Raspberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

•  Vanilla Cake Mix (I like to use Duncan Hines French Vanilla)
•  3 Large Eggs
•  1/2 cup butter, melted
•  1 cup of water

Raspberry Filling

•  2 full cups frozen unsweetened raspberries, thaw with 1/4 cup sugar (or thaw sweetened raspberries with out adding sugar, unsweeted was what I had on hand)
•  1/3 cup sugar
•  1-1/4 cups water*
•  6 Tbsp flour (or 3 T. corn starch – I didn’t have corn starch)
•  1 tsp lemon juice

Butter Cream Frosting

•  1 cup real butter (not margarine) *room temperature
•  1 cup vegetable shortening
•  pinch of salt
•  1 tsp vanilla
•  4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
•  1/4 – 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
•  paste food coloring

Instructions

Vanilla Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350° and place 24 cupcake papers in a muffin pan.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave.
3. Add cake mix, eggs and water to the butter in large bowl and mix on low for 1 min. Then, mix on high for 1 min. (your batter should be thick and creamy – not thin and runny like it is when you follow the box instructions)
4. Fill cupcake papers – tip: use an icecream scooper! – One scoop is just the right amount per cupcake!
5. Place cupcakes on middle rack in the oven for 20 minutes (or until inserted toothpick comes out clean)
6. Let cool.