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Bright and refreshing mini lemon cupcakes with a light raspberry cream cheese whipped cream frosting.
With lemon zest in the batter and lemon curd baked on top, these little airy cupcakes are packed full of fresh lemon flavor. They’re topped with a light raspberry cream cheese whipped cream frosting and finished with a dollop of lemon curd for a delightful raspberry lemonade flavor that will have you going back for more.
Why You’ll Love Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Refreshing – the combination of raspberry and lemon is bright and refreshing, perfect for warm and sunny days.
Mini – these cupcakes are the perfect little treat. They’re a great option for parties where more than one dessert will be served, allowing guests to sample everything. They’re a delightful, pop-able, refreshing dessert.
Fresh Lemon – these cupcakes have lemon zest in the batter, lemon curd baked into the top of each one, and a dollop of fresh lemon curd on top for extra refreshing lemon flavor.
Raspberry – real (fresh or frozen) raspberries are used to make a compote to flavor the icing, giving it real delicious raspberry flavor.
Texture – the cupcakes are tender, moist, and super light and airy.
Sweet – sometimes icing can be way too sweet and sugary, but not this one. The base of the icing is homemade whipped cream that is flavored with some cream cheese and raspberry compote, creating a light, yet flavorful, icing that has a fresh, not-too-sweet flavor.
Cute – topping the cupcakes with a pink icing and yellow lemon curd allows for fun designs, like these fun little flowers.
The photo above shows these raspberry lemonade cupcakes (pink flowers) along with mini lemon chantilly cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese whipped cream frosting (white flowers).
FAQ
Can I use store-bought lemon curd?
You can use store-bought lemon curd to save time, but I highly recommend making your own. It’s easy to make and so delicious!
Can I skip the lemon curd entirely?
The cupcake batter itself has lemon flavor because of the lemon zest mixed in, so you can go ahead and skip the lemon curd if you wish. I do recommend using it, however, because it adds an extra pop of delicious lemon flavor.
If you do skip the lemon curd, you may enjoy doubling the raspberry compote and using the extra in place of the lemon curd when decorating the cupcakes. Instead of the dollop of lemon curd in the center of each piped flower, you can use the raspberry compote to add an extra pop of color and flavor.
What is cake flour?
Cake flour has less protein than regular flour so it forms less gluten, creating a light and tender crumb.
What if I don’t have cake flour?
While I do recommend using cake flour, if you can’t find it or need a substitution in a pinch, you can use a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. This recipe calls for 1 cup of cake flour. To substitute: measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour, then remove 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of corn starch and whisk or sift to combine. By weight, measure a total of 105 grams of all-purpose flour and add 16 grams of cornstarch. Then, whisk or sift to combine before using.
Can I make regular sized cupcakes?
Yes, you can make standard cupcakes using this recipe. It will make about 8 cupcakes. They will take longer to bake, around 18 – 20 minutes.
Can I use frozen raspberries for the icing?
You can use fresh or frozen raspberries to make the compote for the icing. If you are using frozen, you may want to thaw the raspberries before blending and straining out the seeds.
What piping tips were used for the icing?
To pipe the flower design onto these cupcakes, I used a #21 star piping tip for the frosting and a #8 round tip for the lemon curd. To pipe the white flowers, shown above, I used a #12 round piping tip. This 29-piece set includes all mentioned piping tips and more if you’re looking to play around with piping fun designs or are looking to get into cake decorating.
How did you pipe the flowers?
Fill a piping bag, fitted with a #21 star piping tip, with the frosting. Fill another piping bag, fitted with a #8 round piping tip, with the lemon curd. You’ll first pipe the frosting. Hold the piping bag upright and position the tip near the edge of the cupcake. Squeeze the piping bag to pipe a blob, slowly releasing pressure as you drag the piping bag to the center of the cupcake. This will create a fluted teardrop shape; this is the first petal. Do this again directly next to the first petal. Repeat until you’ve piped 5 petals, filling up the surface of the cupcake. Take the piping bag filled with lemon curd and hold it upright, positioning the tip near the center of the cupcake. Lightly squeeze to dispense a small blob of curd in the center of the cupcake.
If You Like Lemon, You May Also Enjoy:
Soft Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Equipment
You’ll want a mini cupcake pan and mini cupcake liners for this recipe. If you can’t find cake flour in your grocery store, you can find it on Amazon, from brands like King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill (see FAQ section, above, for substitution).
It’s nice to have a lemon zester, or microplane, to zest the lemons for the batter and a handheld juicer to juice the lemons for the lemon curd. A hand mixer or stand mixer saves time and energy when making the whipped cream icing. I also recommend a fine-mesh strainer to make the raspberry compote without the seeds.
If you’d like to pipe the icing the same way I have in the photos, I used piping bags with a #21 star tip for the icing and a #8 round tip for the lemon curd. See the FAQ section or recipe notes for more details on how to pipe this design.
Mini Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 2 ½ tbsp (35 g) butter (cut into pieces)
- ¼ cup + 3 tbsp (88 g) sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 5 tbsp (75 g) lemon juice
- 2 eggs
Lemon Chantilly Cupcakes
- 1 cup (128 g) cake flour
- ⅔ cup (133 g) sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (76 g) butter softened
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (13 g) oil (neutral oil)
- ⅓ cup (90 g) whole milk room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Raspberry Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
– Raspberry Compote
- 2 cups raspberries
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp sugar
– Frosting
- 2 oz. (57 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsp (38 g) sugar
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
Prepare the Raspberry Compote
- Place the raspberries into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds. (If you don't mind seeds in your final frosting, you can skip this step entirely)
- Place the strained raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a pot over medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until thick. You’ll know it’s done when it has thickened enough that when you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pot, it leaves a clear trail that doesn’t fill back in.
- Cover and place in the fridge to cool completely.
Prepare the Lemon Curd
- Add butter to a heat-safe bowl, set aside.
- Add sugar and lemon zest to a pot.
- (Optional) Use your fingers to rub the zest and sugar together until it feels like wet sand to release some of the flavor from the zest.
- Add lemon juice to the pot and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly until fully blended. You want it to be one smooth mixture – no clumps of egg white should be visible. Add the whisked eggs to the pot and whisk well to combine.
- Cook mixture over low to medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon well*. The texture will resemble pudding. At this point, remove from the heat.
- Pour the lemon curd mixture through a fine-mesh sieve onto the butter. This will remove the lemon zest and any potential egg clumps.
- Stir the curd and butter until the butter is melted and fully incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place a cupcake wrapper into each cupcake well.
- Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add softened butter and mix until it resembles coarse sand.
- Add the oil and about half of the milk to the mixture. Mix on a medium speed for two minutes.
- Add the remaining milk, vanilla extract, egg, and lemon zest. Mix until well combined.
- Fill each lined cupcake well ¾ of the way with batter.
- Add a tiny dollop (about ¼ tsp) of lemon curd to the top of each cupcake.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar on a medium speed until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the heavy cream until it starts to hold its shape and resemble whipped cream.
- Add half of the cream cheese mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining cream cheese mixture and vanilla extract (optional) and whisk until combined.
- Whisk the mixture until thick and fluffy. Add the chilled raspberry compote and mix until fully incorporated.
Frost the Cupcakes
- When the cupcakes are cool, spread or pipe the whipped cream frosting onto each cupcake. Add a small dollop of lemon curd to the top of each one for extra lemon flavor.
- To decorate the cupcakes as shown, see the notes section below.
Notes
- Butter – cut into small cubes and allow to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. Alternatively, microwave it in short 5-second intervals on a defrost or low-power setting, rotating them in between each interval, until softened.
- Egg – place in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Milk – microwave it in short bursts, stirring in between, until no longer cold. You can also do this on the stovetop by stirring the milk in a pot over low heat, until no longer cold.
Fill a piping bag, fitted with a #21 round piping tip, with the raspberry frosting. Fill another piping bag, fitted with a #8 round piping tip, with the lemon curd. You’ll first pipe the frosting. Hold the piping bag upright and position the tip near the edge of the cupcake. Squeeze the piping bag to pipe a blob, slowly releasing pressure as you drag the piping bag to the center of the cupcake. This will create a fluted teardrop shape; this is the first of 5 petals. Do this again directly next to the first petal. Repeat until you’ve piped 5 petals, filling up the surface of the cupcake. Take the piping bag filled with lemon curd and hold it upright, positioning the tip near the center of the cupcake. Lightly squeeze to dispense a small blob of curd in the center of the cupcake.
If you try out this mini raspberry lemonade cupcake recipe, I’d love to know what you think! Please leave a comment with a rating below and share a photo of your creation on Instagram using the hashtag #BrooksideKitchen and tag @BrooksideKitchen . Leaving a rating and commenting is a great way to support the blog and it’s always nice hearing your feedback 🙂
