Lemon Cupcakes
Posts may contain affiliate links, meaning that I may earn a commission if you use a link provided.
The best lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!
This lemon cupcake recipe is made from scratch with cake flour, lemon zest, and freshly squeezed lemon juice for soft and tender cupcakes packed with a burst of natural lemon flavor.
I love lemon desserts like 3-ingredient lemon cookies, lemon bars, fluffy lemon cake, and these homemade lemon cupcakes. I seriously can’t get enough of that sweet and tangy combo–so delicious.
Lemon desserts are light and fresh, making them great for serving up during the Spring and Summer months.
Like my strawberry lemonade cupcakes, they also make a wonderful dessert for Easter, Mother’s Day, bridal showers, or baby showers!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes you will need:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour (see notes below for an easy cake flour substitute)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
For the cream cheese frosting you will need:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Substitutions & variations
no cake flour? You can make a simple cake flour substitute with all-purpose flour and corn starch. Measure out 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, then remove 3 tablespoons of flour from your measurement. Replace with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, whisk together, then sift.
lemon cream cheese frosting – kick the lemon flavor up a notch by adding 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest to the lemon cupcake frosting.
How to Make Lemon Cupcakes
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
Step 3: Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes, or until creamed.
Step 4: Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
Step 5: Slowly mix in half of the dry ingredients, half of the milk, and the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice; mix until well-combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix until fully combined and no lumps are visible.
Step 6: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until about 2/3 full.
Step 7: Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Step 8: In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until well blended and no clumps remain.
Step 9: Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add vanilla and beat until creamy.
Step 10: Pipe cream cheese frosting onto cupcakes using a knife or your favorite frosting tip, I used tip 1C. Garnish with a slice of lemon, if desired.
Storage
Prep ahead: Baked cupcakes can be made a day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to frost and serve.
Refrigerator: Lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to 3 days. Allow cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving.
More lemon dessert recipes
- lemon poke cake
- lemon icebox cake
- no-bake lemon lush dessert
- raspberry lemon layer cake
- lemon cookies with pudding mix
- lemon bundt cake
Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the lemon cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
For the cream cheese frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes, or until creamed.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Slowly mix in half of the dry ingredients, half of the milk, and the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice; mix until well-combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix until fully combined and no lumps are visible.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until about ⅔ full.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until well blended and no clumps remain.
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add vanilla and beat until creamy.
- Pipe onto cupcakes using a knife or your favorite frosting tip (we used tip 1C). Garnish with a slice of lemon, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @crayonsandcravings and follow on Pinterest @crayonsandcravings for even more!
Lemon flavor is perfect, clearly lemony without being overwhelming. Icing is perfect, not too sweet and consistency is firm enough for easy transport. Unfortunately, I did not notice the recipe is for only 12 cupcakes nor did I notice there was an option to increase the number of cupcakes you want. I do believe the icing recipe doesn’t need to be doubled for 24 cupcakes.