Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
These lemon blueberry cupcakes are bright, fresh, and bursting with flavor in every bite. The soft lemon cake is studded with juicy blueberries, then topped with a tangy lemon cream cheese frosting for the perfect balance of sweet and citrusy. Finished with fresh blueberries and lemon slices, they’re as beautiful as they are delicious—perfect for spring and summer baking.
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Picture this: a sunny kitchen, your favorite 80s playlist playing, and a batch of lemon blueberry cupcakes straight out of a slow-mo movie montage.
These cupcakes are made with soft and fluffy lemon cake studded with fresh and juicy blueberries. The tangy lemon cream cheese frosting adds that perfect “sweet but not too sweet” balance.
Bright, fresh, and a little nostalgic, they’re the kind of treat that turns an ordinary day into the time of your life.
One bite and you’ll agree that nobody puts lemon blueberry cupcakes in the corner—these cupcakes deserve center stage.
Need more lemon and berries in your life? Check out my lemon raspberry cupcakes, strawberry frosted lemon cookies, and raspberry lemon bars.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bright & fresh flavor: Zesty lemon and juicy blueberries create a perfectly refreshing combination.
- Soft and tender cupcakes: These lemon cupcakes bake up light, fluffy, and incredibly moist.
- Perfectly balanced: Sweet blueberries and lemon cake pair beautifully with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting.
- Beautiful presentation: Garnished with fresh blueberries and lemon slices for a bakery-style finish.
- Perfect dessert for any occasion: Ideal for spring and summer gatherings, celebrations, or everyday treats.
Recipe Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry 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.
- Blueberries – Use small blueberries or cut larger blueberries in half or in quarters.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice and zest
- Salt
Additional Ingredients
- Fresh lemon slices
- Fresh blueberries
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Make the lemon blueberry cupcake batter.
Portion the cupcake batter into cupcake liners.
Bake and cool the lemon blueberry cupcakes.
Make the lemon cream cheese frosting.
Frost the cupcakes with the lemon cream cheese frosting.
Decorate the cupcakes with lemon slices and fresh blueberries.
Courtney’s Expert Cupcake Baking Tips
- Bring the chilled ingredients to room temperature before making the cupcake 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.
- If the blueberries are too big, cut the blueberries into small pieces so they distribute throughout the cupcakes and bake evenly.
- Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. Fill the liners about ¾ full using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons).
- Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for even heat distribution and to help the cupcakes rise properly.
- Lemon slices can dry out over time. If you plan to serve the cupcakes more than a day later, wait to add the lemon slice garnish until just before serving for the freshest look.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, fresh blueberries work best. If using frozen blueberries, thaw them first and gently blot them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Frozen blueberries can release extra juice as they bake, which may cause the color to bleed into the cupcake batter.
Fresh lemon juice is highly recommended for the best flavor. Bottled juice can taste dull or slightly bitter, and since lemon is the star of this recipe, fresh makes a big difference. Lemon zest also helps to add even more fresh lemon flavor.
Toss the blueberries with a small amount of flour before folding them into the batter. This can help suspend the berries more evenly throughout the cupcakes.
Yes! If you are not a fan of the lemon cream cheese frosting, check out my lemon buttercream frosting or easy blueberry buttercream frosting recipes. You will need about half of the frosting recipes for these cupcakes.
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Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp (¾ tsp) baking powder
- ⅛ tsp (⅛ tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (½ tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) sour cream (room temperature)
- 5 tbsp (75 ml) whole milk (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ cup (75 g) fresh blueberries (whole if they are small, halved if they are large)
- ½ tsp (½ tsp) all-purpose flour
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 oz (60 g) cream cheese (room temperature)
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) lemon zest
- ¼ tsp (¼ tsp) salt
Additional Ingredients
- 12 (12) lemon slices
- 24 (24) fresh blueberries
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry 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.
- Toss the blueberries in the ½ tsp of all-purpose flour and fold the blueberries into the lemon cupcake batter until they are well dispersed.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop about ¾ 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.
Lemon Cream Cheese 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 and cream cheese for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter/cream cheese mixture.
- Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt, and continue to mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip the buttercream for 2–3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Then, reduce the mixer to low speed and mix for a few additional minutes to help remove air bubbles.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with lemon cream cheese frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of the lemon frosting onto the cooled lemon blueberry cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with lemon slices and fresh blueberries.
Notes
- Room temperature: The cupcakes can be kept out at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Nutrition
Made This Recipe?
Please leave a comment with a star rating to let me know how you enjoyed the recipe!
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.
I made these with buttermilk instead of regular since we still had some and butter instead of vegetable oil in a 1:1 ratio (in grams!!). I had to add some vanilla sugar to offset the sourness from the buttermilk, but they turned out great! I ended up with a little too much batter, but otherwise the recipe worked out perfectly. Will definitely bake again!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! It is one of my personal favorites 🙂
Is it possible to make this recipe Gluten free using the 1:1 gluten free flour?
Hi Teresa! I haven’t tested GF flour with this recipe specifically, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. After you make the cupcake batter, let it rest for about 5 minutes before scooping and baking. If you test it out, let me know how it goes!
Would it be possible to use buttermilk or any other milk for this recipe?
Hi Angela! Yes, you can use buttermilk or another type of milk for this recipe.
Would I be able to substitute avocado oil for the vegetable oil?
Hi Lauren! Yes! You should be able to use avocado oil for the recipe!
Hi! Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
Hi Brian! You can use frozen if you prefer, however, the juices will leak into the cupcake which may turn the cupcake a blue-green color. I recommend thawing the blueberries completely and blotting them dry before adding them to the cupcake batter.
Hi! I’m planning to make these for a baby shower. What adjustments would you recommend for mini cupcakes?
Hi there, Anna! For mini cupcakes, you will want to cut the baking time down to 10-12 minutes or so. Other than that, you can make the recipe as written. For mini cupcakes, I typically portion the dough using a small cookie scoop.
can you make these ahead and freeze them?
Hi Caitlyn! I’m not a huge fan of freezing cupcakes in general. Every time I have frozen them, the liners peel off when they thaw. You can keep these cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to five days!
These are delicious! Highly recommend.
Definitely one of my personal favorites!! So glad you enjoyed these cupcakes!
I’ve made these and they were a huge hit! So much so that a friend requested a cake version for their nephew’s birthday party. Would this recipe work for a cake, how would you modify it for two 9” round pans?
Hi Meagan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I actually have a lemon blueberry cake recipe that I would encourage you to try out! The cupcake recipe doesn’t translate super well into a cake. Check out the recipe here! https://cakemehometonight.com/lemon-blueberry-cake/
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for the frosting? I plan on making these this weekend for Mother’s Day.
You can use either depending on your taste! Some people find salted to be a little too salty. I love doing one stick of each!
Thank you so much, I went with unsalted. They turned out PERFECT! Can’t wait to try your other recipes.