Lemon Cupcakes

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These light and fluffy Lemon Cupcakes are made with a creamy lemon frosting for the best lemon cupcakes! They are easy to make and perfect for spring and summer!

Moist Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

Lemon desserts are always something special, and these cupcakes are certainly no exception. Both the buttercream and the cupcakes are naturally flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest. The results are decadent lemon cupcakes with just the right amount of lemon!

The cupcakes are decorated with a half of a lemon slice, which makes them bright and cheerful. Such a refreshing flavor and presentation that’s sure to be a hit! Grab your lemons and let’s get baking.

What You’ll Need

These cupcakes keep it simple when it comes to ingredients, and so does the frosting! Here’s the lineup for both:

For the Lemon Cupcakes

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder: To help the cupcakes rise.
• Baking Soda: A little bit of baking soda supplements the baking powder in this recipe and is ideal in an acidic cupcake, like lemon.
• Salt: You’ll need 1/4 teaspoon.
• Unsalted Butter: Bring the butter to room temperature.
• Vegetable Oil: For extra moist cupcakes!
• Sugar
• Vanilla Extract: To compliment out the lovely lemon flavor.
• Eggs: You’ll need 2 large eggs.
• Milk
• Fresh Lemon Juice: About 1/4 cup.
• Fresh Lemon Zest: You’ll need 1 tablespoon.

For the Lemon Buttercream

• Unsalted Butter: Room temperature.
• Powdered Sugar: Confectioner’s sugar gives the frosting its volume and consistency.
• Vanilla Extract
• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Fresh Lemon Zest

How to Make Lemon Cupcakes

If you’ve made cupcakes before, this recipe won’t be unfamiliar at all! The process is super simple and uses the creaming method.

1. Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a pan with cupcake liners.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
3. Cream Butter, Oil, Sugar & Vanilla: Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
4. Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Start Adding Dry Ingredients: Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Add Milk & Lemon: Combine the milk and lemon juice, then slowly add the mixture to the batter along with the lemon zest and mix until well combined.
7. Finish Adding Dry Ingredients: Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.
8. Bake: Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Let Cool: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Make the Lemon Buttercream Frosting

This 5-ingredient frosting comes together in no time. And it’s easy to adjust for flavor and consistency!

1. Beat Butter: Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
2. Start Adding Powdered Sugar: Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
3. Add Vanilla & Lemon: Add the vanilla extract, 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice and the lemon zest to the frosting and mix until well combined.
4. Finish Adding Powdered Sugar: Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth. Add additional lemon juice as needed to get the right consistency and flavor.

Frosting Your Cupcakes

The last step is simply putting everything together! Feel free to use your favorite piping tip for the frosting, however you should make sure that it’s not too small. You don’t want any lemon zest getting caught up in small openings. I used Ateco tip 844.

Tips for Success

Want to make sure your cupcakes come out perfect? Just follow these quick tips and suggestions!

• Use Fresh Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice will give your cupcakes and frosting much better flavor than a bottled version would.
• Cream Butter Mixture Completely: Make sure you cream the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla for the full 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. It should become light, fluffy and also lighter in color.
• Adjust Frosting Consistency: You may need to adjust the amount of lemon juice you use to get the buttercream just right. If you’re not sure what consistency to go for, check out my tutorial for How to Get the Right Frosting Consistency.

How to Store Frosted Cupcakes

Leftover lemon cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for about 24 hours, then refrigerated after that. Keep them in an airtight container and enjoy them within 2-3 days. They are best served at room temperature.

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More Cupcake Recipes

I have so many more yummy cupcake recipes that you have to try! Here are a few of my favorite ones:

• Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
• Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
• Apple Butter Cupcakes
• Best Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes
• Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
• Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
• Caramel Macchiato Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes
• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes