Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Instructions

Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line cupcake pans with paper liners... give them a quick spritz with non-stick spray stuff to make sure the cupcakes come out in one piece.
• Put butter and sugar in a mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add Eggs... beat to combine.
• Add Yogurt, Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice, and beat until smooth.
• Combine Flour and Baking Powder, add the flour mixture to the Butter mixture. Beat until completely combined.
• Scoop a tablespoon of batter into each cupcake liner. I use a small cookie scoop with a thumb trigger for this. It's neat, and gets less on your fingers than a spoon (although... I do love licking batter off my fingers, it's not tremendously sanitary).
• On top of the tablespoon of batter, spoon a teaspoon of raspberry puree.
• Add another tablespoon of batter, and then a final teaspoon of puree.
• Take a toothpick and swirl the puree and batter together a bit. You don't want to go nuts, just give it a quick whirl.
• Put the pans in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
• Cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Then remove from the pans and let cool completely.

Raspberry Puree:

• Put fresh or frozen/thawed raspberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and let them macerate (get squishy) for a bit. Mash the heck out of them with a potato masher, or toss the mess into your food processor. It will be like loose jam.
• For the Raspberry Puree in the cupcakes, I didn't bother straining the seeds... too much of a bother. You can if you want to. Just make sure you end up with at least 1/2 cup in the end (you should get more!)

Raspberry Buttercream:

• Put the butter in a mixer with a whisk attachment. Start it spinning. Slowly add the powdered sugar... seriously, go slowly, or you'll be wearing the sugar.
• When the sugar is completely incorporated, add the raspberry puree and lemon juice.
• Beat until smooth, fluffy and pink.
• Pipe or spread on Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes