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These are raspberry cupcakes that actually taste like raspberries. The fruit goes directly into the batter — fresh or frozen — so every bite has that sharp, jammy hit running through the crumb. Not as a background note. As the main flavor.

The Only Raspberry Cupcakes You Want to Bake

Eating a cupcake while enjoying your coffee or tea can be an afternoon indulgence. And, of course, you can have it as a sweet dessert after your delicious meal.

Now, when summer is here, you want to bring that warm, refreshing feel to your cupcake. So why don’t you create it in a raspberry cupcake?

These raspberry cupcakes are perfect for making the most of those summer raspberries. The cupcakes have a moist, fluffy texture with the right amount of sweetness and a hint of tanginess from the fruit.

Top the cupcakes with creamy raspberry buttercream, and you will find the true joy of eating a cupcake. And what’s more, it is so easy and quick to make these cupcakes that it’s faster to bake them yourself than to run to a bakery or a cake shop to get a similar thing.

The first time I made these berry cupcakes, I was overjoyed by how easy they were to make and how delicious they were. And apart from the fresh raspberries, all the ingredients are pretty standard. Many of us will almost always have them in our pantry/ kitchen.

Naturally, if you’re a keen baker like me, making your cakes from scratch gives you indescribable satisfaction. Because you know what you put in them, and you have full control of how much sugar you use.

I don’t know about you, but I always find the cupcakes from the shops, bakeries, patisseries, or cake shops are way too sweet for my liking.

The over-sweetness kind of killed my appetite for the cake. So yeah, I would prefer to whip the batter myself and bake.

Nine cupcakes with pink buttercream and topped with raspberries.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Every bite tastes like real fruit. Because fresh or frozen raspberries go directly into the cupcake batter, the fruit flavor is baked into the crumb itself — not just sitting on top. You get sharp, jammy pockets of raspberry throughout rather than a vaguely fruity sponge.
The frosting tastes like raspberry, not like icing. Beating raspberry jam into buttercream gives you a frosting with a genuine fruit flavor and a natural blush of pink. It’s sweet but not cloying — the sharpness of the jam cuts through the butter and keeps it from tasting one-dimensional.
The fruit and frosting work together rather than compete. The sharpness in the sponge and the sweetness of the jam buttercream balance each other out. Neither overpowers the other — you get both in every bite, and the combination is exactly what a raspberry cupcake should taste like.
No artificial anything. The pink color in the frosting comes from the jam. The raspberry flavor in the batter comes from actual raspberries. There’s nothing here that tastes synthetic or candy-like — just straightforward fruit in a well-made cupcake.
They look the part without much effort. The natural pink frosting pipes into a clean swirl, and the color is vivid enough to photograph well. Put a single fresh raspberry on top, and they look like something from a bakery counter — without the bakery price tag or effort.
They work for any occasion, not just special ones. These are sturdy enough to box up and bring somewhere, easy enough to make on a weekend afternoon, and impressive enough to put in front of guests. A batch of 12 disappears fast, regardless of the crowd.
Fresh or frozen raspberries — the result is the same. You don’t need to wait for berry season or pay the price of fresh fruit. Frozen raspberries deliver the same flavor and texture in the baked cupcake, which means this is a recipe you can make any time of year without compromise.
The texture is soft but holds up well to wet. It peels cleanly from the case, doesn’t crumble when you bite into it, and the frosting sits firm rather than sliding off. Small things — but they’re what make a cupcake actually enjoyable to eat. The crumb is moist from the fruit without being dense or

Simple Ingredients

As I said, the ingredients for these raspberry cupcakes are simple.

The ingredients for cupcakes are raspberries, margarine (or baking spread), self-raising flour, caster sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.

As for the buttercream, you will need salted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and seedless raspberry jam.

And you’re going to love this recipe because you can use either fresh or frozen raspberries. Just check the tip below if you choose the latter.

Though I’m not going to debate over which one is better or healthier, I understand that some people prefer butter to margarine. If you’re one of them, feel free to use butter instead of margarine.

The only thing I would mention is that butter may make the cupcakes slightly dense and dry. Margarine lends softness and moisture to the cupcake’s texture.

Cupcakes with raspberry buttercream and decorated with a raspberry on the top.

Easy to Make

The method for making these cupcakes is ridiculously simple. You literally dump all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until you get a smooth batter.

You can either use a hand mixer or a handheld blender.

When making buttercream, ideally, you use a stand mixer with a splash guard. The reason is that you prevent powdered sugar from splattering everywhere.

However, if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can first mix the butter and icing sugar with a wooden spoon. And use a hand mixer to make it fluffy.

And if you use a mixer but don’t have a splash guard, you can cover the bowl around the whisks with cling film, as shown in the picture.

I’m not going to lie. As much as I like buttercream, I sometimes hate making it. Especially when the temperature is cold, and the butter is frozen solid.

Tips to Make the Most Delicious Raspberry Cupcakes

The good thing about this recipe is that you can use either fresh or frozen raspberries. The fresh ones are definitely the best. However, the frozen ones make equally delicious cupcakes. But make sure you completely thaw the raspberries in a colander. This way, any liquid from the thawed raspberries will be discarded.
Ensure your self-raising flour is fresh, not stale.
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. If they are cold, take them out and place them in a bowl. Then, put warm water from the tap until the eggs are submerged. Leave them to soak until you can feel the egg’s temperature change.
Choose good quality raspberry jam or Converse. If you don’t have the seedless raspberry jam, you can use the seeded one. But make sure you warm it up and sieve it. Discard any rough pulp and the seeds before mixing the jam with buttercream.
If your butter is hard and solid, try this trick to soften it. Take a glass bowl large enough to cover the butter. Heat the bowl in a microwave for about 2 minutes. Or put hot water in the bowl for a minute before discarding it. Then, put the bowl upside down and cover the butter with it. The heat from the hot glass bowl will help soften the butter.

A raspberry cupcake with raspberry buttercream and a raspberry on the top.

Storing Matter

Your cupcakes can be kept well at room temperature for about three days. And if you keep them in the refrigerator, they keep well for almost a week. Though in my household, the cupcakes won’t last longer than three days. They will be gone by then.

Should you feel like freezing them, you can. Freeze the iced cupcakes in a tightly sealed freezer-safe container. They can be kept in the freezer for up to six weeks.

Once your cupcakes are thawed, you must not freeze them.

Take care and all the best.