Preheat your oven to what your box stipulates for cupcakes. Line your tin with liners and set aside.
Follow the directions of your cake mix, with the exception of swapping your water for milk. Cake mixes vary from brand to brand, as well as with shrinkflation older boxes of cake mix may have different amounts than the same brand just a newer box. Mixing everything in a large bowl by hand.
Fill your cupcake wells about 80-90% full. They should not come to the very top of the liner but leaving about ¼ inch at the top.
Bake for about 22 minutes. This was within the range for my cake directions, so yours may need more or less depending on brand. The edges of your cupcake should be lightly golden and you should be smelling the vanilla in the cake.
Remove from oven and transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool immediately.
While your cupcake cool, in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer with whisk attached, pour your heavy cream and powdered sugar and whip on medium to medium high until you have stiff peaks.
Spoon in your jam to the whipped cream and use a spatula to fold in gently.
Chill your whipped filling in the fridge while you make the frosting.
In another large bowl of the bowl of your stand mixer with paddle attached, add your softened butter and mix on medium for about 2-4 minutes until smooth. Add your powdered sugar and beat for another 3-5 minutes.
Add 2 tbsp of heavy cream and mix. If you'd like to thin your frosting out more, add another 1-2 tbsp of heavy cream.
Add your freeze dried raspberries. I personally don't crush them beforehand, and let the mixer crush while they are mixed in which allows you to have a chunkier frosting. If you want it to be smoother and less rustic looking, process the raspberries in a food processor to a fine dust first. Mix into the frosting until well combined.
Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, using a coring tool- like this - or a knife, and remove the center of the cupcake creating a well that goes down about half way into the cupcake and is less than an inch wide. Repeat on all cupcakes. Transfer your chilled whipped cream to piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off. Fill the centers of the cupcakes with your whipped cream filling.
Frost the cupcakes. Either with a knife or transferring the frosting to a piping bag. Use raspberries to garnish the tops.
Cake will keep for about 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. If intending to keep longer, store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
