Raspberry Almond Filled Cupcakes
Made special with raspberry jam filling and fluffy raspberry almond icing, you’ll never guess that these decadent Raspberry Almond Cupcakes are gluten free and dairy free!
September 24, 2020
This past weekend we threw a baby shower to celebrate the fast-approaching arrival of my brother-in-law and sister’s second child! Of course, circumstances restricted us to a super small, somewhat impromptu celebration, but I’m so glad we were still able to get together to mark the occasion (and shower them with gifts, of course!).
Our theme was “travel” — so there were flag banners made of maps, signs that said “Welcome to the World”, and airplane cookies. My mom and I planned our appetizer lunch menu and divided up food responsibilities. I was in charge of desserts and decided on a variety of filled cupcakes, in addition to the airplane and cloud sugar cookies.
Cupcake flavors included Coconut Cream, Lemon Curd Blackberry, and by far the best — Raspberry Almond.
In case you’re curious about the savory side, our lunch included multiple flavors of flatbreads, zucchini bites, Greek meatballs with tzatziki, a variety of chips and dips, marinated tomatoes, cheeses and fruit, Chicken Artichoke Dip, and pineapple punch.
Everything was delicious — thanks Mom! 🙂
I had high hopes for the Coconut Cream cupcakes filled with fresh coconut custard. They were quite good. But these Raspberry Almond ones were the winner, by far.
Not only were they super tasty (and one of my favorite flavor combinations), but they were also gluten free and dairy free. The frosting in particular was amazingly good and very simple — it’s made only with margarine, powdered sugar, coconut milk, almond extract, and a touch of raspberry jam.
You won’t be disappointed by this recipe, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 
The cake
For the cupcake base, I used my favorite gluten free yellow baking mix from Aldi. This mix is so flavorful and fluffy. When I use it, most people don’t even notice it’s gluten free.
I absolutely love this mix and always try to have it in the cupboard. In the store it’s usually about $2 a box, but in case you don’t have access to an Aldi, here is the exact product I use and love. →
Yes, there are other gluten free mixes out there. I’ve tried both the Betty Crocker and Pillsbury mixes, but I still prefer Aldi. Post coming soon on exactly why!
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Mix it up
In general, I just followed the box instructions.
- Instead of butter, I used margarine.
- For milk, I used coconut milk from the carton. (This is not the same as canned – the refrigerated carton of coconut milk is usually located by almond milk and it has a thinner consistency.)
- I swapped out 1 teaspoon of vanilla for 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
Baking
The key to this amazing yellow baking mix from Aldi is to bake it less than the box specifies. Baking at 350° for the full amount of time tends to give a dryer, more crumbly texture.
Instead, bake at 325° and take them out sooner than you think. They won’t turn golden brown like you might expect (in fact, then they may have gotten over-baked). For fluffy and moist cupcakes, I only baked these for 20 minutes (instead of the suggested 23-27). Believe me, 3 minutes makes a big difference!
Assembling the cupcakes
Once these guys are all cool (at least 30 minutes), it’s time to assemble.
First, poke a hole in the center of each cupcake with a medium round piping tip. And don’t forget to eat up any scraps you collect! You could also use something like a spoon handle. Basically, you want a nice well in the middle for the filling.
Transfer some raspberry jam (seedless or not) to a piping bag or plastic baggie with the corner snipped. Pipe about 1/2 teaspoon of jam per cupcake, or until you can’t fill it anymore.
At this point, chill them until you’re ready to frost, or frost immediately. The jam will slowly seep into the cupcake, if you have time and like that kind of thing. Otherwise, just frost them right away if you’ll be serving these babies soon!
raspberry almond icing
This. Is. The. Best. Part. I promise.
I chose to make a thicker icing for these cupcakes. I wanted them to stand up tall and hold the fresh raspberry. First, beat up 2/3 a stick of softened margarine with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Start slow (to avoid a powdery dusting everywhere) and then beat on high until the texture is very smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 cup more powdered sugar and beat again. Then add in a spoonful of raspberry jam, almond extract, and just a touch of coconut milk. Too much liquid will morph this into a runny icing.
After all that, evaluate if you want the icing to be any thicker or thinner. If you need more powdered sugar, it’ll take another good beating on high to dissolve the sugar well.
Pipe onto each cupcake and top with a fresh raspberry and almond slivers before serving.
Storing & Schedule
These keep exceptionally well (I just ate the last one tonight, and they were still excellent 5 days later — though a little crumbly). The thick icing keeps it’s shape and doesn’t slide off the cupcake. The jam will continue to seep into the almondy cupcake crumb. Of course, for best results, I recommend serving them when they’re the freshest.
For something made with a cake mix, the end result is a beautiful presentation and lovely flavor combination. Yes, there are multiple steps. But there’s nothing crazy here. This recipe uses very basic ingredients — in fact many of them (margarine, coconut milk, almond extract, jam) repeat in different steps. Plus, you can break down the steps over a few days if you find that more manageable.
My cupcake schedule:
- Saturday morning – Bake.
- Saturday evening – Fill.
- Sunday morning – Make icing, frost, and decorate.
- Sunday afternoon – Eat (for the first time).
I am a member of Amazon Associates – I only share links to products I believe in. Please consider clicking through my page for a product listed here. I receive a small cut even if you do your own shopping afterwards!
Raspberry Almond Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
Almond Cupcakes:
- 1 box gluten free yellow cake mix - Prepare according to box instructions. Replace half of vanilla with 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Use coconut milk (from the carton) and margarine to make this dairy free.
Filling:
- raspberry jam, about 1/2 tsp per cupcake
Raspberry almond icing:
- 5 1/3 tbsp margarine, softened
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp raspberry jam
- 1-2 tbsp coconut milk from carton, not canned
Garnish:
- fresh raspberries and almond slivers
Instructions
Almond Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling:
- Preheat oven to 325°. Line a cupcake pan with 12-16 cupcake liners, depending on the size you want.
- Prepare the cake mix to the box instructions: Beat cake mix, coconut milk, margarine, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs in a large bowl for 2 minutes or until fully combined.
- Transfer to cupcake pan and bake for 20-22 minutes. They will continue to cook while they cool, and will be ready before turning golden brown. Take them out on the earlier side for moist and fluffy cupcakes.
- Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, poke a hole in the center of each cupcake with a medium round piping tip to create a well for the filling. Place raspberry jam in piping bag, or plastic zipper bag with a small hole cut in the corner. Fill each cupcake with about 1/2 tsp jam, or until no more fits in the center.
- If desired, refrigerate and let sit for 4-6 hours to allow the jam to seep into the cupcake slightly. Otherwise frost immediately.
Raspberry Almond Icing
- Beat margarine and 1 cup of powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 cup more of powdered sugar and slowly incorporate into the mixture. Once fully incorporated, add raspberry jam, almond extract, and 1 tbsp milk. Beat until creamy. Add more liquid or more powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. (For this cupcake, I prefer a thicker frosting so I added about 2 cups of powdered sugar and very little coconut milk.)
- Chill until ready to pipe onto the cupcakes. Transfer icing into a piping bag with a medium-large piping tip. Frost each cupcake and refrigerate until ready to serve. (This thick icing will hold up nicely and keep it's shape overnight if you want to assemble them in advance.)
- Sprinkle with almond slivers and top with a fresh raspberry before serving.
Notes
- The LiveGFree Yellow Baking Mix box says there are 10 servings per container. I divided my calorie totals by 12 since this makes 12 cupcakes. My mix actually made more like 16 (slightly smaller) cupcakes, so depending on the size you like, your calorie count per cupcake could be less.
These were very flavorful and a great presentation
Thank you for the feedback, Kent! ☺️