Lemon raspberry cupcakes are made from scratch with a moist, tender crumb and bright, fresh flavor. These cupcakes are loaded with lemon and raspberry in both the cake and the lemon-raspberry buttercream, making them a perfect choice for spring and summer — though using frozen raspberries means you can enjoy them year-round.
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As a busy mama and self-taught baker, I’ve been making cupcakes for decades. In this post you’ll find tips and clear instructions to help you bake beautiful cupcakes that taste as good as they look. These lemon raspberry cupcakes share a bright flavor profile with other favorite recipes like lemon raspberry bars and raspberry almond cake.
💗 What makes this cupcake recipe stand out
These are bakery-quality cupcakes made entirely from scratch. The batter is packed with fresh lemon zest and juice and studded with raspberries for bursts of flavor in every bite. Each cupcake is finished with a swirl of lemon and raspberry jam buttercream for a pretty, flavorful finish.
🍋 Ingredient notes
Please scroll to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and complete directions.
Lemons: Use fresh, washed lemons for zest and juice. Zest adds strong lemon flavor without extra liquid. One medium-large lemon typically yields about 1 tablespoon of zest and 2–3 tablespoons of juice.
Raspberries: Use frozen raspberries chopped into small pieces. Measure and chop, then return them to the freezer until you’re ready to fold them into the batter — do not thaw. Fresh raspberries can break down too much when mixed in.
Raspberry jam: The buttercream works well with seedless or seeded jam; the recipe uses seedless jam for a smoother texture. Freeze-dried raspberries also work but jam is more widely accessible.
Eggs: You’ll need two large egg whites. It’s easiest to separate eggs while cold, then allow the whites to come to room temperature for better incorporation.
🥣 How to make
Chop the frozen raspberries into small pieces, place them in a bowl, and return to the freezer. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin pan.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder, then set aside.
Beat the butter, kosher salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest on high speed with a stand mixer or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl as needed.
Beat in the egg whites and vanilla on medium speed until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled if lemon juice is added too early; that’s normal and resolves once the remaining ingredients are incorporated.
On low speed, add half the flour mixture and mix until barely combined. Still on low, slowly add the buttermilk and lemon juice. Add the remaining flour mixture, reserving about a tablespoon, and mix until just combined.
Toss the frozen raspberries with the reserved flour and gently fold them into the batter. Folding prevents the raspberries from sinking and avoids over-mixing.
Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each lined cup, filling each liner roughly 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake 18–20 minutes, or until a tester comes out mostly clean. These cupcakes bake with fairly flat tops. Cool completely before frosting.
👩🏻🍳 Tips for the best from-scratch cupcakes
Use room temperature ingredients. Pull butter, buttermilk, and egg whites out about 2 hours before baking for best results. If your kitchen is cool, allow 2–3 hours.
Chop and refreeze raspberries. Chop frozen raspberries into small pieces and return them to the freezer until needed to keep them firm when folded into batter.
Weigh ingredients. A food scale gives more accurate results than volume measurements.
Do not overmix. Overmixed batter produces dense cupcakes; mix just until ingredients are combined for a light, tender crumb.
Portion evenly. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to distribute batter evenly so cupcakes bake uniformly.
Use quality liners. Sturdier paper liners help cupcakes release cleanly and look better when served.
Don’t overbake. Remove cupcakes when a tester shows a few moist crumbs for maximum moistness.
🫙 How to store
Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cupcakes can be frozen, frosted or unfrosted, for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving. Cupcakes taste best at room temperature—let them sit out about 30 minutes before serving.
If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a review and star rating — I read every comment and love hearing from you. Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
From Scratch Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
Lemon raspberry cupcakes made from scratch with a moist crumb and bright flavor, topped with lemon-raspberry buttercream. Using weight measurements when available will improve accuracy.
30 minutes
20 minutes
50 minutes
Ingredients
Lemon raspberry cupcakes
- ¾ cup frozen raspberries (105g)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (141g)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch (24g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar (50g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature (120mL)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30mL)
Raspberry lemon buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (170g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar (210g)
- ¼ cup raspberry jam (about 80g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (15mL)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (30mL)
Instructions
- Chop the frozen raspberries (¾ cup/105g) into small pieces, place them in a bowl, and return to the freezer.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin pan with liners.
- Whisk together the flour (1 cup + 2 tablespoons/141g), cornstarch (3 tablespoons/24g), and baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons). Set aside.
- Beat the butter (½ cup/113g), kosher salt (½ teaspoon), granulated sugar (½ cup/100g), brown sugar (¼ cup/50g), and lemon zest (1 ½ teaspoons) on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the egg whites (2 large) and vanilla (1 teaspoon) on medium until combined, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture and mix until barely combined. Still on low, slowly add the buttermilk (½ cup/120mL) and lemon juice (2 tablespoons/30mL). Add the remaining flour mixture, reserving about 1 tablespoon. Toss the frozen raspberries with the reserved flour and gently fold them into the batter. Avoid over-mixing.
- Scoop approximately ¼ cup of batter into each liner, filling them about ⅔–¾ full.
- Bake 18–20 minutes, or until a tester comes out mostly clean.
- Cool cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- For the buttercream: Beat the butter (¾ cup/170g) and kosher salt (¼ teaspoon) on high for about 5 minutes, scraping halfway through.
- Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (120g), half the jam (half of ¼ cup/80g), vanilla (1 teaspoon), lemon zest (1 ½ teaspoons), and lemon juice (1 tablespoon/15mL). Mix on low until combined, then increase speed until incorporated.
- Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar (¾ cup/90g), remaining jam, and heavy cream (2 tablespoons/30mL). Mix on low to combine, then beat on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Pipe or spread the buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. A Wilton 2M tip creates the look shown, but a spatula or spoon works well too.
Notes
One medium-large lemon should provide the zest and juice needed for both the cupcakes and the buttercream. I prefer seedless raspberry jam; 80g is a good estimate for ¼ cup but check your jar’s label.
Buttermilk can be substituted with 1%, 2%, whole milk, or kefir. To make a quick buttermilk substitute, add 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill to ⅔ cup with milk; stir and let stand for about an hour until slightly thickened.
Cupcakes may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1 day, refrigerated for up to 5 days (they may dry out faster in the fridge), or frozen for 2–3 months. Thaw frozen cupcakes at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 332Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 1g
The nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on brands and portion sizes.
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