Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and many are scrambling to find that perfect last-minute gift. One of the most thoughtful gifts one can give is a batch of homemade sweets. Get creative with your baking creations with these various forms of one raspberry-flavored recipe.

To begin, preheat the oven to 350℉ and prepare any cake mix of your choice according to your own personal recipe or the instructions on the store-bought package. I will be using Betty Crocker’s Vanilla Cake Mix for all three recipes. 

Each of the recipes requires one batch of Raspberry Buttercream Frosting, and the directions in each recipe include when to prepare this frosting:

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of raspberries
• ¾ cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar (or to taste)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• red food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Puree cup of raspberries in food processor. Push the puree through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to remove seeds, leaving about 6 tbsp of puree.
2. Heat puree in saucepan over medium heat while continuously stirring until about 3-4 tbsp remains (about 2-3 minutes). Place raspberry puree in fridge or freezer until completely cooled.
3. Whip butter on high with electric mixer until fluffy (about 1 minute). Change mixer speed to medium and sift in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, then cooled puree and vanilla extract. If a richer color is desired, add red food coloring to achieve the desired color.
4. Set frosting aside until recipe calls for it.

This frosting recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy.

Raspberry Cupcakes

Raspberry Cupcakes are simple and take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to make. The cupcakes are garnished with vibrant raspberries and mint leaves for a pop of color. Each batch makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• Prepared cake mix
• 1 batch raspberry buttercream frosting
• 24 raspberries
• 12 small mint leaves (for decoration)

1. Divide batter among 12 lined spots in a cupcake tray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Begin preparing the frosting while the cupcakes are baking. Once prepared, scoop into a piping bag or ziplock bag (with a cut corner); do not overfill the bag in order to prevent frosting spilling from the top when piping.
3. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, place one raspberry in the middle of the surface of each cupcake. Then, pipe buttercream frosting in a spiral around the raspberry so that the inner raspberry is out of view. Place another raspberry on the tip of the completed spiral. Take a mint leaf and insert it into the frosting next to the top raspberry. Add any other garnishes of your choice or simply enjoy!

The remaining two recipes (Raspberry Layered Cake and Raspberry Heart Cake) can be found here.