These moist vanilla cupcakes are filled with homemade raspberry jam, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with freeze dried raspberries. They are lovely any time of the year, but decorate with heartshaped jam on top for a perfect Valentine´s or Galentine´s day treat!
What makes these Raspberry Vanilla cupcakes the BEST?
Cupcakes should be moist and balanced in flavors, and these these babies are no exception. They are moist for DAYS and have the perfect flavor combo of sweet, tarte and tanginess!
Sour cream – This addition makes the cupcakes more moist and tender. The acid in the sour cream simultaniously helps activate the baking soda. The result is a soft and cloudy cake, yum!
Vanilla paste – A vanilla cupcake has to taste like vanilla, and the best way is to use vanilla paste. This is because the paste includes both the vanilla extract and the seeds, which maximizes the overall vanilla flavor.
Cream cheese – Specifically, Philadelphia cream cheese that is. Classic buttercream frostings can feel heavy and overly sweet. The cream cheese helps make the cupcake feel lighter, while the tanginess compliments the tarte flavor of the raspberries and the sweetness of the cupcake perfectly.
Homemade raspberry jam – Not only is this easy to make, but it tastes WAY better than anything from the store. I like to use a little less sugar in my homemade recipe. This lets the tarte flavor of the raspberries to come through the sweet cupcake.
Freeze dried raspberries – This creates a gorgeous pop of bright color and flavor around the white frosting. This makes each bite the perfect balance between sweet and tarte!
Tips for baking PERFECT cupcakes
Flour – It´s very common to measure too much or too little flour while baking if you are not using a scale. Too much will result in dry and tough cupcakes and too little will leave the cupcakes flat with no structure. Packing the flour straight into the measuring cup can create airpockets with no flour or overly packed flour. For the most accurate measurement (besides weighing), spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the excess with a knife.
Do not over mix – Overmixing can lead to gluten development in the batter which makes the cupcakes tough and dry, so only mix the batter until JUST combined. This is particularily important during the step of mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients into the batter. Gently fold or use the mixer on the lowest speed.
Hot water – One secret to soft and tender cupcakes is incorporating hot water into the batter! The hot water will hydrate the batter and limit the formation of gluten in the flour (gluten makes the cakes more tough and dry). This results in moist and tender cupcakes, with enhanced vanilla flavor.
Filling – While pouring or scooping the cupcake batter into the lined forms, make sure not to overfill. This could cause the cupcake to not bake evenly with a raw center that does not rise properly.
Raspberry Vanilla Heart Cupcake
Ingredients
Raspberry Jam
- 1 pint (250 g) raspberries (thawed if frozen)
- 1/2 cup (1 dl) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Vanilla Cupcake
- 1/2 cup (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperatured
- 1 cup (2.3 dl) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 dl) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 1/2 cup (3.5 dl) flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (1 dl) sour cream
- 1/4 cup (1/2 dl) water, warm
Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (200 g) cream cheese frosting (Philadelphia), room temperatured
- 1/2 cup (110 g) butter, room temperatured
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries, powdered + extra for sprinkling
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
Raspberry Jam
- In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat for 10 min, stirring ocassionally.
- Once thickened, pour into a heat proof container and allow to cool down completely.
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ (180 ℃) and line a cupcake form with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter with the sugar on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the vanilla and eggs, one at the time on medium speed until combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, sour cream, and oil until smooth.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients (1/2 of the dry first, then 1/2 of the wet and so on). Gently folding or mixing on low speed inbetween each addition. Careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the lined cupcake forms about halfway full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean (crumbs are fine). For jumbo cupcakes bake for 3-5 extra minutes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter with the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, freeze dried raspberries, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on low speed to incorporate the powders, then high speed until combined and fluffy. Set aside
Assemble Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake
- Use a knife or a teaspoon to dig out a small center in each cupcake.
- Take out the raspberry preserve from the fridge and whisk with a spoon until smooth. Spoon or pipe in the raspberry preserve into the center of each cupcake.
- Cover the cupcakes with the raspberry cream cheese frosting in any style you desire. Either pipe swirls or simply spread them with a knife.
- Finish off by sprinkling some dried raspberries (or a single fresh one) on top or around the edges as I did. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 20 minutes and enjoy!
Super fresh and moist, thank you!