Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
Bright and bursting with berry flavor, these blueberry lemon cupcakes are the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Made with fluffy lemon cake, blueberry buttercream frosting, and finished with fresh blueberries and lemon slices, these cupcakes are as beautiful as they are delicious.
Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
These blueberry lemon cupcakes are ready to take center stage with full Flashdance energy.
Bright lemon cake brings the zing, while that bold blueberry buttercream hits like a perfect chorus—smooth, vibrant, and impossible to forget.
They’ve got that underdog-to-star glow-up, transforming simple ingredients into something totally spotlight-worthy. The fresh blueberry and lemon garnish? That’s your final audition moment—nailed it.
If this recipe is checking all your boxes, check out my lemon cupcakes, blueberry frosted lemon cookies, and blueberry cupcakes.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bright flavor combo: Bright lemon and sweet blueberry create the perfect balance of flavor.
- Soft texture: The moist lemon cupcakes have a light and fluffy texture and are bursting with lemon flavor from fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Berrylicious frosting: The blueberry frosting has bold blueberry flavor and a naturally beautiful color from freeze-dried blueberry powder.
- Bakery-style look: Decorated with juicy blueberries and fresh lemon slices to make these cupcakes visually stunning.
- Perfect for any occasion: Great for spring and summer gatherings, parties, or an everyday treat.
Recipe Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder + baking soda
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon zest
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Whole milk – Room temperature.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed.
Easy Blueberry Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar
- Freeze-dried blueberries – Made into a fine powder with a food processor.
- Heavy cream – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Additional Ingredients
- Fresh blueberries
- Lemon slices
How to Make Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
Rub the granulated sugar and lemon zest together to release the natural oils.
Make the lemon cupcake batter.
Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners.
Bake and cool the lemon cupcakes.
Make the blueberry buttercream frosting.
Frost the lemon cupcakes with the blueberry buttercream and decorate with lemon slices and fresh blueberries.
Courtney’s Expert Cupcake Baking Tips
- Bring the chilled ingredients to room temperature before making the cupcake batter. Room temperature butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk mix more evenly into the batter. This helps create a smooth batter and results in soft, fluffy cupcakes.
- Use fresh lemon zest and lemon juice for the best and brightest lemon flavor. Be sure to zest the lemons before you juice.
- Massage the lemon zest into the granulated sugar before making the cupcake batter to release the natural oils and to enhance the lemon flavor.
- Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. Fill the liners about ⅔ full using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons). The recipe makes about 12 cupcakes, but sometimes you can squeeze out a baker’s dozen (a bonus cupcake for the baker).
- Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for even heat distribution and to help the cupcakes rise properly.
- Use a food processor to grind the freeze-dried blueberries into a super fine powder to easily incorporate it into the buttercream.
- Garnish right before serving. Fresh blueberries and lemon slices look best and stay freshest this way.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but fresh lemon juice and zest provide a much brighter, more vibrant flavor.
If you can’t find freeze-dried blueberries, check out my recipe for blueberry buttercream frosting that uses blueberry reduction. For these cupcakes, you will need about half of that recipe.
Yes! Add lemon curd or blueberry filling to add another delicious element to these cupcakes.
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Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp (0.75 tsp) baking powder
- ⅛ tsp (0.125 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) lemon zest (the zest of 1 lemon)
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (24 g) sour cream (room temperature)
- 5 tbsp (75 ml) whole milk (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Easy Blueberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 1 oz (28 g) freeze-dried blueberries
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Additional Ingredients
- 13 (13) lemon slices
- ½ cup (75 g) blueberries
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, gently rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemon oils to infuse the sugar with lemon flavor.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the lemon-infused granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil for a few minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg and sour cream and mix well until smooth.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. Then, pour in the whole milk and lemon juice and mix. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until the cupcake batter is combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are fully combined.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop about ⅔ full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes bounces back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Easy Blueberry Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until fully incorporated.
- Use a food processor to grind the freeze-dried blueberries into a fine powder. Then, add the freeze-dried blueberry powder to the frosting and mix on low speed until well incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the ingredients are well mixed.
- Increase the speed on the mixer to medium and whip the buttercream for about 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix the buttercream for several minutes to remove any air bubbles.
- Optional: To smooth out the buttercream, heat 1 cup of the frosting in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour the melted frosting back into the mixing bowl and mix the frosting on low speed until the buttercream is super smooth and creamy.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with blueberry buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of the blueberry buttercream onto the cooled lemon cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with lemon slices and fresh blueberries.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
- Storing note: I recommend adding the lemon slices and fresh blueberries before serving to prevent the fruit from drying out or expelling liquid.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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