Although I didn’t make these cupcakes for my birthday (which is today :)), I thought they’d be the perfect post for the occasion.
I brought these fluffy and moist almond-vanilla cupcakes into work the other day. We had a bunch of interviews scheduled at our office for one of our clients, so I wanted to have a sweet treat for the media (it was also our intern’s birthday). The cupcakes were an absolute hit.
One of the photographers told me that he had a brief relationship with the cupcake. Clearly he approved. :)
I still have a few in my fridge, so I’m sure I’ll indulge in one today to celebrate!
Cupcake recipe:
1 (18.25 oz.) Ducan Hines Moist Deluxe White Cake Mix
1 1/3 cup water
3 large egg whites
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (6 oz.) containers fresh raspberries
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, water, egg whites, melted butter, melted butter, almond extract and vanilla extract in a large bowl for about 2 minutes, or until the batter is well blended. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
Bake cupcakes until pale golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.
Using a fork, coarsely mash 1 1/2 containers of raspberries in medium bowl. Beat the cream and 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl until firm peaks form. Fold the mashed raspberries into the whipped cream.
Cream cheese frosting recipe:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in bowl of standing mixer. Fold in raspberry whipped cream. If frosting is too liquidy, add confectioner’s sugar until reach desired consistency.
Raspberry filling recipe:
2 cups sweetened raspberries, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
6 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, flour and lemon juice and mix well. Add juice from thawed raspberries. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat once mixture is thick, and cool completely. Stir in thawed raspberries.
Using a cupcake corer, remove center of cupcake. Fill hole with raspberry filling. Pipe cupcakes with whipped raspberry cream cheese frosting.
Oh wow that filling and the top is just so pretty. You’re the cupcake queen. Your coworkers must love you. (Not just for the treats of course, you seem very nice. OK, but the treats have gotta help.)
Haha I’m sure the treats help, but yes, I am a very friendly person! Thanks so much, Greg. :)
The garnish is beautiful! The raspberry filling looks delicious! Perfect little summer treat.
Thank you so much! They’re a bit addicting.
These are the most beautiful little cupcakes – gorgeous
Mary
Thank you Mary!
Happy birthday !
wish you a day full of magic :)
I agree with Greg..you are the cupcake queen
You both are too sweet, thank you so much Sawsan!!
A very fruity cupcake, nice
Fruity indeed!! Unfortunately, it doesn’t make them healthy in any way. :(
Happy birthday!!!!! I hope you’re having a great day. I’ll tell you what, you can come here for dinner and I’ll make the salmon if you’ll bring these amazing looking cupcakes! Yummy!!!! Sounds like you’re in PR?
Thank you so much! That sounds like the perfect plan, done and done!! Yup, I’m in music PR. :)
I’m in PR too; albeit a much less exciting form of PR…commercial real estate. :)
Grattis på din födelsedag, as my wife’s family would say! Cakes look awesome, and extra points for the raspberries – the world’s most delicious squishy red thing!
I love it!! Thanks so much, Charles! Ah, yes, I couldn’t agree more. One of my favorite fruits. :)
Happy birthday girl! Recipe looks great & yummy. :)
Thank you so much love!
These are so pretty outside and the inside is making my mouth water!
I might have eaten a few too many of these. ;) Thanks Maris!!
Happy Birthday Caroline!!! I hope someone baked for you! :) These cupcakes look amazing. And they have almond extract in them; one of my most favorite things! Love it. Thank you for sweet comment on my blog this morning! xo
Thank you so, so much Dana! Almond is one of my favorite flavors as well–it worked great with the cupcakes. :)
Happy Birthday! You’re a Gemini, like me! My b-day was 2 weeks ago! These cupcakes are so pretty, almost too pretty to eat! My kids would love it if I baked cup cakes more often! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Yay for Geminis!! Happy belated birthday Lisa! Thank you so much for your kind words. :)
Happy BIRTHDAY!!! Oh my gosh, I love love love love almond flavored anything. And the raspberry with this looks totally delicous. I hope you did something fun for your bday!
Thank you Amy! Definitely had a relaxing birthday, and just finished eating a delicious dinner!
happy birthday, caroline! another fabulous cupcake recipe from the cupcake queen.
ps – congrats on getting foodpressed today! birthday & foodpressed — does it get any better than that?! ;)
Ya’ll are way too sweet! Also, I had NOO idea I was on foodpress today, thank you so much for letting me know! Just made my day! :-D
Happy Birthday Sweet Caroline! Have a special and love filled day. :-)
Your cupcakes are absolutely exquisite! So prettily decorated. Almost too pretty to eat.
:-) Mandy
Aww thank you! You’re too sweet, as were the cupcakes. ;)
Happy Birthday, Caroline!
The cupcakes look fabulous and perfect for the celebration!
Thank you!!! :-D
Oh wow, these cupcakes look absolutely amazing and decadent. This recipe is just to sinful and if I make these I won’t want to share girl lol.
Oh, I didn’t really want to share either, ha!! Thank you so much. :)
happy birthday. im salivating at those cupcakes!!!
Thank you so much! They were pretty dang tasty. :)
Happy Birthday, Caroline!
Those cupcakes are magnificent! Perfect for any celebration.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa! Hope you have a wonderful day.
This is truly the Age of the Cupcake, isn’t it? Great post!
It really is. I, for one, can’t stop baking them! They’re just too fun to experiment with. Thanks hook!
They look so lovely I want to stick my finger in the filling!! Happy birthday fellow gemini, hope you had a great one! We should set up a geminis make the best foodies club!! :D
I just may have done that…well, after all of the cupcakes were filled of course. :) I agree, let’s gather all of us geminis cause we’d make a great team!!
Oh I hate that I missed telling you happy Birthday on your birthday yesterday! happy late b-day! Those cupcakes are out of this world amazing. Rich and delicious and they are just screaming at me to make them- and make them I shall! I have to- it is for the good of my family and my blog- right? Can’t wait to tell you how they turned out! Thanks!
Aw, it’s OK, thank you so much!! I’m sure your family would greatly appreciate them. :) Please do let me know how they turn out if you end up making them!!
Caroline, this is one of the prettiest pictures I’ve seen on your blog!! The colours and the lighting, so beautiful… and, I can only imagine how good these taste!! Hope you have a great birthday year.
Wow, thank you so much Kelly, you’re way too kind! They were very yummy. :)
wow how pretty…these look like the perfect gift for my mom’s bday!!!
and happy birthday!!
I’m sure your mom would love them–thanks so much Eva!
Happy Birthday! What a beautiful cupcake – and flavor combination! Have a great weekend.
Thank you so much! Hope you had a wonderful weekend.
Those cupcakes are adorable!! I love how easy they are to make and so fresh with the raspberries :)
They weren’t too labor intensive at all–my favorite kind of recipes. Thank you Jenny!!
Caroline, these are utterly perfect! well done you! I need to branch into the filled cupcake territory at some future point! Thanks for the inspiration.
And Happy Birthday!
It’s pretty dangerous once you cross over to filled cupcake territory. Then you can never go back, ha! Thanks so much Holly! Hope you had a great weekend.
Happy belated Birthday! What a simply delicious cupcake! Can’t wait to make it!
Thank you Donna! Let me know how they turn out if you decide to make them. :)
Happy belated birthday! These cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate, they are so pretty!
I agree, can’t have a birthday without some cupcakes! Thanks Maria!
Yum! that filling looks so amazing!
Thank you!! The filling was very sweet, but in a good way. :)
These cupcakes look delicious! Great blog Caroline.
Thanks so much, Mandy! I’m absolutely loving your blog as well and can’t wait to see your upcoming posts.
These look so CRAZY delicious and over-the-top beautiful! Seriously…no wonder that guy had a brief relationship with his cupcake. I have two questions: 1) I’ve always wondered how you make the frosting look so smooth and perfectly piped. Do you use a piping bag and if so, which tip #? 2)Do you line your cupcakes with two liners? Yours don’t look like they were saturated with grease like mine always do. THanks!!!!
Aw, you’re making me blush, Geni! You are way too sweet.
To answer your questions, I always use a piping bag–I have a kit from Williams-Sonoma with multiple tips, and I also bought jumbo-sized tips/bags at a random store in South Carolina. When I get back to my apartment, I’ll send you the tip#!
I typically only line my cupcakes with one liner, and tend to remove the cakes from the pan immediately to let them cool on a wire rack (not sure if that helps at all). I’ve had issues before though with the liners being too greasy, typically because the recipe called for too much butter or oil.
Thank you! I have a few giant tips and bags too. Those are my FAVORITES!
Caroline, I was just searching for ideas for my daughter’s 21st bday this weekend and this is so perfect! She wanted something light and little. These are so pretty and looks absolutely delicious!! I need to subscribe so I don’t miss your recipes!! I never got online this weekend with guests over!!
How perfect!! You can definitely make these as mini cupcakes, so they’d be perfect for a party. Bite-size desserts are the best. I wasn’t able to get online much this weekend either, so I’ve been catching up all day yesterday and today! Btw, I LOVE that drink you featured on your blog–sounds amazing. :)
Happy Belated Birthday! You have some delicious-looking recipes here – including this one!
Thanks so much, Susan!!
Oh wow I love cream cheese frosting…this cupcake you did made me miss my beloved red velvet cupcakes so much !!! I’m going to steal this recipe of yours :p
Mmm red velvet cupcakes are the best! Please, steal away. :-D
These look d-i-v-i-n-e. It shouldn’t be lawful to make such great looking food. I bet these taste reaaaally good. Can’t wait til raspberry season is back!! :(
Ha! You’re too funny, thank you so much! Raspberry season is my favorite. :)
I love what you did with slicing the raspberries for the garnish! I’ve never seen that done before.
Thank you so much, Joanne! :)
Never seen raspberries been arranged to beautifully! brilliant idea…
-Shilpa
Thank you Shilpa! And thanks for visiting my blog, I’ll definitely be checking yours out too. :)