Moist Lemon Cupcakes With Raspberry Filling (Printable)

Zesty lemon cupcakes filled with raspberry preserves and creamy buttercream frosting

# What You Need:

→ For the Lemon Cupcakes

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
08 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
09 - 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ For the Raspberry Filling

11 - 1/2 cup raspberry preserves or seedless raspberry jam

→ For the Lemon Buttercream

12 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
16 - 1-2 tablespoons milk, as needed
17 - Pinch of salt

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
05 - Mix in lemon juice. The batter may look slightly curdled—this is normal.
06 - Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, mixing on low speed. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk, mixing just until combined.
07 - Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
08 - Bake 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Once cooled, use a small knife or cupcake corer to remove a small core from the center of each cupcake. Fill the cavity with about 1 teaspoon of raspberry preserves.
10 - Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding milk as needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
11 - Pipe or spread buttercream onto filled cupcakes. Decorate with fresh raspberries or lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The surprise raspberry center makes every bite feel like discovering a hidden treasure
  • These cupcakes stay incredibly moist for days, thanks to the fresh lemon juice and butter
  • They look impressive but are actually quite straightforward to pull off
02 -
  • The batter looking curdled after adding lemon juice is completely normal because acid and butter do not play nice visually
  • Room temperature ingredients are non negotiable here, cold eggs or milk will cause the batter to separate
  • Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling or the raspberry preserves will melt right into the cake
03 -
  • Use a melon baller or apple corer to remove the cupcake centers quickly and evenly
  • Zest your lemons before juicing them, it is much harder to do it in the opposite order

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