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A close-up of a lemon drizzle cupcake with a vibrant raspberry swirl, with a second cupcake split in half in the background to show the marbled interior. Set against a bright, colorful background.

Easy Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes with Raspberry Swirl

This recipe makes 24 small cakes, with a classic British lemon sponge base, mixed with a tart, handmade raspberry swirl, and a crunchy lemon drizzle topping.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Party Food
Cuisine: British
Calories: 150
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup softened unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • zest of two lemons
  • 1½ cups caster sugar
  • 2 cups self-rising flour (see tips and variations for instructions)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (for drizzle)
  • juice of 2 lemons (for drizzle)
  • 1 punnet raspberries (for swirl)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (for swirl)
  • 1 tsp cornstarch (for swirl)
  • 1 tsp cold water (for swirl)

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 stand mixer, hand mixer, whisk, or fork (for mixing, mixers recommended)
  • 1 Saucepan (for raspberry swirl)
  • 1 spoon (for scooping batter, adding swirl, and drizzling topping)
  • 1 toothpick (for swirling and for testing cupcakes)
  • 2 cupcake trays (or one if you don't mind doing two batches)
  • 24 cupcake liners

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃
  2. Simmer the raspberries and sugar together in a small pan until the raspberries are soft enough to mash.
  3. Create a slurry with the cornstarch and water, and add this to the raspberry/sugar mixture. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened, then let cool. (You can strain if you prefer no seeds).
  4. Cream the butter, lemon zest, and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
  5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then gently fold in the flour and lemon juice until well combined.
  6. Fill 24 cupcake liners halfway, then add ½ teaspoon of the raspberry sauce to each and swirl with a toothpick.
  7. Bake for 15-18 minutes. You can check whether they are done by testing whether a toothpick comes out clean (I recommend testing the largest one if unequal).
  8. While the cupcakes are baking, mix together the sugar and lemon juice to create the lemon drizzle.
  9. Let the cupcakes cool for at least 10 minutes if you prefer a slight crunch. Otherwise, you can immediately prick the cupcakes with a toothpick and drizzle the lemon/sugar mixture over the top of each cupcake with a spoon.
  10. Enjoy! (This is a very important step, be sure not to skip it).