Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

While I bake quite often, I don’t make cupcakes that often! My children love them as a treat though of course, so I thought I’d make some vanilla cupcakes with raspberry buttercream, which would also be great for Valentine’s Day.

The buttercream is made from fresh raspberries, and I used a quick and easy method to make them into raspberry purée. Read on to find out how to do it!

These paper baking cups are so cute and if you use them you don’t even need a muffin/cupcake tray, plus you have no tray to wash up. That’s definitely a win-win situation!

Simply pipe your buttercream icing, add a fresh raspberry on top and some heart-shaped sprinkles and you’re ready to go.

This recipe is great in that it makes a small batch of six vanilla cupcakes, which is great for a small celebration at home or to share with a small group.

Raspberry frosting

The fresh raspberry adds a lovely colour and flavour to your buttercream, and not a food colour in sight here.

Since the buttercream already contains sugar, I kept my raspberry purée unsweetened, and it adds a lovely tang of that fresh raspberry flavour to your cupcakes.

Step by step

Get the quantities and full ingredients list from the recipe card at the end of the post.

1. Cream the butter with the sugar and then mix in the eggs, flour and milk and vanilla extract.
2. Fill each baking cup two thirds full.
3. Bake at 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until baked through and golden.

To make the raspberry buttercream frosting:

1. Mash the raspberries with a fork and then push through a sieve to deseed, making raspberry puree.
2. Microwave the raspberry puree on high for one minutes at a time, stirring between each heating, for 2-3 minutes in total, so it reduces and thickens. Leave to cool.
3. Meanwhile, beat together the softened butter and icing sugar to make your buttercream. Use either a hand mixer or whisk (a stand mixer that can cope with small quantities will also work) and mix until light and fluffy.
4. Stir in the cooled raspberry puree to the buttercream and make sure it is mixed in thoroughly.
5. Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe swirls of buttercream, finish with a raspberry on top and sprinkles if you wish.

Valentine ideas

Here’s a bumper selection of more Valentine recipe ideas from me and my blogging friends:

• Raspberry shortbread hearts
• Nutella spelt pancakes
• Strawberry loaf cake
• Easy strawberry tarts
• Vegan Valentine shortbread sweethearts from The Veg Space
• Valentine breakfast scones from How to Cook Good Food
• Vanilla bean waffles from Supper in the Suburbs
• Chocolate orange love heart biscuits from Fab Food 4 All
• Valentine cranberry orange scones from Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Rice Krispie heart treats from United Cakedom
• Ice cream cookiewiches from Foodie Quine
• Raspberry and vanilla homemade marshmallows from Fuss Free Flavours

Pin for later!

Recipe

Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

Easy vanilla cupcakes with raspberry buttercream made with fresh raspberry puree making the frosting a lovely natural pink colour

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Baking

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 cupcakes

Calories: 511kcal

Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 120 g butter unsalted
• 120 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 120 g self-raising flour
• 1.5 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the raspberry buttercream:

• 100 g raspberries
• 75 g butter softened
• 150 g icing sugar

To decorate:

• fresh raspberries, one per cupcake
• heart sprinkles

UK Measurements - US Measurements

Instructions 

• Cream the butter with the sugar and then mix in the eggs, flour and milk and vanilla extract.
  120 g butter, 120 g caster sugar (superfine sugar), 2 eggs, 120 g self-raising flour, 1.5 tbsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Fill each baking cup two thirds full
• Bake at 170℃ / 340℉ for 15-20 minutes or until baked through and golden.
• Mash the raspberries with a fork and then push through a sieve to deseed.
  100 g raspberries
• Microwave the raspberry puree on high for one minutes at a time, stirring between each time, for 2-3 minutes in total, so it reduces and thickens. Leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, beat together the softened butter and icing sugar to make your buttercream.
  75 g butter, 150 g icing sugar
• Stir in the cooled raspberry puree to the buttercream and make sure it is mixed in thoroughly.
• Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe swirls of buttercream, finish with a raspberry on top and heart sprinkles.
  fresh raspberries, one per cupcake, heart sprinkles

Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!