Raspberry Cupcakes

These are everybody's new favorite cupcakes (surpassing the green tea which was so last year.) I think it's the color because all I did differently from any other cupcakes was just adding a bunch of frozen raspberries into the cake batter and frosting. I guess the berries also contributed to how moist the cupcakes remained even after days in the refrigerator.



Ingredients - for 18 cupcakes

• 1 stick butter at room temperature


• 1 cup sugar (8 oz.)


• 2 large eggs


• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (6 3/8 oz/.)


• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I substituted with 1/2 cup of soymilk mixed with lemon juice from a lemon.)


• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well between each addition.


3. In a clean bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.


4. Stir flour into the butter mixture alternately with buttermilk in 3 batches until just combined.


5. Slightly break the frozen raspberries so they don't clump together and fold into the batter with a spatula. They don't need to get thoroughly mixed. I think the pink streaks in the batter are pretty.


6. Drop by tablespoon into lined muffin pan up to half full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Raspberry cream cheese frosting

• 1/2 stick butter at room temperature


• 1 package of 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature


• 1 cup confectioner sugar


• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries

To make the frosting, beat all the ingredients together with an electric mixer attached with wire attachment - start with a low speed so that the sugar doesn't blow up all over the place. Once everything is nicely mixed and fluffy, frost.