Framboise Cupcakes with French Vanilla Buttercream

These light and fluffy cupcakes are flavored with framboise, a raspberry liqueur, and topped with a vanilla French buttercream.

There are times when I want a dark chocolate peanut butter cupcake, and there are times when I want a more delicate flavor, like these Framboise cupcakes. The flavor here is actually more aromatic than something you really taste.

If you don’t know what Framboise is, it’s a raspberry liqueur. I’m not a big drinker, but I have always been a big fan of cooking and baking with alcohol, and Framboise is one of my favorites! It smells so fruity and gives the cake a really feminine quality I love.

For the cupcake batter, I have used the same one for years, which is this White Velvet Cupcake recipe adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum, but I replace some of the milk with the raspberry liqueur. Mmm!

It starts with your normal dry ingredients (though it uses cake flour instead of all-purpose):

Then you combine the wet with the dry:

And add in your egg whites and framboise to make it batter-like in thickness:

It should be pretty smooth:

Then you portion the cupcake batter into liners:

And bake:

While the cupcakes cool, combine water and sugar in a saucepan and get it cooking:

Meanwhile, whisk a bunch of egg yolks with sugar until frothy and thick, like this:

While you have the mixer running, dribble in cooked sugar syrup (238 degrees F) into the egg yolks, and whip for several minutes until the mixture is cool.

Add vanilla, then gradually mix in butter until you have a smooth buttercream:

Then it’s time to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes:

Garnish with a fresh raspberry, and enjoy!

In the comments below: What is your absolute favorite cupcake flavor? Mine is…strawberry!

Framboise Cupcakes with French Vanilla Buttercream

Servings: 14 -16 cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

 These light and fluffy cupcakes are flavored with framboise, a raspberry liqueur, and topped with a vanilla French buttercream.

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 3 extra large egg whites at room temperature
• 3 tbsp framboise liqueur
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 7 oz cake flour sifted (if you don't have a scale, sift your flour into 2 cups, and level it off)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2.25 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 7 tbsp milk skim
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

For the Frosting:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup butter (salted or unsalted) cut into cubes

Instructions 

• To make the cupcakes: Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, framboise, and the vanilla until combined.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the milk and mix on low until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 90 seconds, until nice and smooth. Scrape down the bowl, and make sure to scrape down below where sticky batter may settle.
• With the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add half the egg framboise mixture, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom wells of the bowl. Repeat with the other half of the egg mixture. Scrape the bowl again to make sure all the batter is homogenous. Fill a cupcake pan with paper liners, and fill them up 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes and let them cool on the rack completely.
• For the buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks on high speed for 8 minutes until they are very pale. In the meantime, combine the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, and let the sugar syrup simmer toward the soft ball stage (238 degrees on an instant read thermometer). When both the egg yolks and the sugar syrup are ready, pour the sugar syrup into the mixing bowl (the mixer should still be on high speed), aiming as best as you can to pour between the wire whisk and the side of the bowl. Now, touch the bottom of the bowl. Very hot, right? Beat the egg yolk sugar mixture until the bowl feels neither hot nor cold (about 5 minutes).
• Turn the mixer down to medium and add the vanilla extract. Add the butter, a couple cubes at a time to the bowl, over the course of 10 minutes. Wait until each installment of butter is absorbed until you add the next batch. Pipe or spread your buttercream on your cupcakes, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 84mg, Sodium: 164mg, Sugar: 23g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Fifteen Spatulas