Lemon raspberry cream cheese cupcakes

These have been my absolute favorite cupcakes to date! They are so fresh and beautiful. The frosting was so divine I was piping it into my mouth! I never eat frosting! I had the most fun making them! Thank you to the Pastry Affair for such a delicious recipe. I love the fresh ingredients that are used and I loved that I had most of the ingredients in my cupboards. I loved that I got to use them for my roomie get together and at a family party the next day.

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

¾ cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup butter softened
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Juice from ½ lemon
2/3 cup milk
1 ½ cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest with your fingers until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes). Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the milk and lemon juice, stirring until batter is uniform and smooth. Gently stir in the raspberries.
Fill baking cups about with a ¼ C measuring cup and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack, and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
Heavy whipping cream

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Add a little bit of heavy whipping cream. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. If frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

Before serving, pipe frosting on top of cooled cupcakes and decorate with a few fresh raspberries. Keep refrigerated to help preserve them. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe from: Pastry Affair