Raspberry Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Chopped raspberries folded in, marshmallow creme beaten with butter and lemon — this is what happens when you’re tired of plain cupcakes but don’t want to start from scratch. Thirty-five minutes of actual work. Eighteen minutes in the oven. Done before anyone asks when dessert is ready.

Why You’ll Love These Raspberry Cupcakes

Fresh raspberries in the batter itself, not just on top. Tart pockets that don’t disappear. The frosting is marshmallow and butter mixed — lighter than buttercream. Easier. Tastes like someone spent time on it when you honestly didn’t. Lemon extract instead of vanilla changes the whole angle. Works cold the next day, maybe better. Kids eat them. Adults eat them. Nobody asks for a recipe because they assume it’s complicated. Cleanup isn’t nothing, but it’s one bowl, one mixer. That’s it.

Raspberry Cupcakes From Cake Mix — What You Need

White cake mix. That’s the base. Yellow works too but tastes richer, less delicate. Three large eggs — size matters more than people think. Half a cup of sour cream, not Greek yogurt even though the box says you could. Sour cream stays tangy. Yogurt flattens the flavor. A third cup of vegetable oil. Coconut oil works if that’s what you have — adds a weird coconut note that shouldn’t work but does. Water. Exactly a third of a cup.

One cup of fresh raspberries, chopped but not destroyed. Leave some chunks bigger. They hold their shape during baking. A seven-ounce jar of marshmallow creme — the stuff in the tub, not the whipped kind in a can. Half a cup of unsalted butter, softened before you start. Cold butter seizes up in the mixer. One teaspoon of lemon extract. Not lemon juice. Extract. Two to two and a half cups of powdered sugar depending on how thick you like frosting. A third cup of mashed fresh raspberries for the frosting. Food coloring is optional. The berries do the work.

How to Make Raspberry Cupcakes With Marshmallow Creme Frosting

Line your tins first. Preheat to 340. Not 350. Lower temperature means a more tender crumb, moisture stays locked in instead of baking out. This matters.

Dump the cake mix into a large bowl. Eggs go in. Sour cream. Oil. Water. Beat on medium speed for about two and a half minutes. Don’t overthink this. You’re not making angel food. A little overmixing won’t kill it — just don’t go crazy for five minutes straight.

Grab a spatula. Fold the chopped raspberries in by hand. One or two gentle turns. You want to see them as individual pieces in the batter, not mashed into red streaks. If you keep stirring, you’ll break them down into mush.

Spoon batter into liners. Fill each cup maybe two-thirds full. Overfilled ones get weird bumpy tops that brown too dark before the insides cook through. Underfilled ones dome too high and crack.

Bake sixteen to eighteen minutes. Watch around minute fifteen. Tops should be golden. Edges start pulling away from the paper. Insert a toothpick near the middle — a few crumbs sticking is exactly right. Wet batter means more time. Totally clean means you’ve gone too far and they’re starting to dry out.

Let them cool completely. Seriously. Warm cupcakes and frosting don’t mix. The frosting melts and slides off and looks sad.

Getting Raspberry Cupcakes Perfectly Tender — The Frosting Part

This frosting is different. Lighter. Marshmallow creme goes in the mixer first. Whisk it just enough to break it up and get some air in there — maybe ninety seconds. It softens fast.

Add butter one tablespoon at a time. Beat between each addition. This takes forever and looks pointless but trust it. The temperature of the butter matters — too cold and you get lumps that won’t smooth out, too warm and the whole thing turns greasy and separates. Room temperature is the only temperature that works here.

Once it’s smooth and fluffy, add the lemon extract. Pour in powdered sugar gradually while beating. Stop when frosting gets thick enough to pipe. If it’s too stiff, it won’t come out of the piping bag smoothly. If it’s too loose, it droops off the cupcakes and looks like nothing.

Fold in the mashed raspberries — gently, with a spatula. Strain the seeds out if you can’t handle them. The color deepens on its own, goes from pale pink to actual pink. You don’t need much food coloring. A tiny drop if you want it darker. Beat on high for just a few seconds to spread the color through.

Pipe it on with a large star tip. The ridges look intentional. Refrigerate the cupcakes if you’re not eating them right away. Marshmallow frosting gets soft at room temperature. Whole raspberries on top. Dust of powdered sugar. Optional. Doesn’t matter. They’re already good.

Raspberry Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

By Emma

Print Pin

Prep:

35 min

Cook:

18 min

Total:

1h 8min

Servings:

24 servings

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix (substitute: yellow cake mix for richer flavor)
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup sour cream (prefer Greek yogurt for tangier note)
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil (can swap with melted coconut oil for slight tropical hint)
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 cup fresh raspberries, chopped (keep larger chunks for texture)
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp lemon extract (replaces vanilla extract)
• 2 to 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup fresh raspberries (for frosting, mashed)
• optional: natural pink food coloring

Method

1. 1 Line muffin tins with liners. Preheat oven to 340°F for gentler rise and moist crumb.
2. 2 In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, and water. Beat on medium speed about 2 ½ minutes until evenly mixed but not overbeaten to avoid dense texture.
3. 3 Gently fold chopped raspberries into batter, careful not to overmix; want visible tart fruit pockets not puree.
4. 4 Spoon batter into cups, no more than ⅔ full for even dome; sloppy caps burn or stick.
5. 5 Bake 16-18 minutes, watching for golden tops and edges pulling away. Insert toothpick—few crumbs sticking is perfect, not wet batter. Cool completely before frosting; warm cupcakes melt frosting and ruin texture.
6. 6 For frosting, dump marshmallow creme into mixer bowl. Whisk just to soften and aerate, about 1-2 minutes.
7. 7 Add softened butter 1 tbsp at a time, beating well between additions. Scrape bowl often. Butter temperature matters—too cold leaves lumps; too warm makes it greasy.
8. 8 Once smooth and fluffy, add lemon extract and powdered sugar gradually. Beat on medium until frosting thickens to pipe-able consistency.
9. 9 Fold in mashed raspberries (strain seeds if you prefer smooth frosting). The color deepens naturally, no need for heavy food coloring. Add a drop if you want sharper pink. Beat on high briefly to fully blend and flair color out.
10. 10 Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes with large star tip for dramatic ridges. Keep cupcakes refrigerated if not serving soon; marshmallow frosting softens at room temp.
11. 11 Optional: garnish with whole raspberries or a light dust of powdered sugar for rustic charm.

Nutritional information

Calories

300

Protein

2g

Carbs

36g

Fat

18g

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Frequently Asked Questions About Raspberry Cupcakes With Marshmallow Creme

Can I use frozen raspberries instead of fresh? No. Frozen ones are too soft and break down into jam in the batter. You’ll lose the texture. Fresh only.

How long do these last? Three days in an airtight container at room temperature. Longer if you refrigerate them. The frosting gets denser when cold, which is actually better.

What if I don’t have lemon extract? You need it. Vanilla just makes them taste like regular cupcakes with fruit. Lemon is what makes this work.

Can I make the frosting the night before? Yeah. Cover it. Doesn’t separate or break. Just bring it back to room temperature and stir before piping.

Why 340 degrees? Lower heat bakes slower. Cupcakes stay moist inside. At 350 they dry out faster than you’d think. The difference matters.

Can I use a different cake mix flavor? Yellow works. Strawberry mix probably works. Don’t use chocolate. That’s a different dessert. Stay in your lane.