In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and vegetable oil until smooth.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, lemon zest, and butter on high speed until fully combined.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients a little bit at a time until just combined.
Puree the 6 ounces of raspberries in a food processor or blender.
Use a sieve to strain out the berry seeds and retain the liquid.
Measure the raspberry liquid in a liquid measuring cup. It should be about 1/2 cup. If it isn't enough, you can add water to make it reach 1/2 cup.
Mix raspberry liquid into the batter until just combined.
Fill cupcake liners halfway full.
Dust remaining raspberries with flour and place two raspberries into the top of each filled cupcake liner.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from cupcake tin immediately and set on the counter to cool.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Instructions
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the cold heavy whipping cream on high speed.
As you whisk, you'll notice that the cream will begin to get bubbly and then thicken.
Keep on whisking until it is thick enough that it doesn't collapse when you lift up the whisk or place some on a spoon. After this happens, mix in the cocoa powder and sugar until just combined.
Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Because of the whipped cream frosting, these cupcakes must be kept refrigerated until ready to serve. Alternatively, you could store them at room temperature and frost them just before serving. Unfrosted, they last for about 3 days at room temperature and up to a week in the refrigerator.For the cupcakes:
You can use all-purpose flour in this recipe instead of cake flour. The results won't be dramatically different. The cake will just be a little more dense.
Yogurt can be substituted 1:1 for the sour cream.
Be careful not to overmix to keep your cupcakes from getting gummy.
Only fill your cupcake liners halfway. To be completely certain that you are filling the right amount, bake a single test cupcake before baking the rest of the batch.
Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting so that the frosting doesn't melt.
For the frosting:
Make sure the heavy whipping cream is cold.
If you are trying to whisk by hand, use a metal bowl and chill it in the refrigerator before whisking.
Making whipped cream takes a few minutes, so keep whisking until the cream is the desired consistency.