Skip the bakery and make these raspberry almond cupcakes from scratch! Made with a soft vanilla-almond cupcake base, they're filled with tart raspberry jam and topped with a creamy raspberry buttercream. I love that each cupcake hides a little surprise raspberry jam center! These cupcakes come together easily but look so elegant (and taste good, too!)

A close up of an almond cupcake frosted with raspberry buttercream, it has a bite taken out of it showing a jam center.

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Make these almond and raspberry filled cupcakes one time, and you'll never be able to buy store-bought cupcakes again! The almond cupcake base is super moist, thanks to a combination of both oil and butter, giving you a moist texture but with that buttery flavor.

These raspberry almond cupcakes are kind of like the raspberry version of my strawberry filled cupcakes! Or if you're more of a chocolate person (like meee!) try my raspberry cupcakes with white chocolate ganache!

Super Soft Cupcakes + Dreamy Frosting = ❤️

Using my favorite cupcake base (seen over in my vanilla bean cupcakes!), you're guaranteed super soft and plush cupcakes. I've added a dash of almond extract (you really don't need much) to get that almond flavor.

To make our lives a tiny bit easier, I'm using storebought raspberry jam instead of making my own. The creamy raspberry buttercream is made with freeze-dried raspberries, giving you a naturally vibrant color and tons of flavor. I like adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the buttercream, it just gives a bit of brightness and makes it taste more fresh and zingy!

If you aren't feeling this raspberry buttercream, swap it out for vanilla bean buttercream!

Grab these key ingredients!

All the ingredients needed to make raspberry almond cupcakes, weighed out into small bowls.

Raspberry Jam: Kind of key for raspberry filled cupcakes! Use your favorite jam brand, mine has to be Bonne Maman.
Freeze-Dried Raspberries: These are freeze-dried raspberries, not frozen and not just dried - freeze-dried! I've found these at Trader Joe's and Target, but you can also grab them online. All the moisture has been taken out of them so they're perfect for using in baking. Plus, they'll make your frosting naturally pink.
Neutral Oil: My secret to super soft cupcakes? Oil! Using a neutral tasting oil like sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil is going to keep these cupcakes ✨moist✨ for days.
Unsalted Butter: We'll need some unsalted butter for the cupcakes and a bunch for the frosting! If you can grab European-style butter, do it. Higher butterfat content = happier cupcake eaters.
Lemon: This is a lil trick I do with my strawberry frosting (like in the strawberry frosting in my strawberry funfetti cake). It's totally optional, but that lemon juice is going to amplify the raspberry flavor.
Almond Extract: You only need a dash of almond extract; this stuff is POTENT.
Cake Flour: I've tested this recipe with all-purpose flour and cake flour, and I can tell you that it does make a difference. The cupcakes with cake flour were just so much softer and fluffier! If you've got it in your pantry, use it, people!!

Let's make some cupcakes!

The full recipe and video are below, but let's walk through the steps.

A large glass bowl with creamed butter, sugar, and oil.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF & place liners in your cupcake pan. In a stand mixer, mix butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy.

A glass bowl with a yellow liquid in it.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula! Mix in the sour cream.

A large glass bowl with cupcake batter in it.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Finally, add the whole milk.

Unbaked almond cupcakes in a cupcake pan.

Fill the cupcake liners so they're about three-quarters full. Bake them in the oven for 18-22 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are cool, make the frosting. Beat the butter with the confectioners' sugar until thickened. Add the remaining ingredients. If it is too thick, add some heavy cream.

Almond cupcakes cored and filled with raspberry jam.

Core your cupcakes and fill with raspberry jam. Frost and enjoy!

Raspberry almond cupcakes with pink frosting and topped with fresh raspberries.

Filling & Decorating the Cupcakes

I've found the easiest way to core and fill the cupcakes is by using the base of a large piping tip (like the size of the Wilton 1M). Place it in the middle of the top of the cupcakes and press down gently. Take the piping tip out, and now you should have a hole in the middle of the cupcake!

To fill it, you can either use a small spoon and spoon the jam in. Or, fill a piping bag with raspberry jam and pipe it in with a large round piping tip. Wow, how many times have I written piping tip just now!

Finally, to frost these cupcakes, I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. I decorated these cupcakes with fresh raspberries, but I also think it would be cute with some pink or white sprinkles.

Storage & Make Ahead

Once you've filled and frosted these cupcakes, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let the cupcakes come to room temperature before eating; if they're still cold, the texture won't be as nice, and the flavor won't be as pronounced.

You can make the almond cupcakes up to 3 days in advance. Just let them cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Try these raspberry desserts next!

Ella from Alpine Ella is holding a cake stand with cupcakes on it.

Made This Recipe?

Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! You can tag me on Instagram @alpineella or follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!

Thank you!

Ella