Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling
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.
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 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
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 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.
- Add 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in 1/2-inch cubes and increase the speed to medium. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- 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.
- 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 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
- 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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2gFat: 14gSodium: 292mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13g
