about 1/2 of the original amount.
  • Remove the puree from the heat and push it through a mesh strainer into a small bowl, leaving behind the seeds. You may have to scrape the underside of the strainer to get the puree into the bowl. You should have around 3-4 tbsp of puree.
  • Let the puree cool completely, then add butter and shortening to the bowl of a standing or handheld mixer. Beat them together until smooth, then add in the puree, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add in powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thin, add more powdered sugar, 2 tbsp at a time until you get the desired consistency. You can also refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes to firm it up more.

Option 2: Freeze Dried Raspberry Buttercream

  • Add butter, powdered sugar, and ground up freeze dried raspberries to the bowl of a standing or handheld mixer. Mix until fully combined.
  • Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Equipment

Blender or Food Processor
Muffin tin
Muffin tin
Standing or handheld mixer
Standing or handheld mixer
Small Saucepan
Mesh Sieve/Strainer

Video

Notes

SHORTENING: if you are making these cupcakes using regular (not dairy free) butter, you can replace the shortening with equal amount of butter. If you are making the buttercream using a soft dairy free butter, the shortening will help the buttercream to hold its shape.
Raspberries:
IN THE CUPCAKE BATTER – For the cupcake batter, frozen raspberries works best, but you can use fresh raspberries and put them in the freezer until they are frozen solid before making the cupcakes!
IN THE BUTTERCREAM – For the buttercream, you’ll want to use fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries that have been thawed so that they are easier to puree in the blender/food processor!
FREEZE DRIED RASPBERRIES: To make the buttercream with dehydrated raspberries, there are less steps involved so it’s actually quite easy! You can use either around 2 Tbsp freeze dried raspberry powder or, in a blender or food processor grind up around ¾ cup of freeze-dried raspberries into a powder (if there are a few small chunks that’s okay).
REFRIGERATING THE BUTTERCREAM: To make the buttercream easier to work with, you can try refrigerate it for 20 minutes at least, or even for a few hours. This will really help firm it up before piping.
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
Frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze, wrap the unfrosted cupcakes individually in plastic wrap then put them all in an airtight freezer bag. 
Buttercream can be frozen for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Before using, let it thaw in the fridge for a couple of hours, then stir to fluff it up.
Calories: 450kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 268mg, Potassium: 108mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 42g, Vitamin A: 875IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 2mg
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The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.