White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
These white chocolate raspberry cupcakes are made with vanilla cupcakes packed full of fresh raspberries and frosted with white chocolate buttercream.
White chocolate and raspberry is one of my favorites and one of the most classic flavor combinations. The sweetness of the chocolate paired with the tart raspberries is just *chef’s kiss*.
Why you’ll love these white chocolate raspberry cupcakes
- They’re fairly simple to make, not complicated but they do require time and accuracy.
- The cupcakes can be made with fresh or frozen raspberries.
- The buttercream is not overly sweet which can often happen with white chocolate desserts.
- Recipe is versatile – can be made with dairy free and gluten-free ingredients.
If you’re loving the white chocolate raspberry combo, I have more for ya! I have a white chocolate raspberry cake and the BEST white chocolate raspberry cheesecake ice cream.
I also have these white chocolate strawberry cookies but you could swap the strawberries out for freeze dried raspberries. I also have white chocolate raspberry muffins and macarons.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: I prefer salted butter for the cupcakes and unsalted for the buttercream but you can also use unsalted butter for all of it as well. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes BUT you cannot beat the texture of cake flour in cupcakes so I highly recommend King Arthur’s Cake Flour. It is far superior to some alternatives in the grocery stores.
- I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cupcakes will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender.
- I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- Baking Powder: to leaven the cupcakes.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar and I don’t recommend cutting any out.
- Oil: I always use a combination of butter and oil in my cakes because I like the texture from both. I recommend a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil here.
- Eggs: I just use one large egg and make sure it’s at room temperature. Place it in hot water for 5-10 minutes if it’s cold.
- The meringue will require two additional egg whites so you’ll be left with two egg yolks (which I have plenty of recipe recommendations for down in the FAQ section).
- Sour Cream: I’ve used greek yogurt and sour cream in this recipe and they both work well. You can also use plain yogurt. However, if you sub the sour cream for extra milk, the cupcakes might shrivel up a little when cooling.
- Milk: I use whole milk or two percent but any milk will work here, even dairy free.
- Vanilla: I just use vanilla extract in this recipe but vanilla bean paste also works.
- Raspberries: I prefer using fresh raspberries but frozen ones work fine as well. I like to chop my raspberries into quarters so they’re tiny chunks. If you leave them whole (which may happen with frozen berries) you’ll have larger chunks of fruit which make the cupcake soggy in those spots.
- White chocolate: I use nestle or ghirardelli white chocolate chips but any white chocolate works fine.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cupcakes
Step 1: Zest the lemon on top of the sugar and use your fingers to rub them together well, until they’re well combined.
Step 2: Whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder and salt until they’re evenly distributed.
Step 3: Add the room temperature butter and the oil and use an electric mixer to beat them at medium, until they’re crumbly like a streusel.
Step 4: Add the egg and mix just until it’s well combined and the batter looks like paste.
Step 5: Add the sour cream and turn the mixer to low speed while streaming in the milk.
Step 6: Chop the raspberries into quarters (or halves if they’re small) and gently fold them into the cupcake batter.
Step 7: Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔-¾ full. I recommend weighing them so each cupcake has 50-55 grams of batter.
Step 8: Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the tallest part of the cupcake, in the center, springs back when you press on it. If you’re hesitant, give it another minute or so.
Step 9: Let the cupcakes rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove them from the pan.
White Chocolate Buttercream
Step 1: Place a cup of water in a small pot on the stove, over medium-low heat. Allow the water to come to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 2: Meanwhile, clean your mixing bowl, whisk attachment and all other tools well and wipe them down with a little vinegar to make sure there’s no grease residue.
Step 3: Combine the sugar with the egg whites in your mixer bowl and place the mixer bowl on top of the simmering pot of water. Whisk the egg and sugar mixture frequently, until the sugar is fully dissolved – just touch it with your finger and feel for sugar granules.
Step 4: Meanwhile melt your white chocolate in the microwave on 10-15 second intervals, just until it’s smooth and silky. Set aside to cool but stir it often so it doesn’t harden around the edge.
Step 5: Once the sugar is dissolved, move the bowl to the mixer and beat at full speed for 5-10 minutes, until it’s thick and fluffy and no longer hot.
Step 6: With the mixer on medium speed, add in your room temperature butter, a few tablespoons at a time. It may not come together right away so just turn the mixer up to full speed for a few minutes and give it some time.
Step 7: Add half of the white chocolate and fold it in with a rubber spatula (I don’t like to mix with the whisk attachment because the white chocolate will solidify if it touches anything cold and you may get random chunks of white chocolate. Repeat with the other half once the first half is combined.
Step 8: Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with raspberries. If desired, you can fold in some fresh raspberries to the frosting as well.
Expert tips on getting perfect cupcakes
There’s a few things that can make it or break it with these cupcakes.
- Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
- Don’t reduce the sugar. I know a lot of people do that for some recipes but not this one.
- Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale
- Weigh the batter for each cupcake with a digital scale. I just place the cupcake pan on the scale with the liners and measure out 50-55 grams for each cupcake. You will have enough batter for about half a cupcake leftover. DO NOT BE TEMPTED to distribute that among the cupcakes, they will sink if they’re overfilled.
- If you’re adding the diced cranberries to the batter, you will get 14 good cupcakes by doing the 50-55g grams in each tin. You may get 15 cupcakes but don’t if you don’t have enough for the 15th, don’t distribute the rest of the batter among the other cupcakes.
- Use a light colored stainless steel muffin tin.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cupcakes will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender.
I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
This cake holds on to moisture really well so you can make it 1-2 days in advance before serving and store in the fridge. Or you could make it well in advance and freeze. See the storing section.
If you only have one muffin pan, the batter for the 14-15th cupcake can just wait on the counter until the first 12 are done baking.
Just like all the rest of my cakes, I test if it’s done baking by pressing gently on the tallest part of the cake. The cake will spring back if it’s done baking. If it stays indented, give it a few minutes in the oven, before testing again.
I much prefer fresh raspberries for this recipe but it should work fine frozen raspberries. I would just make sure they’re smaller chunks not large, whole raspberries.
I have not tested this cupcake recipe as a cake recipe but I don’t imagine it would be bad. It would probably make about 1 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
How to store these white chocolate raspberry cupcakes
I usually just cover them with a cake dome or place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for a day. You can store them in the refrigerator for an additional 3-4 days but if it’s any longer, I recommend freezing them.
To freeze the cupcakes, place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring them back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.
If you make these white chocolate raspberry cupcakes, I’d love it if you left me a review or a star rating. ?
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Hi, I have a question about the buttercream, step 3, says to add sugar and egg whites to the stand mixer, and place the bowel over simmering water for 5-10 minutes, am I putting the stand mixer bowel into the pot of water? Then whisk in stand mixer?
That’s what I do (using the metal mixing bowl) but if you want to do it in separate bowls that’s fine too
Hello Bernice. I’m instruction no. 2 it mentions lemon zest but there is not lemon zest in the recipe ingredients list. Please can you advise on this? Was hoping to make these tomorrow morning. Thanks! Simone
Hi Simone, thanks so much for pointing that out, I just add the zest of 1 lemon 🙂 it’s totally optional though, good both ways!
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