There's nothing like the tart, sweet lemon taste to brighten your day. These delicious lemon cupcakes are perfect for a quick snack or an easy dessert. They're also perfect for any occasion, from a birthday party to a relaxing afternoon tea. Best of all, they're really easy to make - you need a few simple ingredients and a little imagination! So what are you waiting for? Try this fantastic lemon cupcake recipe today!
My lemon curd recipe inspired this recipe. It's lemon season just about everywhere, and I'm definitely team lemon. I can't get enough of that delicious fresh lemon flavor. I went with a modified recipe for CIA's lemon cake for the base recipe. These cupcakes are dense and full of flavor. And the lemon curd takes it over the top. But if you don't want to add the lemon curd, these homemade lemon cupcakes are just as delicious without the homemade lemon curd. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice, and don't use any bottled lemon juice for the best tart citrus flavor.
Ingredients
- Bread Flour
- Baking Soda & Salt
- Room temperature Butter - Unsalted
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon Zest & Juice
- Buttermilk
How to Make Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 24-cup cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners. This recipe makes about 28 cupcakes, so if you only have one 12-cup cupcake pan, it's ok to reuse. Make sure to let the pan cool before making the next batch.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar with the paddle attachment. Start at low speed and increase to medium speed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cream until mixture is smooth and light in color. About 5 minutes. You could also use a hand mixer for this if that is the equipment you have.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and lemon zest. Next, add the wet ingredients in three additions to the creamed sugar. Be sure to incorporate after each addition fully and scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed.
- Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in three additions. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. Don't overmix. Add the lemon juice and blend. You may need to use an offset spatula to get everything mixed in from the bottom of the bowl.
- Use a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop and fill the cupcake liners to about ¾ full with the cupcake batter. Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. About 20 minutes.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for a few minutes, brush the top of each cupcake with the lemon glaze, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Substitutions and Variations
I used buttermilk for this recipe. If you don't have buttermilk, I'd recommend powdered buttermilk. We use this buttermilk substitute all the time. It's so easy to keep in the pantry, and since we don't use buttermilk all the time, we don't waste a few cups of it since we don't need an entire quart of buttermilk.
For your lemons, you could use either Meyer or Eureka lemons. I used eureka lemons for the cupcake but Meyer lemons for the curd. Meyer lemons tend to be a bit sweeter and less acidic than eureka lemons.
For the frosting, I whipped up a basic meringue which is delicious and doesn't add a lot of sweetness to the cupcake giving me that perfect balance of sweet and tart. You could easily use a lemon buttercream or a lemon cream cheese frosting if you prefer an even more lemony flavor.
How To Fill Cupcakes With Lemon Curd
We used an apple corer to remove some of the cupcake. I then piped the lemon curd into the opening with a pastry bag. Next, cut off a piece of the cupcake you initially removed and top the lemon curd with a portion of the cake. Frost as normal.
How To Store The Lemon Cupcakes
These cupcakes can be made ahead and stored. If you plan to use it within a few days, you can make the cupcakes and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Pipe with lemon curd and frost when you are ready to enjoy.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen in the freezer for up to three months, either with lemon curd or without. Then, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and decorate when ready to enjoy.
Whether you're Team Lemon or not, there's no denying that these lemon cupcakes are pretty stinkin' delicious. And if you're looking for an easy dessert to make (that will also impress your guests), look no further! I'm confident that this will become one of your favorite desserts.
Other Lemon Recipes
Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcake
- 1 lb 4 oz Bread Flour (575 grams)
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda (3.33 grams)
- ½ teaspoon Salt (4 grams)
- 10.5 ounces Unsalted Butter, softened (2 sticks plus 5 tbsp) (298 grams)
- 18 ounces Sugar (510 grams)
- 8 ounces Eggs (About 5 eggs) (226.6 grams)
- Lemon Zest (6 lemons zested) (10 grams)
- 1 ⅓ cup Buttermilk (303 grams)
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice (57 grams)
Lemon Glaze
- ⅓ cup Lemon Juice (80 mL)
- ¾ cup Sugar (149 grams)
Meringue
- 3 Egg Whites (106 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 6 tablespoon Sugar (71 grams)
Instructions
Lemon Cupcake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 24-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment. Start at low speed and increase to medium speed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cream until mixture is smooth and light in color. About 5 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, blend the eggs and lemon zest. Add this in three additions to the creamed sugar. Be sure to fully incorporate after each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk in three additions. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. Don't overmix. Add the lemon juice and blend.
- Use a cookie scoop and fill the cupcake liners to about ¾ full. Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. About 20 minutes.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for a few minutes, brush the top of each cupcake with the lemon glaze, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
- Place lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and heat on low until the sugar is dissolved.
Lemon Curd
- At this time, if you are filling with lemon curd, core each cooled cupcake with an apple corer. Leaving a small well in the center of each cupcake. Using a piping bag, fill to the brim with cooled lemon curd. Our lemon curd recipe is a great addition to this recipe, or you can use store bought.
Meringue
- Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the salt.
- Gradually add the sugar, increase the whipping speed, and continue to whip until the mixture is light and fluffy and stiff peaks form.
- Using a pastry bag with a large round tip, pipe the meringue onto each cupcake, then toast with a cook's torch, or very carefully broil until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking For More Recipes & Baking Tips
Subscribe to my free newsletter to get new baking tips in your inbox monthly. Find me sharing new recipes and tips on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. What that means is if you click on one of our affiliate links, they may toss a few pennies our way for a commission.
Leave a Reply