Lemon Raspberry Mousse Cupcakes

November 10, 2008 at 11:51 AM | Posted in cupcakes | 37 Comments
Tags: lemon, raspberry mousse

Happy Vanilla Cupcake Day!

Now for some reason I thought it was Lemon Cupcake Day and hence made a lemon-inspired cupcake. Doh! I figured you all wouldn’t mind if I posted them anyways. But if you think about it. Its technically a vanilla cupcake with lemon juice and zest added in. Yeah… let’s roll with that. HAHA

I’ll have to remember for Lemon Cupcake Day to do a switcheroo and make a vanilla-inspired cupcake. Remind me, k?

My husband’s bff’s daughter’s (you got that?) 1 year old birthday is coming up next weekend and you know I am making some birthday cupcakes. I am thinking pink. During my recent Costco trip I saw lemons by the 5 pound bag and raspberries by the case so I figured I’d go the lemon and raspberry route for taste test round one. I am thinking test taste round 2 will be chocolate and raspberry. Mmmm…

Isn’t the ribbon a cute cupcake accessory? Which one do you like better? Gingham, pink circles or polkadots?

(Recipe adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes & Cupcake Bakeshop | photos from me!)

Makes about 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For lemon cupcake
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice or lemon concentrate

For raspberry mousse
2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed (I used frozen raspberries, thawed)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar

raspberries, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

To make lemon cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

In a stand mixer with a flat beater, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating 1 minute after each addition.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk and ending with the dry. Mix until completely integrated. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix the batter for 30 seconds.

Fill the cupcake liners 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

To make raspberry mousse—
Combine raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir mixture until it is basically a liquid. Stir in gelatin, continue to cook until dissolved. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium sized bowl. Refrigerate overnight.

Beat heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Add the three tablespoons of sugar and beat until combined. Mix about a third of the whipped cream into raspberry mixture until well combined. Fold in remaining whipped cream.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He liked the lemon cupcake but really raved about the raspberry mousse. He’s not an insanely-sweet-brush-your-teeth-before-you-get-cavities frosting lover like me so the mousse was a very yummy alternative.

Wifey rating: A
Loved the lemon cupcake and the raspberry mousse was good. Its a good lighter substitute to buttercream or cream cheese frosting IMO. If you wanted to get a smoother looking mousse you could probably strain the raspberry liquid before adding the gelatin but I like the fruity chunks (it gives it character) so I left it in.

37 Comments

I love lemon! This look awesome. I will definately have to try these.

Comment by Leanne— November 10, 2008 #
Love love love the ribbons! The gingham was my favourite though – I think just because it matched the colour of the frosting best. :) The cupcakes look awesome!

Comment by Mindy— November 10, 2008 #
LOVE the ribbons. You make me want to bake!

Comment by Natalie— November 10, 2008 #
LEANNE, If you love lemon, definitely give the lemon cupcake a try. I bet it would be fabulous with a buttercream too.

MINDY, My hubs voted for the gingham too. GMTA (great minds think alike)!

NATALIE, Its amazing how much the ribbon makes the cupcake even prettier right? HAHA.

Comment by CB— November 10, 2008 #
Lovely! I’ve been looking for a mousse recipe…and you have a great one!! Yum!

Comment by food librarian— November 10, 2008 #
I like the polka dots, then again they are all pretty.

CB I just made some strawberry filling with left over strawberries, you think I could create a strawberry mouse frosting with it? It sounds like a great combo!

Comment by Barbara— November 10, 2008 #
I am totally a fan of polkadots.. :D but then again, I am totally a fan of cupcakes!

Comment by Tricia— November 10, 2008 #
apparently i’m the odd woman out, i love the pink circles :) just use them all!

Comment by beth— November 10, 2008 #
FOODLIBRARIAN, Oh definitely give it a try. Its yummy!

BARBARA, Get out of my head! I was totally thinking I’d have to make a strawberry variation next time! Give it a try and let me know what you think, k? :)

TRICIA, Cupcakes? Meh, they are alright I guess. HAHA. I kid! I am not just a fan. I am a certified cupcake addict!

BETH, Me and you both chica. I love those hot pink circles but birthday girl’s mom is leaning towards the gingham and birthday girl’s dad likes the polkadots. HAHA.

Comment by CB— November 10, 2008 #
I like the polka dot one and would like to eat one right now. They’re perfect for little girl birthday parties!

Comment by Mary— November 10, 2008 #
MARY, Another vote for the polkadot!

Comment by CB— November 10, 2008 #
I vote polka dots!

The cupcakes look great – so cute and girly! I love mousse and raspberry is so great!

Comment by Tanya— November 10, 2008 #
TANYA, Looks like polkadots have the lead!

Comment by CB— November 10, 2008 #
Girl, you have got to slow down with all these goodies! I am still trying to fit in the Nutella cupcakes I saw on here last week or maybe the week before that! Sheesh, these look and sound so good. I am definitely thinking the polka-dot ribbon is the best. Wish I was next door, I would be a happy taste-tester!

Comment by Mary Ann— November 10, 2008 #
MARYANN, Sorry sorry! I hope you do get to make the nutella cupcakes soon. My friend is already asking me to make them again. I think I’ve created a nutella cupcake craving monster! HAHA.

Comment by CB— November 10, 2008 #
I like the circles!! I love lemon cupcakes and raspberry mousse sounds divine as a combo. BTW you wanted cupcakes?! I got em…!!!

Comment by Mara— November 10, 2008 #
Funny enough I spent the past few days trying to think of a lighter frosting, so thanks for this!

I can’t wait for the raspberry & chocolate-two of my favorite flavors!

Comment by SaraC— November 10, 2008 #
MARA, Sweet. A vote for the circles is a vote for me. HAHA. You got cupcakes you say… ::off to read your blog::

SARAC, Awesome. Definitely let me know what you think if you try it!

Comment by CB— November 11, 2008 #
These look and sounds Swoonable good! I love the polka dot ribbon. :)

Comment by Janna from Honeyed Hashette— November 11, 2008 #
JANNA, HAHA. Swoonable. Love it.

Comment by CB— November 11, 2008 #
I cannot find those PNCs anywhere in Florida. Is there a supply shop you can recommend???

Comment by Miss Marie— November 11, 2008 #
MISSMARIE, They are called party nut cups or souffle cups depending on where you buy them. I buy mine at Smart&Final, $5 for 250. I’ve also seen them in lower quantities at Michaels too. Hope that helps!

Comment by CB— November 11, 2008 #
adorable AND delicious looking!!!

Comment by Stephanie— November 11, 2008 #
STEPHANIE, Thank you!

Comment by CB— November 11, 2008 #
CB I’m going to try this weekend and let you know.

Miss Marie if you go to this link, this is where I got mine. I couldn’t find them at any local stores in Miami, plus I love to buy things off the net!

Copy and paste onto your browser: http://www.candylandcrafts.com/bakingcups.htm

CB hope you don’t mind that I posted this info.

Barb

Comment by Barbara— November 11, 2008 #
BARBARA, Awesome. Can’t wait to see how it comes out! I don’t mind at all. Passing on the PNC link love is great!

Comment by CB— November 11, 2008 #
They might go very well with lemon cupcakes. Thanks.

Comment by Barbara— November 11, 2008 #
they look just gorgeous! I love the spotty bow. that is a great idea!

Comment by Tammy— November 11, 2008 #
TAMMY, Thank you! I know right? I am starting to collect ribbon now! HAHA

Comment by CB— November 11, 2008 #
Ok, I finally made the Nutella Cupcakes- they look, smell, and taste amazing. I doubled the recipe and now I am going to cheer my neighbors up by sharing the wealth. I put a couple aside for the cubscouts, one for my brother in college…. I should have tripled it! Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. Now I can move down my list to another one of your yummy cupcakes!

Comment by Mary Ann— November 12, 2008 #
MARYANN, Awesome review! I bet your neighbors just love you! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.

Comment by CB— November 12, 2008 #
WOW! I love the frosting with the red specks in them-delicious!

Comment by Ivy— November 12, 2008 #
IVY, Thanks! I am kinda partial to the fruit chunks myself. HAHA.

Comment by CB— November 12, 2008 #
Well I tried it with the strawberry filling!, YUM, the taste is great but the consistency wasn’t too stiff. Yours looks like the consistency was stiff.
Plus frosting the cupcakes was a little challenging with the strawberry pieces that came through (or tried to at least) through the 1M tip. I have to say though that the taste is very good and I put the left over in a mason jar and plan to reuse for something else very soon! Thanks again for the idea.

Barb

Comment by Barbara— November 12, 2008 #
BARBARA, Thanks for letting me know! I’ll have to remember your chunky fruit piping challenge and maybe cut up my strawberry pieces up smaller. Glad to hear it was yummy!

Comment by CB— November 12, 2008 #
Clara, your cupcakes look amazing! I think raspberry mousse is perfect for the cupcakes.. or on its own.. haha. Your step by step pictures were really helpful, especially the last step after you added the flour. I always have the toughtest part with this step because I tend to undermix. The worst part is, sometimes even with the undermixing (flour pockets here and there), it can still turn out dense (as if it was overmixed). Because of this, I havn’t baked a vanilla cupcake or vanilla cake in a really long time. I’ll definitely have to look at your other cupcake recipes!

Comment by Steph— November 13, 2008 #
STEPH, Thank you! I am a very visual learner so I need pictures in all my cookbooks. I am glad my pictures are helping you. Don’t be afraid! Practice makes perfect. You have to make a cupcake again!

Comment by CB— November 13, 2008 #