Cupcake Batter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and prepare a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, mix and sift together all the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In another large mixing bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the softened butter with the sugar and beat at medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again for about 3 minutes at high speed until smooth and creamy.
5. Add the buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately and in batches, mixing with a spatula until smooth and homogeneous.
6. Add the raspberries, whole or in pieces, and mix again just enough to incorporate them into the batter.
7. Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners until they're 3/4 full.
8. Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes, without opening the oven door, until lightly browned on top (check for even baking by dipping a toothpick into the center of a cupcake; it should come out clean and crumb-free).
9. Remove the baked cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool slightly before unmolding and cooling completely on a wire rack.

Raspberry compote

Follow my recipe for raspberry compote, use half to fill the inside of the cupcakes and the other half to make raspberry puree for the frosting by blending the compote in a food processor, then straining the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

Raspberry whipped cream frosting

Follow my recipe for raspberry whipped cream frosting (respecting the quantities that will be sufficient to decorate 12 cupcakes)

Assembly 

1. Remove the center of the cupcakes using a cupcake corer.
2. Fill inside with raspberry compote.
3. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip (in this case, tip 1B) with all the raspberry frosting and decorate the tops of the cupcakes, forming swirls.
4. Decorate with fresh raspberries and place in the fridge for around 20-30 minutes before serving.