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Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

Enjoy this delicious flavor combination. The moist lemon cupcakes pair perfectly with a homemade raspberry filling and a light, creamy frosting. It's all dairy-free made with ingredients like vegan butter and milk as substitutes for normal dairy products.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
  

Lemon Cupcakes

  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1½ tbsp lemon zest
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • 2 tsp lemon juice

Raspberry Filling

  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup sugar

Lemon Frosting

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ⅔ cup water
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1½ tbsp lemon zest

Instructions
 

Lemon Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350F and line cupcake pan.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined.  Add the vanilla and lemon zest, mix, and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or fork.
  • With the mixer on low speed, slowly add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and then alternate with milk, adding the lemon juice, and ending with the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes.
  • With a large cookie scoop or spoon fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full with batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling and frosting.

Raspberry Filling

  • Add raspberries, lemon juice, sugar, and flour to a large skillet and cook on medium-high heat until the mixture starts to bubble.
  • Reduce to medium-low heat and continue cooking for 7-10 minutes until the mixture thickens, stirring frequently.
  • Let mixture cool and then store in the fridge until the cupcakes are ready to be filled.

Lemon Frosting

  • Add sugar and water to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • While the syrup is cooking, add egg whites to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. If the syrup mixture isn’t done before the egg whites stiffen, DO NOT turn the mixer off; reduce speed to low.
  • The syrup is ready when it pours off the spoon in a steady stream or reaches 235F. Another way to test the sugar (and also kinda fun) is by taking a bit of the syrup on a spoon and then dipping it into ice water. When it’s ready, it will form a little malleable ball.
  • With the stand mixer on high speed, slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites, but DO NOT let the syrup hit the whisk. It should be a steady stream into the bowl.
  • Continue whipping the frosting until it stiffens. Once the bowl cools down and feels barely warm, add in the vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined.

Assembling Cupcakes

  • Insert the apple corer or cupcake corer into the cupcake about ⅔ the way in, twist gently, and then remove the center core. Set aside for later use, or pop that cupcake core in your mouth and enjoy it now!
  • Fill center with raspberry filling.
  • Pipe or spread frosting as desired and garnish with more raspberries.