Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

I think I’ve found my new favorite cupcake recipe.  These are as close to a perfect texture and taste as any cake or cupcake I’ve ever made.

Someone described them as “bomb-ass”, and I’m not going to argue with them.  I mean, it would be rude.

We wanted to do a special girls’ night for Casey’s birthday a few weeks ago, and I heard through the grapevine that she was obsessed with some Publix lemon raspberry cake, so the flavor palette for her cake was easy enough.  I was super excited, because usually people want chocolate or something super sweet, so the chance to make a fruity dessert was one I wouldn’t pass up.

And it’s a good thing these were basically perfect, because they were pretty much the only thing that went right that evening.  The restaurant ended up being a nightmare (45 minutes to order, hour and a half for food to come, took two hours to get a second drink order in), so by the time we left our numbers had dwindled by half and it was already quite late.  Thankfully, three of us persevered and went to our friend’s Midtown high rise for wine and cupcakes and a great rooftop view.

Right call.  The cupcakes are the most insanely moist, dense crumb you can imagine, packed with super tart lemony flavor that never tips over the line into that weird cloying fake lemon flavor that I hate.  Even without the icing they’re perfection.  But the icing is a work of art itself.  Fluffy buttercream taken to the next level with raspberry jam adding some fruity goodness and tanginess to the frosting’s sugar overload.

In other words, you should make these TODAY.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin pan with paper liners.

In the large bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high until creamed, about 1-2 minutes.  Every so often, scrape down the sides to make sure everything is getting mixed in.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium-high until they’re combined, around 2 minutes (continuing to scrape down the sides).

In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).  Add the lemon zest, and then take turns adding the dry ingredients and the milk and lemon juice to the batter in three additions.  Don’t ask me why, but it helps.

Beat on low speed as you do this and do NOT overmix the batter, just enough to get it barely incorporated.

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners (I used a small ice cream scoop).  It made exactly 12.

Bake for about 20 minutes (but check at 15 and 18, just to be sure).  You can use a toothpick to test them, but honestly I didn’t need to, it will be pretty clear by looking at them when they’re done.  They should have lovely domes (like the pic above, aren’t they pretty?!) and be slightly spongy to the touch.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

As the cupcakes are cooling, whip up the frosting.  Beat the softened butter on medium (2-3 minutes) until it’s completely smooth and creamy, and then add the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt.  Then increase to high speed for like 30 seconds.

Add the raspberry jam and beat for another minute, until thick and creamy.  Mine was perfect, but if your frosting is too thin for some reason you can add more powdered sugar.  Make sure to taste it and see if it’s the right level of sweet and tart—if it’s too sweet you can add a touch more salt to offset.

Frost the cooled cupcakes however you want.  I encourage you to get all fancy, but mine is just kind of slapped on there messily.  You can go the extra mile and add raspberries or a tiny little piece of lemon slice for garnish.

These are fine at room temperature for a day or two (in an airtight container, of course), but I recommend refrigerating if it will be more than that or if it’s summer and room temperature is stupid warm.  If you do end up having tons of frosting leftover, it’ll keep in the fridge for a week or two, and just set it out on the counter to soften for like 30 minutes before using.

Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

I’m not often one for exactly measuring, but I will say that if you have a kitchen scale, measuring the flour, butter, and sugar by weight will probably turn out a slightly better cupcake

Lemon Cupcakes

Original recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction