Fresh Raspberry Cupcakes
So I had to make some cupcakes for a birthday party and I thought to myself, “Waterlily, what’s fresh today?” I don’t refer to myself as “Waterlily” like Blanche Devereaux; I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. Raspberries was the answer! Seemed like a nice safe thing to do since my “weirder” concoctions don’t always go over so well (but I still love my Lavender Cupcakes with a Honey Buttercream which really isn’t too weird. . . not like some of my other ones). Plus the colors of the party are supposed to be pink and purple (at least, that’s what I was told but wasn’t exactly true) and raspberries fit the bill nicely!
I do have a confession though — the raspberries weren’t quite freshalicious. They were bought the week before I needed them (at the local farmers market) and I wasn’t quite sure that they would make it. So I froze them! Which was fine since they were being baked in the oven anyway. They would have been freshalicious if I had a chance to go to the mid-week farmers market. The ones on top were very fresh, of course.
The inspiration for this is from Martha of course and her strawberry cupcakes. It seems if you ever need some gold standard for something, it never hurts to turn to Martha. I did change some stuff around though.
This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen. Here’s what you need:
- 2 1/2 c. flour
- 1/2 c. cornstarch
- 1 T. baking powder
- 1 t. salt
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 c. sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 c. milk
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 1/2 c. raspberries, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line cupcake / muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until fluffy and gradually add your sugar. Mix well for about 5 minutes. Now add your eggs one at a time, mixing to combine after each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla.
3. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. Now add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with 1/2 of the milk. Mix until just combined. With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the raspberries.
4. Fill cups about 2/3 full with the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes until nicely golden. Cool on racks.
For the buttercream:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/4 t. cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 3 sticks of butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- 1 c. raspberry preserves
1. Over a water bath, mix the egg whites and sugar until warm (about 140 degrees F) and the sugar has dissolved.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer and whip on high until it reaches soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and salt and mix on high for about 5 minutes until you get stiff peaks and the meringue has a nice sheen.
3. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add the butter one piece at a time, making sure to combine well. The buttercream will probably lose a little bit of its volume.
4. With the mixer on low, add your preserves and whisk to combine.
Notes — I had put in some fresh raspberries into the buttercream at first, but it did cause some problems. They separated too easily and may have had something to do with the buttercream breaking a little bit. But with a little extra whisking, everything came together. Thankfully I don’t have to whisk everything by hand anymore (which I still highly recommend to any aspiring baker). . . It’s best to use the buttercream immediately but it can be refrigerated. Just let it come to room temp before you use it.
August 7, 2011 at 10:14 am
Oh wow, the icing looks spectacular. They look simply delicious. I love raspberries.
August 7, 2011 at 3:32 pm
the icing was so good!
August 7, 2011 at 11:06 am
Ha, I’m seeing so many GG references as of late. Those turned out great.
August 7, 2011 at 3:33 pm
that’s because those gals are the best! maybe i should refer to myself as “waterlily”. . .
August 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm
That meringue buttercream looks absolutely sumptuous! Love the idea of using fresh raspberries & preserve – the perfect summer cupcake.
August 7, 2011 at 3:33 pm
it’s amazing that you get that color from just the preserves
August 11, 2011 at 8:36 am
WOW! These looks so delicious!! Can’t wait to try them!
August 18, 2011 at 1:46 pm
This looks so delicious!
August 18, 2011 at 3:08 pm
They looked great and tasted even better!
August 25, 2011 at 5:13 pm
those look very good!
August 25, 2011 at 6:05 pm
they did turn out nice
November 16, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Those are gorgeous gorgeous cupcakes! I love raspberries but they are crazy expensive in Singapore… Special occasion cupcakes only.
November 16, 2011 at 9:37 pm
lucky that i live just down the road from a berry farm! i wonder what you could use instead. lychee maybe?