Raspberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Frosting

For the cupcakes:
Thaw a bag of frozen raspberries. Put the berries in a bowl and mash with a pastry cutter or with forks until the berries are a smooth puree. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of a standing mixer cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together all of the cupcake dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and partially combine. Mix the raspberry puree into the batter and combine all the way.

Scoop the batter into the liners. Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let these cool before frosting.

For the frosting:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, whip together the butter and the powdered sugar with the vanilla bean paste. Add the milk a little at a time until you reach the desired spreading texture.

Frost the cupcakes liberally with the vanilla bean butter cream frosting and add sprinkles if you like.