This is my ideal plain and simple vanilla cupcakes, with a 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.

A white muffin tin holding six vanilla cupcakes in pastel pink and white striped paper liners, resting on a light pink cloth against a pale background.

Finding the perfect homemade vanilla cupcake became something of an obsession for me. I was thinking of my favorite berry-topped moist almond cake, in an easy to snack on form.

Two white cupcakes, one split open to show fresh raspberry filling and the other in a baking cup topped with buttercream icing.

Berry-filled vanilla 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.

Vanilla cupcakes frosted with white buttercream in a ceramic muffin pan, with a cup of fresh raspberries.
  • Keep them plain and undecorated, 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.
Fresh Raspberry-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes
4.64 from 11 ratings

Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

Karen Tedesco
This is my ideal plain and simple vanilla cupcakes, with a soft, moist crumb and unmistakable taste of pure butter and vanilla. Fill them with fresh raspberries and top with buttermilk buttercream frosting, or simply dust with powdered sugar.
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Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

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 in 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

Equipment

Instructions
 

Cupcakes:

  1. 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.
  2. Mix the 1 ⅓ cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon fine sea saltin an electric mixer on low speed with the paddle attachment.
  3. Add 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in 1/2-inch cubes and increase the speed to medium. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
  4. Add 2 large egg whites, 1 whole large egg, ½ cup buttermilk1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice.
  5. Portion the batter evenly into the muffins cups so that they are 2/3 full (approximately 3 tablespoon batter per cup)
  6. 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.
  7. 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:

  1. Lightly crush ¾ cup fresh or thawed frozen 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

  1. Beat the butter with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer until fluffy.
  2. 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.
  3. Refrigerate until ready to frost the cupcakes.

Notes

  • 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.
  • The filling shouldn’t make the cupcakes soggy if you drain off the raspberry juices before filling them.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 187kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 2g Fat: 14g Sodium: 292mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 13g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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