Lemon cupcakes are the perfect combination of sweet and tart. Light and fluffy lemon cupcakes flavored with freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest and swirled with lemon buttercream frosting! The perfect lemon cupcake recipe!
Ingredients for Lemon Cupcakes
Lemon cupcakes
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to fluff the flour and level the measuring cups.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Baking powder – Leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Salt – To contrast the sweetness.
- Milk – Room temperature.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – You can also use canola oil.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed. Approximately 1 large lemon.
- Lemon zest – Be sure to zest the lemon before you juice.
Lemon buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – No need to sift unless it is lumpy.
- Salt – Provides some contrast to the sweetness.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed. Approximately 1 large lemon.
- Lemon zest – Again, be sure to zest before you juice!
- Heavy cream – Helps the buttercream whip up to be light and fluffy.
Tools & Supplies for Making Lemon Cupcakes
How to Make Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add in milk, egg, vegetable oil, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the flour mixture.
- Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Portion into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Lemon Buttercream Frosting
To make the lemon buttercream frosting, I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer.
- Whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low. Then add the remaining half and continue to mix on low speed.
- Add in the salt and lemon zest. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- On low speed, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice and heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high and whip for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- (Optional) Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes to remove air bubbles for a smooth buttercream.
Lemon Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Fresh lemon is best
For great lemon flavor, be sure to use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Between the cupcake and buttercream, I typically use about 2 to 3 lemons (depending on the size).
Zest before you juice
Before you juice your lemons, be sure to zest them using a fine grater or zester. Then you can extract the juice. I like using a fork to twist and squeeze out the juice. Check for seeds!
Decorating the cupcakes
To decorate the cupcakes, use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip. Swirl on the lemon buttercream frosting to create an “ice cream swirl” and garnish with a slice of lemon. Check out this video to see how it’s done!
Love lemon?
Add even more lemon flavor by filling the cupcakes with homemade lemon curd or switching up the buttercream for lemon cream cheese frosting. Don’t forget to check out my recipe for lemon blueberry cupcakes if you are as obsessed with lemon desserts as I am!
Storing and serving
Store the lemon cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To serve, bring the cupcakes to room temperature.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make lemon cupcakes! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
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Lemon Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- zest of 1 lemon
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
Garnish
- 12 lemon slices
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add in milk, egg, sour cream, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk until the wet and dry ingredients are fully combined and the batter is smooth. Do not overmix the batter.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add one half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until incorporated.
- Increase the speed to medium and add the salt and lemon zest. Slowly drizzle in the lemon juice and heavy cream.
- Turn the speed on the mixer to medium-high speed and whip for an additional 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- If desired, switch to a paddle attachment on the stand mixer and mix buttercream on low speed for several minutes to remove air bubbles to create smooth frosting.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes (I used a Wilton 1M tip) and garnish with a slice of lemon.
Notes
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Comments & Reviews
I wanted to know if I can replace eggs in this recipe as I am vegetarian and don’t eat eggs. Thanks
Hi there! That’s a great question. I haven’t tested the recipe without any egg substitutes as that is not my area of expertise. I have heard of bakers replacing eggs with chia eggs or flax eggs, but I haven’t tested the recipe with those replacements.