1-Preheat and Prep: First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cupcake tray with paper liners. This sets the stage for even baking and makes cleanup easy.

2-Mix the Dry Ingredients: Next, sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set this aside to ensure your batter has a light, airy texture.

3-Prepare the Lemon Sugar: In a food processor, pulse the granulated sugar and lemon zest until it’s finely ground. This step boosts the lemon flavor in your raspberry lemonade cupcakes.

4-Cream the Butter Mixture: In a mixer, cream the softened butter with the lemon sugar until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the whole egg, then the egg whites one at a time, mixing after each. Include the vanilla extract and lemon extract with the second egg white for that extra zing.

5-Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Whisk the buttermilk and lemon juice together in a separate bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined to keep the cupcakes tender.

6-Bake the Cupcakes: Divide the batter into the 12 lined muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool briefly in the pan before moving to a wire rack.

7-Add Simple Syrup: Whisk the simple syrup ingredients until dissolved, then brush it over the warm cupcakes in two light coats. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

8-Make the Frosting: For the frosting, puree the fresh raspberries and strain out the seeds. Reduce the puree on medium-low heat until it’s halved, then cool it. Beat the butter until fluffy, add 1 cup of powdered sugar, mix in the reduced puree and vanilla extract, then add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, topping each with a raspberry, more frosting, another raspberry, and a lemon wedge.

Add any optional decorations like straws or mint leaves for a fun finish. Once done, store in an airtight container to keep them fresh. This raspberry lemonade cupcakes with fresh citrus method ensures a moist and flavorful result every time.