Say hello to Raspberry Cupcakes! They have a moist and fluffy raspberry cupcake base with fresh or frozen raspberries and a simple, 4-ingredient raspberry buttercream. They're made in just 30 minutes and are sure to be a refreshing and impressive treat at any gathering!

I have been LOVING raspberries lately. Check out these Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies, Raspberry Brownie Sandwiches, or Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies if you'd like to join me in my most recent obsession.
Needing some cupcake inspiration? My cupcake section is packed with tons of fun ideas and yummy flavors! Some of my favorites are these Peach Cobbler Cupcakes for another fruity treat and Triple Chocolate Cupcakes since I'm the biggest fan of indulgent and rich chocolate treats!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- moist, fluffy, and tender cupcakes with raspberries in the batter
- simple and smooth raspberry buttercream made with 4 ingredients
- can be made with fresh or frozen raspberries for a year-round recipe
- easy to make, decorate, clean up, and store

Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: White, plain sugar gives these cupcakes moisture, structure, and sweetness.
- Egg: A room temperature egg creates the BEST texture.
- Vegetable Oil: You can substitute vegetable oil for any unflavored oil and creates a moist cupcake that maintains moisture even after days.
- Vanilla: Vanilla rounds out the flavor of the cupcakes.
- Buttermilk: For the most tender and light cupcakes, buttermilk at room temperature is the way to go! You can make buttermilk from scratch. See the "Expert Tips" section below for instructions.
- All Purpose Flour: Regular all purpose flour creates a light and fluffy cupcake only when measured properly with a kitchen scale or by spooning and leveling flour into your measuring cups.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Together, both of these leavening agents give these cupcakes a rise and create a gorgeous dome!
- Salt: Salt brings out sweetness and enhances flavor.
- Raspberries: What are raspberry cupcakes without raspberries? You can use fresh or frozen, but you will need to roll them in flour before being carefully folding them into the batter.
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12-count muffin tin with liners.


STEP 2: In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and room temperature buttermilk together until smooth.
STEP 3: Add all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Whisk only until you see the dry ingredients disappear, as mixing past this point could lead to dense cupcakes.


STEP 4: Roll your raspberries in 3 tablespoons (26g) of flour to ensure they do not sink to the bottom of the cupcakes and to help prevent juice bleeding into the batter. Do not skip this step.


STEP 5: Gently fold the floured raspberries into your batter until dispersed throughout.
STEP 6: Divide the batter between the liners, adding about ¼ of batter to each liner until they are about ⅔ full. Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are domed, slightly soft in the center, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.
Raspberry Buttercream


STEP 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer that is fitted with a paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter and powdered sugar together on medium speed until smooth.


STEP 2: Add raspberries to the frosting and beat until combined. The addition of the raspberries will turn the frosting to a pink color.
STEP 3: Pour milk into the frosting and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. The frosting should become smoother and slightly thinner. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner cut off if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions
Though fresh raspberries work best in this recipe, you can use frozen raspberries in both the batter and the frosting. Do not thaw the raspberries for the cupcake batter but do thaw them for the frosting.
No, the raspberries are added whole to the cupcake batter and the raspberry buttercream frosting unlike many raspberry cupcake recipes that require extra steps.

Expert Tips
Measuring Flour: These cupcakes are moist, light, and fluffy when you measure the flour correctly. To do so, use a kitchen scale to measure 210g exactly. Or, you can use a spoon to transfer flour from its container into your measuring cups before taking a knife to sweep across the top to level it.
Mixing: When adding the dry ingredients into the wet batter, do not mix past when you see the flour pieces disappear. Mixing past this point could create dense cupcakes.
Storage: Store these cupcakes in an airtight container or tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I don't recommend storing these in the fridge, as they will likely lose some of their moisture.
Related Recipes
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Raspberry Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes, Raspberries, Fruit
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Raspberry Cupcakes have a moist and fluffy raspberry cupcake base with fresh or frozen raspberries and a simple, 4-ingredient raspberry buttercream. They’re made in just 30 minutes and are sure to be a refreshing and impressive treat at any gathering!
Ingredients
For the Raspberry Cupcakes
- ¾ cup (158g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50g) room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66g) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (175g) raspberries + 3 tablespoons (26g) flour
For the Raspberry Buttercream
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (35g) raspberries
- 2-3 (30-45g) tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Raspberry Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners or grease heavily to ensure the cupcakes come out of the tin cleanly.
- In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine granulated sugar, room temperature egg, vanilla extract, and room temperature buttermilk together until smooth.
- Add properly-measured all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the batter and whisk only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Mixing past when the ingredients are combined could create dense cupcakes.
- Coat the raspberries in the flour to ensure they do not sink to the bottom of the cupcakes and to help prevent the juice from bleeding. Carefully, use a spatula to fold the raspberries into the batter to avoid breaking them and causing the fruit to bleed into the batter.
- Divide the batter between the 12 liners, adding about ¼ cup of batter to each liner until it reaches ⅔ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown, domed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
For the Raspberry Buttercream
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter and powdered sugar together on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the raspberries to the frosting and beat on high speed until combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to ensure the raspberries are dispersed throughout.
- Pour milk into the frosting and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. This should smooth out the frosting.
- If desired, transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable bag with the corner cut off. Frost the cupcakes as desired.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure to use a room temperature egg and room temperature buttermilk in the cupcake batter to ensure the cupcakes are light and fluffy in texture.
Frozen Raspberries: Though I recommend using fresh raspberries, you can use frozen raspberries in the batter if you do not thaw them, and you can use frozen raspberries in the frosting if you do thaw them.
Coating and Adding Raspberries: Make sure to coat the raspberries in the additional 3 tablespoons (26g) of flour to ensure they do not fall to the bottom of the cupcakes. Make sure to very carefully fold the raspberries into the batter with as few folds as possible to avoid the raspberries from breaking and bleeding color into the batter.
Keywords: Raspberry Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Raspberry Buttercream
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