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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.
- Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- Start Adding Dry Ingredients: Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- Beat Butter: Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Start Adding Powdered Sugar: Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- 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.
- 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.
Watch How To Make Them
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Lemon Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 14
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These light and fluffy Lemon Cupcakes are made with a creamy lemon frosting for the tastiest citrus dessert ever! You’ll love how easily they come together.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups (163g) all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cups (155g) sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tbsp (90ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
For the Lemon Buttercream
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4–5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- 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. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- 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.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
- Combine the milk and lemon juice, then slowly add the mixture to the batter along with the lemon zest and mix until well combined.
- 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 over mix the batter.
- Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
- When the cupcakes have cooled, make the buttercream. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract, 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice and the lemon zest to the frosting and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and salt and mix until well combined and smooth. Add additional lemon juice as needed to get the right consistency and flavor.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
- Cupcakes are best when stored well covered and eaten within 2-3 days. They can be left at room temperature for about 24 hours, then refrigerated. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Makes 12-14 cupcakes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 44.9 g
- Sodium: 80.8 mg
- Fat: 21.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 54.8 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 70.3 mg
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
Yummy cupcakes but I’ve made it 3 times now and the liners always peel away 😔.
Why do the liners peel away for the cakes
They shouldn’t. It may be the brand of liner you’re using. Mine are usually Betty Crocker.
I followed your recipe step by step and they came out perfect. Thank you!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
I love these cupcakes.WOW!
Great flavor and texture. Throughly enjoyed at a cookout! Wish the recipe referenced proper mixer attachments – paddle for batter, whisk for buttercream. Too many pop-ups on the website.
Hello!! Can I double de recipe? Thank you.
Definitely!
I’ve made these and they were a hit, but I was wondering how long will the frosting last in the fridge or the freezer?
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Buttercream typically stays good in the fridge for up to a month and in the freezer for up to three months.
I would like to adapt this cupcake recipe into a 6in layer cake. As it’s written, can I fit this recipe into 2 6in pans or will it over flow? Thank you for your help. Your recipes look amazing!
I don’t think it would overflow but it could be close. If it were me, I would probably use three 6 inch pans.
Would replacing lemon for orange work in this recipe?
I’m not entirely sure. When I have swapped out lemon for orange in the past, I sometimes have to make additional changes. You could check out these orange cream cupcakes, if you’d like. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/orange-cream-cupcakes/
Do the frosting measurements listed make enough to pipe all the cupcakes as tall as pictured, or should I make extra frosting if I want them piped that high?
You should have enough for all of the cupcakes.
These were beautiful! So soft and fluffy, and the lemon flavour is delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Loved the recipe just need help with the density not sure if I blended butter too long or my flour ratio wasn’t right. Did not rise well. Frosting is great.
Typically if you over beat the butter and sugar, your cupcakes will actually shrink/fall a bit when cooling. If you didn’t add enough flour, the same could happen. If you added too much flour, your cupcake could be dry. If they didn’t rise well, it could be that your baking soda or baking powder weren’t good.
I tried another recipe and the cupcakes turned out more spongy. (I am always careful not to over mix) These ones were very light and fluffy and more cake like, awesome recipe! Do these cupcakes freeze well?
Awesome! I haven’t tried freezing them before, but I’d think they’d be fine.
I love this recipe so much, thank you for sharing! Can I make it as a bundt cake? If so, how long should it stay in the oven?
I haven’t tested it that way to be able to say. I’m sorry.
This recipe was AMAZING so flavorful! Everyone at the baby shower I brought them to loved them!
So glad to hear that!
Hi! I was wondering if I could replace the butter and use all oil like in your vanilla cupcakes? I wasn’t sure if adding extra oil would interact in a way with the lemon juice. My husband really likes the texture of your vanilla and chocolate cupcakes that use all oil. Thank you 🙂
I haven’t tested it to be able to say. However this recipe uses the creaming method, which you won’t be able to do with all oil. These cupcakes really are awesome and very moist and tender the way they are though. I might try them as is first just to see if you’re happy with them.