Lemon Cupcakes
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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 squares, 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?
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Can you freeze the cupcakes until needed then thaw and frost?
Yes!
The best cupcakes ever!!
I followed the recipe to the letter and they crumbled in your hand. What did I do wrong?
It is tough to say for sure but crumbly, dry cupcakes could be caused by the proportion of dry ingredients to wet ingredients being off, the batter being overmixed, or the cupcakes being overbaked. I find that a common issue is adding too much flour– Did you scoop the flour to measure it or did you spoon it into the measuring cup and level?
can you make these gluten free??
I have not tried making these gluten-free myself.
I’ve made the cupcakes and I love them! Can I use this recipe for a sheet cake? If so, how long should I bake it?
I am so glad that you enjoyed my lemon cupcake recipe! I haven’t tried using the recipe to make a cake but you can certainly give it a try. For a 9 x 13 sheet cake I would suggest doubling the recipe and baking for about 25-30 minutes. Peek in on the cake often after 20 mins since we aren’t sure how long it will take. Enjoy 🙂
Can this recipe be used to make a sheet cake?
Hi Annie! I haven’t tried using the recipe to make a cake but you can certainly give it a try. For a 9 x 13 sheet cake I would suggest doubling the recipe and baking for about 25-30 minutes. Peek in on the cake often after 20 mins since we aren’t sure how long it will take. Enjoy 🙂
going to make this recipe today
This was my first attempt at baking after maybe 6 years 😅 and they came out amazing. Thank you 😊
Can I make this in a Bundt cake Pan?
I haven’t tried making this into a lemon bundt cake but I think the batter would work well for a cake. I would double the recipe so that you have enough batter for the bundt pan (if you end up with extra batter you can always make a few cupcakes too). It will probably take 40-50 minutes at 350 F. If you decide to give it a try please let me know how it turns out!
Can I use two 10in cake pans? If so, temp and how long?
I haven’t tried this recipe as a cake before but I think it would come out well. I would double the recipe and bake at 350 F for 25-35 minutes.