Lemon Cupcakes

These lemon cupcakes are made using my favorite vanilla cupcake base infused with lemon zest. They’re frosted with a silky lemon cream cheese frosting and dusting of lemon zest.

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors to bake with. I have so many lemon dessert recipes and to be honest, I tested lemon cupcakes several times over the last few years and had some struggles in the past. Adding lemon juice to baked goods significantly lowers the pH, which results in a weak structure and honestly, barely adds any flavor so it can be difficult to get a good lemon cupcake/cake. 

I wanted to keep my cupcakes as close to my original vanilla cupcakes as possible (because I love them) but with a lemon flavor. After making my orange cupcakes and cranberry cupcakes I realized that the most flavor I’m going to get is by rubbing the lemon zest in with the sugar to release the oils from the lemon peel.

Why you’ll love these lemon cupcakes

• The lemon cupcakes are simple, subtle and soooo moist.
• The combination of the lemon cupcakes pair perfectly with the silky cream cheese frosting. 
• Recipe is versatile – can be made with dairy free and gluten-free ingredients. 

As I mentioned, I have sooo many lemon recipes. Some of my favorites are my lemon curd cake, lemon macarons, brown butter lemon cinnamon rolls, lemon white chocolate cookies and brown butter lemon ice cream. 

I was really tempted to fill these or top these with lemon curd but I realized that I usually over complicate recipes and I wanted these to be simple and easy.

So I skipped it this time…but Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are on my bucket-list and you better bet they’ll be filled with lemon curd and topped with a gorgeous toasted meringue.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butter: I prefer salted butter for the cupcakes and unsalted for the buttercream. You can also use unsalted butter for all of it, just add an extra pinch of salt. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature for all parts of the recipe. 
• Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes BUT you cannot beat the texture of cake flour in cupcakes so I highly recommend King Arthur’s Cake Flour. It is far superior to some alternatives in the grocery stores.
  • I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cupcakes will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender. 
  • I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured. 
• Baking Powder: to leaven the cupcakes. 
• Sugar: I used granulated sugar in the cupcake and I don’t recommend cutting any out.
  • I use powdered sugar in the cream cheese frosting – you can use less if you want it less sweet.
• Lemon: I used the zest of two large lemons (or three small) for the cupcakes and a little bit of the juice in the cream cheese frosting. 
• Oil: I always use a combination of butter and oil in my cakes because I like the texture from both. I recommend a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil here. 
• Eggs: I just use one large egg and make sure it’s at room temperature. Place it in hot water for 5-10 minutes if it’s cold.
• Sour Cream: I’ve used greek yogurt and sour cream in this recipe and they both work well. You can also use plain yogurt, just make sure it’s unsweetened.
  • However, if you sub the sour cream for extra milk, the cupcakes might shrivel up a little when cooling so I don’t recommend that.
• Milk: I use whole milk or two percent but any milk will work here, even dairy free. 
• Vanilla: I just use vanilla extract in this recipe but vanilla bean paste also works.
• Cream Cheese: I always use full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese. Make sure it comes to room temperature before mixing it with the butter. 
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract in the cupcakes and vanilla bean paste in the cream cheese frosting. Either works in both though. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Lemon Cupcakes

Step 1: Zest the lemon on top of the sugar and use your fingers to rub them together well, until they’re well combined. 

Step 2: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until they’re evenly distributed.

Step 3: Add the room temperature butter and the oil and use an electric mixer to beat them at medium, until they’re crumbly like a streusel. 

Step 4: Add the egg and mix just until it’s well combined and the batter looks like paste.

Step 5: Add the sour cream and turn the mixer to low speed while streaming in the milk .

Step 6: Scrape the edge of the bowl and give it a good mix. Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔-¾ full. I recommend weighing them so each cupcake has 50-55 grams of batter.  

Step 7: Bake for 20ish minutes, until the tallest part of the cupcake, in the center, springs back when you press on it. If you’re hesitant, give it another minute or so.

Step 8: Let the cupcakes rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove them from the pan. 

Cream Cheese Frosting 

Step 1: Make the frosting by creaming the butter and cream cheese together until they’re well combined and have lightened in color a bit. 

Step 2: Add the powdered sugar and salt and beat at a low speed just until the sugar is combined. 

Step 3: Scrape the edge of the bowl, add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium for 1-2 minutes while streaming in the heavy whipping cream.

Step 4: If the frosting is soft, just refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes before piping. Meanwhile, use a knife or cupcake corer to cut a hole in the center of the cupcakes. 

Step 5: Frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and then top with a dusting of lemon zest.

How to store lemon cupcakes

Anything made with cream cheese frosting needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze for longer.

To freeze the cupcakes, place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring them back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. 

If you make these lemon cupcakes, I’d love it if you left me a review or a star rating. 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B