Fresh Raspberry and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

This lemon and raspberry cream cheese frosting helps me pull off one of my favorite mom hacks. Imagine the zingy zest of lemon perfectly balanced with the sweet, juicy burst of fresh raspberries, all swirled into a luscious and tangy cream cheese frosting. Sounds amazing, right?

Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I often use boxed cake mix, add a little vanilla or almond extract to the batter, and then top the baked cake or cupcakes with homemade frosting like this one. And no one has any clue!

Aside from providing the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, the raspberries also infuse the frosting with a natural, pale pink color. No need for food coloring with this recipe! It's the perfect topping for your favorite baked goods. I like to use this simple raspberry buttercream frosting for topping cupcakes, but it's also great on white cake, chocolate cake, or your other favorite delicious cake flavor.

The pink color is also perfect for Valentine's Day cupcakes. I found THE cutest heart sprinkles from Trader Joe's. They don't use artificial colorings in their products, so along with the natural hue from the fresh raspberry juice, this is an easy dessert I can feel good about serving my son and his friends.

Want more sweet treat recipes? Be sure to check out my Plum Upside Down Cake, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pecan Praline Cookies, and Blackberry Peach Crisp recipes. My Mini S'mores Pies are also super easy and start with a box brownie mix.

Ingredients

Before we get started, let’s gather the ingredients we need for this recipe.

• fresh raspberries
• lemon zest
• almond extract
• cream cheese
• salted butter
• kosher salt
• powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we’ve got our ingredients, it’s time to get cooking!

First, cook the raspberries in a small saucepan over low heat until liquidy, using a fork to mash the berries as they cook.

Next, pour the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press the raspberry juice through the strainer. 

Then, beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a hand mixer or with the paddle attachment in the bowl of your stand mixer until creamy. Add the raspberry puree, lemon zest, almond extract, and salt and beat at low speed until smooth.

Finally, gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until you reach a spreading consistency.

Substitutions

Looking for some alternative ingredient options? Check out these below:

• Almond extract - instead of almond extract try vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, lemon extract, or even raspberry extract for even more raspberry flavor.
• Lemon zest - use lime zest instead of lemon for a raspberry-lime frosting.
• Fresh raspberries - use frozen raspberries if you can't find fresh. Thaw the raspberries and cook enough to get ½ cup juice once you strain them.

Variations

Here are some additional options for changing up this:

• Strawberry cream cheese frosting - use strawberries instead of raspberries to make strawberry cream cheese frosting. Chop the strawberries and measure out ½ cup juice after straining.
• Other fresh berries - blueberries and blackberries are also great alternatives to raspberries.
• Kid-friendly - stir some sprinkles into this homemade frosting.
• Super raspberry - stir in freeze-dried raspberries to the frosting. Blitz a handful or two in the bowl of a food processor until you get raspberry powder.
• Raspberry sweet rolls - spread seedless raspberry jam as a raspberry filling much like you would instead of cinnamon and butter for cinnamon rolls, roll them up, and bake. Then, use the raspberry cream cheese icing to spread over the top.
• Cookie sandwiches - This homemade raspberry cream cheese frosting is also great for sandwiching two cookies together. Grab your favorite bakery cookies like sugar or chocolate chip and spread a little frosting on the flat sides of one cookie. Place another cookie, flat side down, on the frosting and voila! A little cookie sandwich. It's also fun to roll the edges in sprinkles.

Equipment

Here's what you'll need for this raspberry buttercream recipe:

• dry measuring cups
• set of measuring spoons
• small saucepan
• wire mesh strainer
• hand mixer
• zester
• mixing bowl set
• rubber spatula

Storage

Store the frosting in airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you don't use it right away, let the frosting warm up a little before using.

This recipe can be frozen, but it may be looser than expected. Add extra powdered sugar or cornstarch until you reach the desired consistency.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Food safety

Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe:

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat or eggs
• Wash hands after touching raw meat or eggs
• Don't leave leftovers sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.