These lemon cupcakes are soft, moist and filled with fresh lemon flavor. Made from scratch with easy to find ingredients and topped with a dreamy lemon cream cheese frosting.
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.
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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.