Lemon Cupcakes with Black Raspberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

As most of you know, the two things that have kept me sane during my second year of dental school have been baking cupcakes and planning my wedding. Now that I'm getting closer to the big day, I need to start thinking about some of the details. We are actually having a cupcake tower as our wedding cake, so I'm going to be testing flavor combinations for the next few weeks.

I used a lemon cake mix for this recipie to make it a little easier on myself. I baked them according to the directions, and filled them with Smuckers black raspberry jam. Then I topped them with cream cheese frosting (below) and purple sprinkles. These cupcakes would be great for a bridal or baby shower, too.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Have the cream cheese cold and the butter at room temperature. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended. Add sugar one-third at a time and beat just until smooth and the desired consistency. If frosting is too stiff, beat for few seconds longer. Do not overbeat. If desired, stir in additional flavoring to taste. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Soften and stir until smooth before using.