These moist lemon raspberry cupcakes are bursting with lemon and raspberry flavor with a hint of pistachio. Topped with tangy lemon frosting and fresh raspberries, they’re perfect for any spring or summer occasion!
Who doesn’t love a raspberry and lemon dessert combo?! Back in my pastry chef days, I baked and decorated thousands of cupcake flavors, and lemon raspberry cupcakes were always top sellers!
Each lemon cupcake is studded with pistachios, filled with raspberry compote (so they’re packed with raspberry flavor), and topped with my ultra-creamy lemon frosting. Like my lemon raspberry muffins, they look fancy, but they’re easy to make and will rival any you see in a bakery case- in presentation and flavor!
Table of Contents
Tips for Bakery-Style Cupcakes
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip! Using too much flour is almost always the cause of dry, dense, or crumbly cupcakes.
Bake with room temperature ingredients.​ This ensures a smooth batter, well-incorporated ingredients, and even baking.
Wait to frost them. Frosting warm cupcakes is a recipe for disaster! Wait until they are completely cool to prevent the frosting from melting off.
Use a piping bag. It can be helpful to practice piping on a piece of parchment paper, scrape it up when done, and reuse the frosting until you get the hang of it.
Only fill the liners 3/4 full. Overfilling can result in batter spilling on the pan and making a huge mess!
Infuse the zesty lemon flavor. Rub the lemon zest really well into the sugar. This will release tons of lemon flavor into the cupcake batter.
Garnish with fresh ingredients. Add fresh, juicy raspberries or a lemon peel twist on top for a bakery-quality finish and an extra burst of flavor!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Cake flour: Like my lemon berry cake, we’re using the reverse creaming method for the softest and most tender cupcake texture. This method relies on cake flour for success, so it is not substitutable!
Raspberries: Feel free to use fresh or frozen raspberries. If using fresh berries, look for ones that are plump and evenly bright red in color because they will have the sweetest flavor. Use any extras to make my chocolate raspberry cookies or raspberry scones!
Lemons: Fresh lemons have the best flavor! If you’re in a pinch, you can use 1-2 teaspoons of lemon extract instead of lemon zest and lemon juice.
Pistachios:Â Pistachios add a nutty and slightly sweet flavor to lemon cupcakes. For best results, use no-shell unsalted pistachios. You can also leave them out completely if needed!
Sour cream:Â Like in my lemon bar cake, it adds moisture, richness, and tanginess. For an alternative, substitute plain Greek yogurt.
Milk: Whole milk is recommended for the right amount of richness and structure. 2% milk is a great alternative.
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Make the lemon sugar. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it resembles wet sand. This releases the natural oils in the zest! (Image 1 below)
Step 2: Mix the butter into the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, mix in the butter at low speed until it resembles coarse sand. (Image 2 below)
Step 3: Mix in the wet ingredients. Pour in the whisked sour cream, milk, oil, egg, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl to ensure no flour remains. (Image 3 below)
Step 4: Fill the cupcake liners. Line a cupcake pan with liners and fill each one 3/4 full. (Image 4 above) There is enough batter for 12 cupcakes! Bake, then let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack before frosting (super important!)
Step 5: Make the raspberry filling. In a small pot, cook the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice, mashing occasionally, until bright red and thickened. Set aside. (Image 5 below) If you prefer a seedless filling, push it through a fine mesh strainer.
Step 6: Make the lemon buttercream. Beat the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy! (Image 6 below) You could also top them with my favorite cream cheese frosting, raspberry frosting, or vanilla buttercream instead.
Step 7: Core and fill the centers. Use an apple corer to cut out the center of each cupcake (I eat them as snacks 😉). Then, use a piping bag or spoon to fill the centers with the raspberry filling. (Image 7 above)
Step 8: ​Frost and decorate the cupcakes. Pipe a border of buttercream around the raspberry-filled center. (Image 8 above) Sprinkle with pistachios, then top with more raspberry filling. Garnish with fresh raspberries, and enjoy! (Image below)
Storage, Freezing, and Make Ahead
Storage: Store raspberry lemon cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. They will stay fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge or 1-2 days at room temperature!
Freezing: Store the plain or assembled cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Do not stack them! If using fresh garnishes and pistachios, leave them off until ready to serve.
Make ahead: All elements of this recipe can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use. The filling and frosting can be made up to 5 days in advance!
FAQs
Leave the cupcakes in the cupcake pan. Then, use an apple corer (my preferred method), a knife, or the bottom of a large round piping tip to remove the center of each cupcake. I use this method in my cherry-filled cupcakes, too!
Bake the batter in two 6-inch cake pans for 25-30 minutes. For assembly, use my chocolate raspberry cake for reference!
Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
Dry cake is almost always caused by using too much flour or oven temperature that is too high. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and oven thermometer for the best results!
Yes!
Pistachio Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcake Batter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, packed *you may need 3 large lemons!*
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry Filling
- 3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Lemon Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Chopped pistachios, for decorating
- Fresh raspberries, for decorating
Instructions
- Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it looks like wet sand.3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- In a stand mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, lemon sugar, pistachios, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the butter on low speed for 3 minutes until it resembles coarse sand.1 1/2 cups (180 g) cake flour, 1/3 cup (47 g) finely chopped pistachios, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 6 tablespoons (84 g) cubed unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.1/2 cup (113 g) sour cream, 1/2 cup (113 g) whole milk, 1/3 cup (65 g) vegetable oil, 1 (50 g) egg, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix the wets into the dries for a few seconds, then scrape down the bowl and continue mixing until just combined. Scoop into 12 cupcake liners, filling each one roughly 3/4 full.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them continue cooling on the rack.
- Make the raspberry filling. Cook the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat, mashing occasionally, until the filling is bright red and bubbly, about 10-12 minutes. Then mix in the whisked cornstarch and water. Cook 1-2 minutes longer until thickened.3 cups (340 g) fresh or frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water
- Make the buttercream. Cream the butter until smooth, then mix in the powdered sugar. Once combined, mix in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Continue beating until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes longer.1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Core the center of the cooled cupcakes and fill it with the raspberry compote. Pipe the lemon frosting around the core, then fill it with more raspberry filling. Garnish with chopped pistachios and fresh raspberries. Leave the cupcakes in the pan to core them. It’s easier to keep the cake intact, and you can remove them once cored. A piping bag with a large round tip is best used for the frosting!
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
amazingly delicious!!
Loved them! Pistachio and raspberry is a great flavor combination!
Delicious! Perfect for spring!