These lemon cupcakes are soft, moist, and filled with fresh lemon flavor. They're made from scratch with easy to find ingredients and topped with a dreamy lemon cream cheese frosting.
While we love vanilla cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes, lemon cupcakes are perfect for spring and summer. They turn out tender, perfectly sweetened, and filled with lemon flavor.
If you love lemon desserts, these cupcakes are a must try! Fresh lemon zest and juice is added to the cupcakes and frosting for a burst of fresh lemon flavor.
Serve lemon cupcakes for Easter, summer parties like the 4th of July, or anytime you're looking for a sweet lemon treat.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Unsalted butter - Adds moisture and buttery flavor to your cupcake batter. Unsalted butter (and the listed salt) can be substituted with salted butter if desired.
- Eggs - Add stability and moisture to your cupcake batter.
- Whole milk - Adds moisture to your cupcakes. For best success, I suggest using whole milk, not skim or 1% milk. Your cupcakes will turn out, but may potentially be less moist (or may dry out faster) than if using whole milk.
- Cake flour is needed for this recipe. I use and recommend Swans Down cake flour. I do not recommend substituting with all-purpose flour. It can give your cupcakes a coarser texture that readers often describe as a 'cornbread' texture. Cake flour gives your cupcakes a tighter, more tender crumb, like what you would find at a bakery.
- Baking powder - Cannot be substituted with baking soda, the two are not interchangeable.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your cupcakes without making them "salty".
- Lemons - You'll need 2 to 3 lemons for this recipe (including the frosting). I zested one lemon for the cake batter, another lemon for the frosting, and juiced one of the zested lemons for the cake and frosting combined. Depending on the size of your lemons, you may want to buy an extra just in case.
- Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavor of your cupcakes.
- Granulated sugar - Sweetens your cupcakes and also helps your cupcakes retain moisture. I do not recommend using sugar-free substitutes in this recipe because I haven't tested these alternatives and can't guarantee how they'll turn out. I suggest doing a Google search for a recipe that fits the ingredients you have on hand.
Tips and tricks
Leavening - Make sure you're using baking powder and not baking soda. The type of leavening used in a recipe depends on the other ingredients involved. Baking powder is a must in this recipe. Make sure your leavening is not expired, otherwise your cupcakes may not rise as intended.
Measuring flour properly - I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, especially the flour. If you don't have a scale, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. Scooping directly from a bin using the measuring cup compacts flour into the cup, adding extra flour to the recipe. This can make cupcakes dry.
Cake flour - Do not substitute cake flour with all-purpose flour. Using all-purpose flour will give your lemon cupcakes a 'cornbread' type texture (per readers who have attempted this substitution).
Don't overmix the batter - Only mix your batter until the ingredients are incorporated. Overmixing your batter can whip extra air in, causing your cupcakes to rise quickly and then fall in the center when they bake.
Allow cupcakes to cool - Do not unwrap your cupcakes while they're still warm. Your cupcakes will stick to the liners until they are fully cooled throughout. Once cooled, your cupcakes will easily unwrap.
Do not frost warm cupcakes - Buttercream is sensitive to heat and will melt between 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Frequently asked questions
If not serving your cupcakes immediately (or within two hours), yes, your cream cheese frosted cupcakes need to be refrigerated. Any food made with cream cheese can sit out for up to two hours before requiring refrigeration.
To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it into smaller pieces and set on the counter top for 30 minutes. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes. Milk can be microwaved in 10 to 15 second increments, stirring in between, until room temperature. Take care not to melt butter or bring milk to a warm or hot temperature. Hot ingredients can ruin the texture of the batter, causing cupcakes to turn out dense when baked.
- Whipped buttercream frosting - Fluffier than a traditional buttercream.
- Cream cheese buttercream frosting - Slightly less sweet and tangy.
- Ermine frosting - A less sweet cooked flour frosting. Perfect for those who don't like the sweet taste of buttercream frosting.
- Homemade whipped cream - Light and much less sweet than buttercream.
For years I've used this simple Wilton cupcake decorating kit (Amazon) to decorate my cupcakes. It comes with four piping tips, bags, and easy to read instructions. I also purchased this additional coupler (Amazon) to make it easy secure the piping tips and to change out tips halfway through decorating.
I test for doneness by gently pressing onto the top of a cupcake with a finger. If the cupcake pops right back, they're done. If an indent is left, they need more time. You can also use the toothpick method. Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes back with batter, your cupcakes need more time. If the toothpick comes back with crumbs or nothing at all, they're done. Additionally, if you nudge the pan and your cupcakes are jiggly, they're not done yet.
Yes, with adjustments. When doubled, this recipe makes a two-layer round 8 or 9 inch cake, a 13x18 sheet cake, or a 9x13 cake. Follow my recipe for lemon sheet cake, which includes directions for all three different pan sizes.
I recommend adding more lemon zest for a stronger lemon flavor. I don't recommend adding more lemon juice because it can add too much moisture to the cupcakes, preventing a proper rise in the oven. Despite popular belief, lemon zest adds stronger lemon flavor than the juice.
Troubleshooting
Baked goods can turn out dry for many reasons. No one intends to make dry cupcakes, but a step/ingredient could have been unintentionally missed while preparing your cupcakes. The most popular reasons include:
- Substituting/reducing the moisture adding ingredients (butter, whole milk, granulated sugar, and eggs)
- Adding too much flour (I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to prevent this)
- Overbaking. If you haven't substituted/reduced any ingredients and are 100% sure that everything has been measured with accuracy, the only other reason baked goods turn out dry is from overbaking. I highly recommend watching your cupcakes through the door instead of relying on time alone. Ovens can run hotter or colder than the next oven, and some ovens even have hot spots, so I recommend testing early and often when trying a brand new recipe.
Sinking can happen for many reasons. Overmixing the batter (which adds extra air that's released during baking), underbaking, using expired leavening, using the wrong leavening, or accidentally doubling the leavening can all cause your cupcakes to sink in the middle.
Cupcake can turn out dense from expired leavening, overmixing the wet and dry ingredients (this overworks the gluten), not whipping the butter and sugar long enough, or adding extra wet ingredients (like adding sour cream or applesauce to make cupcakes "extra moist"). If the balance of wet and dry ingredients is off, this can cause a change in texture, preventing your cupcakes from rising properly in the oven.
These lemon cupcakes are made with butter, which hardens when refrigerated, so the cake itself will also harden slightly while refrigerated. No worries, your cupcakes just need to come to room temperature before serving. About 30 minutes before serving, transfer your refrigerated cupcakes to the countertop to bring to room temperature. Room temperature cupcakes will feel soft and tender again.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1.5 cups (168 g) cake flour
- 1.5 teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) lemon zest
- ½ cup (113 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) lemon juice
Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 cups (454 g) confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) lemon juice
Instructions
Lemon cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a bowl, add your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to remove clumps and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamed and fluffy, about a minute. Add eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Beat until incorporated and smooth, about a minute.
- In a separate bowl, combine milk and lemon juice.
- Add half of your dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir until just combined. Add half of the milk mixture, again stirring until just combined. Repeat once more, adding remaining dry ingredients and remaining milk, stirring each until just combined.
- Divide batter between 15 cupcake liners, filling about halfway full. Bake in preheated oven for about 17-19 minutes, or until the centers pop back when gently pressed. If an indent is left, your cupcakes need more time.
- Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Lemon cream cheese frosting
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter and cream cheese. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing slowly until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest, then whip until fluffy, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Video
Notes
- Cupcakes are best served the same day as baking or within 24 hours.
- Cream cheese frosting will need refrigeration after sitting out for about 2 hours. Store leftover cupcakes in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Before serving, bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Cupcakes will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Tightly wrap in plastic and foil, then store in a freezer safe container. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
Hi there! I need to make keylime cupcakes and I was wondering if it would be ok to replace the lemom with line in this recipe?
Hi Tiffany, I haven't tried his myself but it should work fine with a 1:1 swap!
This is fantastic! The frosting is amazing and the cake is so moist and lemony! My son’s birthday is tomorrow…this is his cake; however, I used a mini cake pan. Tiny lemon cakes
Hi Cheryl, so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Just made these. I love anything lemon & these cupcakes did not disappoint! Very tasty. Will be making these again!
Alice
I can’t wait to try this recipe - love all the dedication that goes into your all tips. Instead of a cream cheese frosting, could I top this with lemon curd?
Hi Denise, of course you're welcome to use any toppings you like other than the frosting listed. I haven't tried lemon curd on its own before, but if you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Could this be made into a slab type cake successfully?
Yes, you can find my lemon sheet cake recipe here - it's the same recipe scaled up to make a cake:
https://thetoastykitchen.com/lemon-sheet-cake/
Hello, is this cupcake recipe stable enough to handle it if I scooped out the top and stuffed it with some lemon curd before frosting?
Yes these cupcakes can be filled.
Could I use buttermilk instead of whole milk?
I would not recommend using buttermilk instead of whole milk because it is more acidic and would change the chemistry of the recipe.
Best batter I have ever experienced! Great recipe.
My 8 year old daughter made these, with a little help 😉. We made exactly as recipe stated and they were amazing!!! Like gone in 1 day good! She wants to try and make a cake, do you have a recipe for a cake? We aren’t that good at figuring measurements
Hi Kelly, I'm so glad to hear you enjoy the recipe! I do not have a cake recipe, but I've had readers convert my other cupcake recipes successfully.
*Update* I now have a cake recipe made from these lemon cupcakes, here you go! https://thetoastykitchen.com/lemon-sheet-cake/
Hi. Have you tried doubling the recipe before. If so, are there any measurement changes? These are so yummy but I need to make them in larger quantities.
You should be able to double the recipe as written with no issues!
Thank you for the info. These cupcakes are a hit!
Do you have to use self rising flour or can you use all purpose flour?
I would not recommend self rising flour, this recipe can be made with cake flour or all-purpose flour, but highly recommend using cake flour (for the finer texture and tighter crumb) if you have it on hand.