Raspberry Cupcakes With Raspberry Filling and Silky Russian Buttercream

Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

These raspberry cupcakes bring raspberry flavor to the party three separate times. There is raspberry in the cake, raspberry in the filling, and raspberry in the frosting. Every bit of that flavor comes from real raspberries, with no artificial flavoring and no artificial coloring anywhere in the recipe.

The result tastes sweet and tart at the same time, the way a good raspberry should. The cake has a soft, moist crumb that stays tender for days, and the frosting is a raspberry Russian buttercream that pipes up silky and smooth with a lovely gloss.

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My favorite detail is the color. The raspberries do all the work, so the batter turns a natural pink the moment the puree goes in. There is no bottle of food gel involved, and I honestly prefer the softer, more honest shade it gives.

I like to bake a batch when the first spring berries show up at the market, and again in February when something pink and cheerful is exactly what the table needs. They look like a celebration without any extra fuss.

One batch makes 12 cupcakes, and the source nutrition lists about 514 kcal per cupcake, with 65 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, and 27 g fat.

Ingredients

You need three short lists here: one for the raspberry coulis, one for the cupcakes, and one for the buttercream. The coulis does double duty as the filling and as the flavoring for both the cake and the frosting, so nothing goes to waste.

• For the raspberry coulis: 700 g raspberries, fresh or frozen, and 133 g granulated sugar.
• For the cupcakes: 113 g unsalted butter at room temperature, 200 g granulated sugar, 1 large egg at room temperature, 190 g all purpose flour, 120 g raspberry coulis, 80 g whole milk at room temperature, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• For the raspberry buttercream: 227 g unsalted butter, 400 g sweetened condensed milk, 120 g raspberry coulis, and 12 fresh raspberries for decorating.

A few notes from my kitchen. White extra fine sugar, called caster sugar in the UK, dissolves quickly and lets the raspberry flavor lead. All purpose flour is the standard choice. Self raising flour works if you leave out the baking powder and the baking soda, and cake flour gives an even softer crumb.

The frosting needs sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk, and please reach for a good vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste rather than vanilla essence. Fresh or frozen raspberries both work beautifully, so use what you have.

Instructions

This recipe comes together in three parts: the filling, the cake, and the frosting. The filling is a raspberry coulis, a simple cooked raspberry sauce, and that same coulis flavors the cupcake batter and the buttercream. Make the coulis first so it has time to cool completely.

Equipment is simple: a cupcake pan with liners, a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, a tall saucepan, a blender or food processor, a sieve, and a cupcake corer if you have one. A spoon and a small knife will do the same job as the corer.

How to make the Raspberry Coulis

The coulis is where the whole recipe gets its raspberry power, and it takes very little hands on work. Frozen raspberries are my usual choice because they are frozen at their peak. With frozen berries you can skip defrosting completely and cook them straight from the bag.

If you are using frozen raspberries:

1. Put the raspberries and the sugar into a tall saucepan. A tall pan matters here, because the mixture bubbles up as it cooks.
2. Heat on medium until the berries soften and the mixture comes to a boil. Keep it going until thick bubbles burst on the surface and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
3. Tip the mixture into a blender or food processor and blitz until it is completely smooth.
4. Pass the puree through a sieve to catch the seeds. Push it through with the back of a spoon so you keep every drop of sauce.

If you are using fresh raspberries:

1. Blend the raspberries in a food processor until smooth first.
2. Pour that puree into a tall saucepan with the sugar and reduce until it boils and thickens slightly.
3. Sieve out the excess seeds, exactly as above.

The finished coulis should be thick and glossy, about the consistency of ketchup. Let it cool completely before it goes anywhere near the batter or the buttercream, and if you can make it the night before, even better. A squeeze of lemon juice in the puree is a lovely optional touch when your berries taste very sweet.

The coulis has to be completely cool before it meets the butter. Warm sauce will split the frosting.

How to make the Raspberry Cupcakes

This is my adaptation of a classic vanilla cupcake, with raspberry puree doing both the flavoring and the coloring. Here is the order I follow.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Cream the butter and the sugar together until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed makes short work of it, and a hand mixer or a strong arm works too.
3. Add the egg and stir until it is fully combined.
4. Combine the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt in a separate bowl.
5. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix it in completely on low speed.
6. Add the milk, the vanilla, and 120 g of the cooled raspberry coulis. Mix until everything is combined and the batter is a beautiful pink. Save the rest of the coulis for the filling and the frosting.
7. Add the remaining flour and stir it in. Make sure the wet ingredients from the last step are fully mixed in before the flour goes in, or you will end up with a gloopy mess.
8. Scoop the batter into the liners and bake for 17 minutes, or until the tops spring back when you press them lightly.
9. Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once they are cool, core a hole in the center of each cupcake and fill it with 1 teaspoon of the coulis. That is the little surprise in the middle, and it is the reason people take a second bite before they say anything.

How to make the Raspberry Russian Buttercream

Russian buttercream uses sweetened condensed milk instead of powdered sugar, which is why it tastes less sweet and feels so silky. The only real trick is butter temperature, so read this part before you start.

1. Take the butter out of the fridge about an hour before you begin, so it is soft but not greasy.
2. Add the butter to a stand mixer bowl and whip on high for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula now and then, until it lightens in color and looks creamy.
3. Slowly add the condensed milk a little at a time, whipping between each addition.
4. Add 120 g of the raspberry coulis and whip until it is combined.
5. Whip for one more minute so the frosting thickens up. It should be glossy and thick enough to hold a pipe.

If your frosting looks thin or soupy, the butter was probably too warm. Chill the bowl for about 10 minutes and whip again. If it looks curdled, the butter was too cold. Warm the bowl gently over a bain marie and whip it back to smooth.

Butter temperature decides everything with Russian buttercream. Too warm and it slumps, too cold and it curdles.

How to assemble Raspberry Filled Cupcakes

Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool. Warm cake plus soft buttercream is a sad combination.

1. Core the middle of each cupcake. A cupcake corer makes this neat and quick, though a small knife or a teaspoon works just fine.
2. Spoon about a teaspoon of raspberry coulis into the hole in each cupcake.
3. Decide what to do with the little lids you removed. Pop them back on top, or eat them as you go. It truly makes no difference.
4. Fill a piping bag with the raspberry buttercream and decorate with the tip you like best, or spread the frosting with a spoon or a palette knife for a more relaxed look.
5. Finish with fresh raspberries on top.

I like to pipe a simple swirl and sit one berry right in the middle. It takes seconds and makes the whole tray look like it came from a bakery.

Variations

Raspberry plays well with a lot of flavors, so here are the swaps I come back to.

• Lemon raspberry cupcakes: add lemon zest and a little lemon juice to the cupcake batter for a moist lemon cupcake filled with raspberry. The tang of the lemon against the sweet berry is wonderful.
• Chocolate raspberry cupcakes: start with a chocolate cupcake base and keep the raspberry buttercream and the raspberry filling.
• Jam filling: if you want a thicker or sweeter center, raspberry jam can go in the middle instead of the coulis.
• Whipped cream frosting: mash a few raspberries into whipped cream with a little powdered sugar and use that instead of the Russian buttercream for a lighter finish.

Storage

Keep the cupcakes in an airtight container, sitting on a layer of kitchen towel to soak up condensation. Stored that way they stay lovely for 3 days. I add the fresh berries on top just before serving so they do not weep into the frosting.

More Fruit

Once you have made this coulis, you have a template. Fruit in the cake, fruit in the middle, fruit in the frosting is a lovely way to work through whatever is ripe and in season.

Swap in another berry or fruit puree for the raspberry, or reach for a good fruit jam when you want the filling to come together in seconds. The method stays the same, and the color stays natural.

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Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and Russian Buttercream

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• Total Time: 52 min
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x

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Description

Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling These raspberry cupcakes bring raspberry flavor to the party three separate times. There is raspberry in the cake, raspberry in the filling, and raspberry in the frosting.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Raspberry Coulis
700 g Raspberries, fresh or frozen
133 g Granulated Sugar

For the Raspberry Cupcakes
113 g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
200 g Granulated Sugar
1 Egg, room temperature
190 g All-purpose Flour
120 g Raspberry Coulis, as prepared above
80 g Whole Milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
0.5 teaspoon Baking Soda
0.5 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Raspberry Buttercream
227 g Unsalted Butter
400 g Condensed Milk
120 g Raspberry Coulis, as prepared above
12 Fresh Raspberries, to decorate

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Instructions

Make the Raspberry Coulis
1-Place the frozen raspberries and sugar in: Place the frozen raspberries and sugar in a tall saucepan and heat on medium heat until they are softened and reach a boil. Reduce the mixture until thick bubbles are bursting on top. (See notes if using fresh raspberries.)
2-Transfer to a blender or food processor: Transfer to a blender or food processor and blitz until a smooth puree is formed.
3-Pass the mixture through a sieve to: Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any excess seeds.
4-Let cool completely before using: Let cool completely before using. The consistency should be kind of similar to ketchup.

Make the Raspberry Cupcakes
5-Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C and: Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
6-Cream butter and sugar together until pale: Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
7-Add egg and stir until combined: Add egg and stir until combined.
8-Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix in completely.
9-Add the milk, vanilla and ½ cup: Add the milk, vanilla and ½ cup of the prepared and cooled raspberry puree. Keep the rest of the puree for the filling and frosting later.
10-Mix in the milk and raspberry completely,: Mix in the milk and raspberry completely, then add the remaining flour and stir in. It should be a beautiful pink colour.
11-Scoop cupcake batter into cupcake liners and: Scoop cupcake batter into cupcake liners and bake for 17 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when you press them lightly.
12-Let the cupcakes sit for a few: Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes after removing from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
13-Once cooled, use a cupcake corer or: Once cooled, use a cupcake corer or a spoon to scoop out a hole in the centre of each cupcake and fill with 1 teaspoon of raspberry coulis.

Make the Raspberry Russian Buttercream
14-Make sure your butter is at the: Make sure your butter is at the right temperature, not too hot and not too cold. For best results, remove your butter from the fridge one hour before making the frosting.
15-Using a stand mixer, whip the butter: Using a stand mixer, whip the butter on high for five minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly.
16-Slowly incorporate the condensed milk, whipping in: Slowly incorporate the condensed milk, whipping in between additions.
17-Add ½ cup of the prepared raspberry: Add ½ cup of the prepared raspberry coulis and whip until combined.
18-Whip for a further minute to allow: Whip for a further minute to allow the frosting to thicken up. It should be beautifully glossy and thick enough to pipe. If it isn’t, see notes.
19-Decorate the cupcakes with the buttercream and: Decorate the cupcakes with the buttercream and fresh raspberries.

• Prep Time: 35 min
• Cook Time: 17 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 514kcal
• Sugar: 49g
• Sodium: 411mg
• Fat: 27g
• Saturated Fat: 17g
• Carbohydrates: 65g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 87mg

Keywords: Raspberry Cupcakes With Raspberry Filling