Tender white chocolate cupcakes form the perfect base for these white chocolate raspberry cupcakes. They are crowned with a creamy raspberry buttercream infused with more of the smooth melted white chocolate for the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Topped with a simple and tangy raspberry sauce and white chocolate curls, these are the perfect hand-held dessert.
White chocolate cupcakes
Homemade cupcakes are so much better than a boxed mix and really don't require that much more effort! These white chocolate raspberry cupcakes start with a simple vanilla cupcake recipe with the addition of creamy melted white chocolate. Make sure you use real white chocolate and not the white candy melts for true white chocolate flavor. Sour cream keeps the cake moist and adds richness.
White chocolate raspberry buttercream
This buttercream is so silky smooth! Raspberry and white chocolate are a dream flavor combo, balancing tart and sweet so well. This is a simple American-style buttercream, whipping butter and powdered sugar together before adding the raspberry and white chocolate. The buttercream also has a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream, which adds to the lightness and fluffy texture.
You'll make a quick and easy raspberry sauce, which does double duty in the buttercream as well as dolloped on top of the cupcakes for maximum raspberry flavor.
If you love the white chocolate raspberry flavor combo, check out my white chocolate blondie raspberry cheesecake bars or my white chocolate raspberry bundt cake.
Raspberry Sauce
This raspberry sauce comes together in just a few minutes. You can use fresh or frozen raspberries here! Cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce, while just a little bit of sugar is added to balance the tartness of the raspberries. A little lemon juice brightens the flavor profile. Try to use fresh lemon juice!
I prefer a smooth raspberry sauce, so after crushing the berries over heat in a saucepan with the other ingredients and thickening the sauce with the cornstarch, you'll strain the sauce in a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
Tips for light and fluffy cupcakes
- Spoon and level the flour: The key to many baking recipes is measuring the right quantity of flour. For many home bakers without food scales, this means measuring the flour correctly in your measuring cups. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup lightly until it's overflowing, and then level the top off with a knife. If you have a food scale, that is your best bet and saves some clean up. Scooping directly into your bag of flour or canister typically yields a lot more flour than you need, which leads to dry baked goods.
- Don't overmix!: Overmixing the batter leads to more gluten development in the flour, causing tough and chewy baked goods-no one wants that! Stir just until the flour is incorporated.
- Room temperature ingredients: So, I'm the worst offender when it comes to this one. I NEVER remember to take out my ingredients prior to baking. So if you can, remember to pull out the butter, eggs and milk about 30 minutes before baking. If you are like me and forget to do this, you can use the microwave to soften the butter. You should test this with your own microwave as it can melt quickly, but I typically do 10 seconds at 40-50% power and then turn it over and do 5-8 seconds at 40% power. Play around until you find the perfect combo to soften the butter but not melt it! Room temp butter is actually cooler than most people think and should only indent slightly when pushing a finger into it. For eggs, I put hot tap water into a bowl and put the eggs in there for 5-10 minutes to warm them up.
FAQ's
Yes! Fresh or frozen works great for the raspberry sauce.
I used a pastry bag but you could also use a large zip top bag. I also used a 1A piping tip found in this piping tip set. Hold the pastry bag vertical to the cupcake touching the top of the cake lightly and squeeze out the frosting while slightly pulling up on the piping bag until a round dollop is on the cupcake. Use a spoon to make an indent in the top of the frosting and then spoon raspberry sauce into the indent. Shave white chocolate curls on top!
Yes, Greek yogurt can be a great substitute for sour cream. Use whole milk (full-fat) Greek yogurt, though, to keep the richness that the sour cream adds.
How to store the cupcakes
These white chocolate raspberry cupcakes can be stored at cool room temperature for up to a day in an air-tight container. For longer than that, store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
Tag me on Instagram @themarblekitchenblog if you make this and leave a star rating and comment below! Thank you and enjoy!
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk 2% or whole milk
- 4 oz white chocolate melted
Raspberry Sauce
- 12 oz raspberries fresh or frozen, about 3 cups
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 oz white chocolate melted and cooled
- ¼ cup raspberry sauce cooled
Instructions
White Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheight and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 ¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for about 3-4 minutes on medium/medium high speed, until light yellow and fluffy.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a small bowl or pourable measuring cup, whisk together sour cream and milk and then add to the batter, mixing well½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup milk
- Pour in the cooled, melted white chocolate and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl as needed to make sure it is mixed evenly.4 oz white chocolate
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the flour is just mixed in. Do not overmix at this step.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake pan, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 19-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Once completely cool, frost the cupcakes with the white chocolate raspberry buttercream. Use a spoon to make an indent in the buttercream and then spoon a dollop of raspberry sauce on top. Add white chocolate curls if desired.
Raspberry Sauce
- Combine the fresh or frozen raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat.12 oz raspberries, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- In a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch and add to the raspberries.1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- Stir over medium heat, crushing the raspberries with the back of a spoon until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, crushing any remaining large berries and stirring often until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and strain the sauce into a bowl with a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream
- Using a stand mixer or mixing bowl and hand mixer, beat room temperature butter on high speed for 4 minutes until smooth and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until combined. Scape the bowl to make sure it is evenly mixed.3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
- Add the salt, vanilla, heavy cream, cooled and melted white chocolate, and the cooled raspberry sauce, and mix until combined and smooth.⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 4 oz white chocolate, ¼ cup raspberry sauce
Notes
- Make the frosting the same day as serving for best results. If you need to store the finished cupcakes, they can be kept at cool room temperature for a day in an air-tight container or 3-4 days in the refrigerator. They can also be made ahead and froze for up to 2 months.
- To make white chocolate curls, use a white chocolate bar and shave down the long side of the chocolate using a vegetable peeler.
Laurie says
Where is the recipe, I can't see it...thanks
Tara Kringlen says
😅 I forgot to add it. It's up now!