Raspberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This is my ideal plain and simple vanilla cupcakes, with a dreamy soft, moist crumb and unmistakable taste of pure butter and vanilla. Because it’s a great neutral cake all on its own, this is a cupcake recipe that gives you lots of options. Fill them with fresh raspberries and top with buttermilk buttercream frosting for an easy, elegant treat, or choose your own adventure.
The quest for the perfect homemade vanilla cupcake became something of an obsession for me. For some reason, I woke up one morning with the image of pretty cupcakes in my head, all delicately white on the outside, and brimming with juicy red raspberries on the inside.
I was thinking of my favorite berry-topped moist almond cake, only these had to be two-bite cakes, easy to snack on or share with friends.
I went to work researching, baking and tasting, on repeat — it was worth it. This is the recipe that finally hit the lottery and I’m really happy to share.
Fresh berry-filled cupcakes
First of all, let me just say that until I went on this cupcake journey, I had no idea that a tool exists just for making little holes in cupcakes. It’s called a cupcake corer, and it apparently cuts out neat little cones of cake, which eject with one push.
I don’t have one of those (maybe you do?), so I grabbed a plain pastry tip out of my gadget drawer, and I used it to carve out a wedge-shaped hollow in my cupcakes. An apple corer works just as well.
If you lack all of the above, just use a small, sharp knife (a paring knife is perfect) to cut out a small cone about 1/2-inch wide and 1-inch deep.
- Keep them plain and undecorated, maybe dusted with some powdered sugar.
- If you want to try something other than the tangy buttermilk buttercream frosting here, top off the cupcakes with your favorite frosting, like my dark chocolate ganache.
- If you’re in the mood for filled cupcakes and don’t have fresh fruit, you can use an equal amount of raspberry or strawberry jam instead.
Raspberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ⅓ (165 g) cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (195 g) + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, room temperature
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 whole large egg
- ½ cup (125 ml) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Filling
- ¾ cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
- 1 -2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Buttercream Frosting
- ¼ pound (120 g) butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) confectioner's sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk, room temperature
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 (175C) degrees, with the oven racks arranged in the center. Place liners in a 12-cup muffin pan, or spray with non-stick spray and lightly dust with flour.
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer on low speed with the paddle attachment.
- Add the cubes of butter and increase the speed to medium. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add the egg whites, whole egg, buttermilk and extracts. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Portion the batter evenly into the muffins cups so that they are 2/3 full (approximately 3 tablespoon batter per cup)
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.
- Use a pastry tip or a small paring knife to cut a small hole in the center of each cupcake (save the interior pieces to snack on). Spoon about a heaping teaspoon of the filling into each cupcake (leave any accumulated juices in the bowl), smoothing the tops. Spread about 2 tablespoons frosting on top of each cupcake.
Make the fresh raspberry filling:
- Lightly crush the raspberries in a small bowl with sugar. I prefer them less sweet, so 1 teaspoon is the right amount for my taste. Add more or less sugar as you like.
Buttercream frosting
- Beat the butter with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer until fluffy.
- Add the sugar and salt and beat until smooth and incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon of the buttermilk and beat 1 more minute. Add the remaining tablespoon if it doesn’t look smooth and spreadable.
- Refrigerate until ready to frost the cupcakes.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Refrigerate the filled and frosted cupcakes up to 8 hours. Let the chilled cupcakes sit out at room temperature for a few minutes to soften the buttercream frosting.
- Bake the cupcakes up to 3 days ahead of serving. Keep them in a covered container at room temperature. Fill and frost when ready to serve.
- Buttercream can be made ahead. It will keep well for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Baked unfilled, unfrosted cupcakes keep for 3 days at room temperature, well wrapped or stored in a airtight container.
- The filling doesn’t make the cupcakes soggy (just be sure to follow the recipe instructions and drain off the raspberry juices before filling).
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
YUM! These cupcakes look and sound so delicious! I love raspberry desserts ♥
You’ll love these!