Effortless Lemon Cupcakes Raspberry (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Cupcake Batter (Lemon)

01 - 1/3 cup vegetable oil
02 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
03 - 1 1/2 cups cake flour, measured accurately
04 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
06 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and diced
07 - 1 tablespoon packed lemon zest, freshly grated
08 - 1 large egg, room temperature
09 - 1/2 cup whole milk, brought to room temperature
10 - 1/3 cup pistachios, finely chopped
11 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
12 - 1/2 cup sour cream, warmed to room temperature
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Raspberry Filling

14 - 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
15 - 3 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
16 - 1 tablespoon water
17 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
18 - 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

→ Lemon Frosting

19 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream
20 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
21 - 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
22 - 2 teaspoons lemon zest
23 - 2 cups powdered sugar

→ Toppings

24 - Fresh raspberries
25 - Chopped pistachios

# Instructions:

01 - Set your oven to 350°F (180°C) to preheat, and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Make sure your cold ingredients are sitting out to reach room temperature.
02 - Grab a small bowl, toss in the sugar, and rub the lemon zest into it with your fingers. Keep at it until it feels a bit like damp sand. This makes sure all the zest's flavor goes into your cupcakes.
03 - Dump the cake flour, zest-infused sugar, baking powder, salt, and pistachios into the bowl of your stand mixer. Give it a quick whisk to mix. Add the softened butter and stir on low speed for about 3 minutes until it looks crumbly and sandy.
04 - In another bowl, mix together the sour cream, milk, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Stir until smooth and no streaks are left.
05 - Pour the wet mixture into the sandy dry ingredients. Mix for a few seconds until the batter just starts to come together. Stop, scrape down the bowl, then stir again until smooth. Don’t overdo it!
06 - Use a scoop to fill each liner in your muffin tin about 3/4 full with batter. Pop them into the oven for 15-20 minutes. Check them around 15 minutes using a toothpick—it should come out with a few moist crumbs. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
07 - In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring and mashing the berries occasionally. Mix the cornstarch and water in a little bowl, and add this to the bubbling raspberry mix. Cook another 1-2 minutes until thick. Set it aside to cool.
08 - Put the softened butter into a large bowl and beat it until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, stirring until combined. Pour in the cream, lemon juice, and zest, then beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and airy.
09 - Take the cooled cupcakes and use a small knife or cupcake corer to cut a hole in the middle of each (a bit over an inch deep). Spoon in raspberry filling. Pipe a wreath of lemon buttercream around the top and finish with a bit more jam in the middle. Sprinkle on pistachios and pop a raspberry on top for style!

# Notes:

01 - Measure flour the easy way: fluff it up, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it with a knife—or just weigh it with a scale!
02 - Save time! The filling and frosting can be prepared up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated in airtight containers until you’re ready to use them.
03 - Stored in an airtight box, these cupcakes last 3-4 days in the fridge or 1-2 days on the counter.
04 - Skip the pistachios if you don’t like nuts or they're a problem for allergies.
05 - Core cupcakes directly in the tin. It keeps them steady and prevents any mishaps.

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