Raspberry Lemon Cupcake Clouds

These melt-in-your-mouth cupcakes are a slight spin on one of my go-to base recipes: White Chocolate Cupcake Clouds. Filled with bright lemon curd and topped with a raspberry white chocolate cream cheese frosting swirl, these cupcake clouds will send you a bit closer to heaven.

Ingredients – for the Cupcake Clouds

• 1 2/3 c cake flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix (5.1 ounce box)
• 2/3 c salted butter room temp.
• 1 1/3 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs – room temp
• 1 ½ c buttermilk 
• 2/3 c white choc chips 

Ingredients – for my White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 oz of white chocolate (melted)
• 8 oz of full-fat cream cheese (softened) 
• ½ c salted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla
• 4 c powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp half-n-half (can substitute whole milk or heavy cream; however, this will slightly shift the consistency of your frosting)

Tools and Timing

• Cupcake pan (this can also be made as mini cupcakes – post coming soon!)
• Mixing bowls (one large, one medium)
• Electric beaters
• Cupcake liners (optional) or cooking spray
• Cooling rack
• Spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Piping bags and tip 
• 2 hours (Allow 30 minutes for bringing ingredients to room temp; prep and cook time: 60 minutes; refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving)
• NOTE: this is a multi-step recipe – I usually make the Lemon Curd Filling a day or two before (it lasts beautifully in the fridge for 1-2 weeks) so I have less to do on cupcake baking day!
• Yields about 36 cupcakes

Background

One of my favorite go-to cupcake recipes is based on “Brick Street Chocolate Cupcakes.” A few months ago, a very important friend asked me to make cupcakes for his wedding. I promptly agreed…thinking I’d make my go-to chocolate cupcakes which I’ve slightly tweaked…but then his fiancée asked for white cupcakes…if you’ve baked white cupcakes, you know they can be challenging…so I thought I’d flip my favorite chocolate recipe to be a white chocolate recipe…after several experiments, I’m sharing the delicious results with you! Note: these cupcakes aren’t as fluffy as traditional cupcakes and have a different, melt-in-your-mouth texture; however, that just means they’re easier to fill and decorate! I find they are best served cold…hence their name!

This recipe is adapted from Through Her Looking Glass. Frosting adapted from The Recipe Critic.

Step-by-step

1. Set out eggs and butter at least 30 minutes prior to baking
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Once eggs and butter are near room temperature, set out buttermilk (so it can come closer to room temperature as well).
4. In a medium bowl, blend dry ingredients (cake flour, baking soda, salt, pudding mix). Set aside.
5. In large mixing bowl, cream butter. This means that you use an electric whisk to blend up the butter until it is smooth – this allows your other ingredients to incorporate better. This should take about 15 seconds.
6. Whisk in sugar – turn mixer to medium-low and mix until fluffy. 
7. Then add vanilla – mix until blended.
8. Then add eggs – one at a time – mix until blended after each addition.
9. Now, starting with your dry ingredient mixture, you will alternate blending the dry ingredients and the buttermilk into your butter/sugar base. Start with 1/3 of your dry ingredients – pour them in and mix until blended. Then, pour in half of your buttermilk and mix until blended. Continue this process until all dry ingredients and buttermilk have been added. (This process goes 1/3 dry, ½ buttermilk, 1/3 dry, ½ buttermilk, 1/3 dry.) 
10. Finally, add white choc chips. Blend only until the chips are incorporated.
11. Spoon the mixture into your prepared baking cups – Fill cupcakes ½ way only!
12. If you’re using cupcake liners, bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 325 and bake 10 more minutes. If you are not using liners, bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then turn down oven and bake at 325 for 8 more minutes. 
13. *You can test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle – when the cupcakes are done, transfer to a cooling rack. Let them cool before filling and frosting.

Allow cupcakes to cool for about 15 minutes before you begin your frosting (I use this time to wash the implements that I’ll need for making my frosting). *If filling your cupcakes, do so before you make the frosting! Using a melon baller, cookie dough scoop, or small, sharp knife, remove the center of each cupcake (this will become your ‘lid’). I cut down about ½ inch. Fill with option of your choice, then replace cupcake ‘lid.’ See “Options” below for various flavor profile ideas: for this recipe, I added my Luscious Lemon Curd Filling.

Frosting

1. Melt your white chocolate – I find this works best if I chop the chocolate into dime-sized pieces and microwave for 30 second increments, stirring between so as not to burn the chocolate. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese.
3. Once blended, add white chocolate.
4. Then add you vanilla.
5. Once vanilla is incorporated, add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Blend between each addition.
6. Finally, add in the half-n-half. 
7. *If adding another flavor, gently swirl that addition through the frosting. For this recipe, I swirled my Raspberry Coulis into the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
8. Using a large spatula, transfer the frosting to your piping bag.
9. After frosting, transfer to storage container and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to set.
10. *Keep these refrigerated! I find they are best served directly from the fridge!

Serve and Enjoy 

Other Options

These are a really fun base. I add often add a filling in my cupcakes and swirl a flavor into my frosting! If you’d like to make Raspberry Lemon Cupcake Clouds, fill with my Luscious Lemon Curd Filling and swirl my Raspberry Coulis into the frosting! 

I’ve also swirled Ducle de Leche with this frosting base (so good!) and filled these with Warm Vanilla Caramel Sauce (recipe coming soon) – I’ve even used my Raspberry Coulis as a filling!

Whatever you choose, I know you’ll enjoy!