Lemon Raspberry cupcakes

I found this recipe in a  magazine to make these cupcakes but it required boxed cake and jelly. I wanted something more so I tweaked it my way. First I found a lemon cake recipe I liked.

Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

In a bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat well after each addition. Stir in extracts.

Pour into papered muffin cups. Bake at 350° 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. 

I did mine the night before and let them cool and harden up a bit.

Filling:
Ingredients:
3 C raspberries (mine were picked fresh in season then frozen for later use)
1/2 C sugar

Directions:
• Placed 2 cups of raspberries small sauce pan with  sugar.
• Cook on med heat till fruit and sugar has reduced down and all you have is juice and seed pulp.
• Place in remaining cup or raspberries and  cook til soft, but still holds fruit shape.
• Remove from heat and strain juice from pulp, set aside.

• Using any tip that will allow pulp to past through pipe into cupcakes till sides 'pop' from filling.





Frosting: 


Ingredients:
• 1 package Confectioners' Sugar (16 ounces)
• 1/2 C Butter or Margarine (1 stick), softened
• 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 TBS Milk
• 2 TBS Fresh Lemon
• frosting colors in yellow, pink, and green (optional)

TIP: I doubled my frosting and flavored only half of it. I used 3 TBS of lemon to make it very tart.

Directions: • In large bowl, with mixer at medium-low speed, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk until smooth and blended.
• Add citrus juice.
• Increase speed to medium-high; beat until frosting is light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

• Beat in additional milk as needed for easy spreading consistency.
• If adding coloring to do the way I did you'll need to take About 1/2 C out of pink tinting, and 1/4 C for green. Add yellow to the remaining frosting and tint how light or dark you want.

Decorating:

• Pipe on yellow frosting, I went with the spatula method but they would look just as good with a large start tip.
• Place in fridge till frosting is harder than when spread.










 • Tint 1/4 C green and fill piping bag with a leaf tip.

• Pipe leaves over yellow and set back in fridge to harden. 

• Tint 1/2 C frosting pink,
• Add 2-4 TBS of raspberry juice you set aside to flavor your flowers
• Fill bag with a flower tip.
• Holding bag straight up I turned my cupcake while squeezing bag. (I know this isn't the way to do it but it made my flowers faster with softer frosting.
• Add some sugar pearls for the middles and enjoy.