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Fluffy Lemon Cupcakes are topped with BLACKBERRY Buttercream! These Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes are so pretty and always a showstopper. Their refreshing flavor makes them perfect for Spring and Summer celebrations!
Moist Lemon Cupcakes topped with Fluffy Blackberry Buttercream
Fact: I’m a little cupcake obsessed this Summer. Cannot get enough of them! Doesn’t matter if they’re Super Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes or of the Perfect “One Bowl” Vanilla variety – I WANT THEM ALL.
Question Tiiiiime: What’s your favorite cupcake flavor? Are you into crazy flavor combos? Or more of a classic chocolate/strawberry/vanilla kinda guy (or gal)?
Homemade cupcakes can seem like a lot of work to some people, but I’m here to tell you these lemon blackberry beauties are totally doable in just over an hour, and virtually impossible to screw up. They’re also just downright FUN to make! Cupcake baking is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon or evening, and the workload is even easier (and a lot more FUN) if you have a friend joining in on the action. I baked 3 different cupcake recipes down the beach with my nieces, and it was a BLAST! I definitely think we have some budding bloggers in the fam 😉
This simple but lovely flavor combo was inspired by the late Summer wave of (very fresh and affordable) berries we have at our fingertips. Cheap and juicy berries… such a luxury! I ate 2 cartons standing over the sink, and decided halfway through the third to regain some self-control and make a vibrantly flavored (and colored) buttercream with what was left. Thank goodness that self-control kicked in! This buttercream is killer 😉
These cupcakes are a little more work than the store-bought kind… but they’re also SO much more rewarding in the end. The base of this recipe features an easy-to-make lemon cupcake. These cupcakes are made with lemon sugar, butter, flour, baking soda, sour cream, milk, vanilla and egg whites. The method is very simple, and you can make them with or without a stand mixer.
Two things to be sure you do do:
1) Separate your eggs and use only the whites! This keeps the cupcakes light in color and nice and fluffy. If you add the whole egg it will mess with the consistency of the cupcake, since the whole egg is much more liquid.
2) Place the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and RUB the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips. This releases the oils in the lemon zest. Lemon oil = nice and light lemon flavor in our cupcakes! Yum.
The blackberry buttercream is probably the trickiest part of this recipe, but I think once you read how it’s done, you’ll find it’s really not tricky at all 😉 The first time I tested this recipe I tried adding fresh blackberries straight into the buttercream. That did not work. The berries broke up, released liquid, and made the buttercream a very strange texture. Hmm. Onto batch two! For my second go, I tried using a store-bought blackberry jam. This one came out OK… but the jam was sweetened, and I found the blackberry taste was mute. I wanted a bold blackberry taste. So for the third try (the winning round!) I made a blackberry reduction from blackberries, lemon juice, and just a touch of sugar.
Now, if you’re like, EEK. A blackberry reduction sounds like a lot of work. Relax 🙂 It’s really easy. You’re just going to place the blackberries in a small saucepan, add the lemon juice, and cook it on a low simmer for about 20 minutes. During this time the berries will burst, release juice, and cook down to a nice, thick berry puree. Once it’s reduced to about a quarter cup, you’ll set it aside to cool, maybe do some dishes, and then add it to the buttercream. See! Easy, right?
So next time you need/want to get your cupcake on, ditch the store-bought stuff and make your own! Once you see how simple and fun making them from scratch is, you’ll never want to go back to the box. And that’s a promise 😉
Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream (I used full fat)
- 1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- *Zest of one lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
For the Blackberry Buttercream:
- 1 cup blackberries
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, VERY soft
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (do not SKIP!)
- 4 cups confectioners sugar (more if needed), sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 12 mold muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well to combine. Set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl combine sour cream, milk, vanilla, and egg whites; mix well to combine. Set aside.
- In a small bowl combine sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the zest IN to the sugar, until fragrant and well combined.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat melted butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined; about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar combination, beating until just combined. Add in sour cream/milk/egg combo and beat on low until *just combined. Over-mixing will result in a dryer/denser cake.
- Divide the cupcake batter evenly into the 12 molds, then place the pan in the oven. Bake for about 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before topping with frosting.
For the blackberry buttercream:
- Combine the blackberries and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and stir constantly until blackberries have become soft enough to mash effortlessly.; about 6-7 minutes It will look like blackberry jam. Once the mixture can coat a spoon (you will have about 1/4 cup of blackberry puree) remove from heat. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl and push the puree though, leaving any seeds/large chunks behind. Allow mixture to cool completely before using.
When ready to make buttercream:
- Place soft butter in the body of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat butter on medium-speed until completely smooth, scraping down the sides when needed; about 2 minutes. Add in the blackberry puree and beat until completely combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add in the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, on low speed. Once all of the sugar has been added, add in salt then increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 full minutes. Ice cupcakes as desired.
- *Cupcakes can be made up to 6 hours ahead of time, but be sure to store in the fridge and bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
These are gorgeous, and they sound delicious! Anything lemon is a hit with me. Love the color of the blackberry buttercream, too — so pretty.
I would love to try this recipe however I need metrics mesuarements, please. All the way from Botswana Tia..xx
This is a wonderful flavour combination; I’ll have to try this recipe out!
Sarah
Sweet Spontaneity
I always want chocolate cupcakes to be my favorite, but lemon cake with any kind of berry buttercream gets me every time! These are totally stunning!
Great flavors. Love lemon and berries. And the color of that frosting is to DIE for!
Wow! That buttercream looks amazing! Those cupcakes sound delicious 🙂
The colour of the buttercream is just gorgeous.Love it!
That frosting is just — ahhh so beautiful. The color! The perfect pipe! I wish you could teleport one to me this very second.
Now these are just the pretties cupcakes ever! Love the up close and personal photos! 🙂
These are beautiful and I love the colour of the frosting!
4 c. granulated sugar for the frosting? I have a huge bowl of sugary butter. . .no way this is ever going to be frosting. Granted, I didn’t put the cream in yet but that’s not going to turn this purple sand into frosting. Is this supposed to be confectioners sugar?
Hi Maryanne. It’s granulated sugar for the blackberry jam and confections sugar for the frosting. I’m so sorry for any confusion. Did you end up making the cupcakes?
any suggestions for what i can do with the 4 cups blackberry infused sugar/butter combo? Can I make cookies out of this as a starter if I add some flour etc? I hate to waste and it is such a good color would be good for something?
Maybe a blackberry sugar cookie? You could just use the blackberry sugar instead of granulated, and adjust the ingredients accordingly?
theres no sugar in the jam recipe. Can you please explain. Do you mean granulated sugar for the cupcakes? Confectioners for buttercream? Are the measurements still the same?
Hi Karina. Could you clarify what exactly you need more information about? In the ingredients it specifies where granulated sugar is called for (the cupcakes) and where confectioners’ sugar is called for (the frosting).
In the previous comment to Maryann you mentioned “its granulated sugar for the blackberry jam and confections for frosting” but when I looked at your recipe the only other sugar mentioned is just sugar in the actual cupcake recipe not jam recipe, I just wanted you to clarify.
Thank you
Yes the jam doesn’t need any sugar!
I see in the above comment that you mention that the Blackberry Jam gets some granulated sugar in it. I do not see that in the recipe above. Do you put the sugar in the pan with with blackberries and lemon juice? How much?
Hi Caitlin. Yes. You can add one teaspoon in with the blackberries and lemon juice. It’s optional 🙂
That frosting color is spectacular!!! So pretty! Love these!
The color of that frosting is unreal! SO gorgeous!
Such pretty cupcakes, love the blackberry buttercream!
I would eat at least 3 of these right now!
I’ve never tried a fruit based buttercream before as they tend to be tricky. Making a reduction actually makes quite a bit of sense (not that I’ve really made a reduction before). I’m going to have to try these as summer ends. These cupcakes sound like a great way to say goodbye to a summer!
They’re the perfect way to kiss Summer bye-bye 🙂 Enjoy! xo
Hi there, I read your blogs like every week. Your story-telling style is witty, keep it up!
Oh my goodness! As if the flavors didn’t tempt me enough….the color of that buttercream is just GORGEOUS! Thank you so much for sharing! I hope you have a wonderful week!
Thank you, Monet!!! xo
These cupcakes are gorgeous and the texture looks absolutely perfect!
Thank you, sweets! xo
These are absolutely beautiful! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen a prettier cupcake ever…like even at a bakery! Love the flavor of blackberry too – these are perfect!
You are the sweetest 🙂
I actually think cupcakes are my favorite kind of baked good to me! Love that rich and fruity buttercream.
Cupcakes and I were a match made in heaven. These cupcakes and I? A love story that’s yet to be written! In love with that bold frosting color
Ashley, I am in love with these cupcakes!! can’t wait to try the blackberry buttercream. . I’d better hurry too while I can still get seasonal blackberries! love!
I’ve been dying to make these since I saw this yesterday. I decided to give it a go today. I was very disappointed with the outcome. Maybe someone can suggest what I did wrong? The cake came out very dense. I was careful to not overbeat the batter. Maybe it wasn’t beaten enough? It all seemed well-enough mixed. Also, te frosting was coming out so beautiful! And then…. Ick! Too sweet! It wasn’t thick enough either to hold any shape. I figured I could fix that by adding a bit more confection sugar but it was plenty sweet and at that point I had pretty much given up. I decorated the tops with a slice of lemon and a blackberry. Very pretty! Id love to post pictures but I don’t know how. Anyway, if anyone has suggestions to the problems I encountered, I’d appreciate it!
Hi Savannah! I’m so sorry your cupcakes didn’t turn out. I have retested the recipe and my cupcakes were not dense and the frosting held quite well. A few tips 🙂 Always be sure to measure your flour correctly when baking and not overbake the cupcakes. You can also use cake flour if you want a softer, fluffier cupcake. As for the frosting being too sweet, 4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar is very standard in cupcake frosting recipes, and the blackberry puree should have helped balance out the sweetness. You can always add a dash of salt if it’s still too sweet. Also, you can always place the frosting in the fridge if it’s too soft. During the Summer months I find ingredients melt much faster. I hope these tips help! And thank you for reading my blog. xo
I had the same problem. I work at a professional bakery, making cupcakes/wedding cakes daily, and this was a big flop. The cake was delicious but practically a pound-cake. The frosting was awful! I was so excited about it, and I am mad that I wasted the time, and now don’t have the time to make it better. I have never mixed cream cheese into a “buttercream” and i’m thinking that had something to do with it not holding its shape. I had to put the frosted cupcakes in the fridge to help the completely cooled cupcakes keep their frosting on top! Luckily my husband likes them, because the “buttercream” is disgusting to me. I’ll stick to my normal berry buttercream recipe!
Exactly the same thing happened to me!
Runny extra sweet frosting that wouldn’t hold its shape.
I hoped I had read the comments before making this 🙁
Hey, I tried this recipe myself and was also disappointed by the results I got. I did try them again, changing a few things I noticed immediately to be very different than what I have always gone by when baking. First, I found that you are fine if you don’t add the lemon into the sugar first before mixing it with the butter, in fact I think that it really helped the moisture levels in the cake because I had to turn my mixer on high to get it to blend in(I also added a bit of lemon juice-I didn’t measure how much-to make the lemon flavor stronger, but that is a preference). That caused my butter to turn back into a really soft butter instead of melted which meant that in the oven, the butter melted again, adding more moisture into the cake. Also, instead of adding ALL of your dry ingredients in and then a whole new round of wet, you should alternate, as it helps everything to blend together and you really end up with a smoother batter. I used a cup of dry, then a half cup of wet until all of both were gone. As for the reduction, mine turned out wonderfully, my thought is that you didn’t reduce it enough, making it a weaker concentrate that watered down the entire batch of frosting. Additionally, you do need all of the sugar, as it makes up for the bitterness in the blackberry reduction.
I would love to make these, however I am confused about the recipe. Step 4 says to combine the lemon zest with the sugar, then step 5 says to mix butter with the sugar (I am assuming the lemon sugar), and then add the lemon zest. Please clarify as I am excited to try these!
Hi Mazie! All fixed now 😉 You just add the lemon zest to the sugar, then add the lemon sugar to the butter!
If I don’t have lemon zest, can I just use bottled lemon juice?
Holy cow!!! This looks amazing!
I made these cupcakes today and they were a HUGE disappointment. They looked really pretty on this blog but like another review I read the buttercream tasted like something store-bought. I couldn’t even find the taste of blackberries, it was all sugar. The cupcake looked more like a biscuit than cake, it was extremely dense. I think I’ll just stick to using recipes from the Food Network.
Hi Ariana. I’m sorry to hear your cupcakes did not turn out well. Just to let you know – it is standard to use that much sugar for frosting in pretty much any cupcake recipe – even the ones on the food network. The cupcakes, which I make all the time, should not be like a biscuit. If you ever want to make these again, feel free to reach out and I can help troubleshoot what went wrong. Happy New Year!
I found your cupcakes on pinterest. We are making them right now. Just hoping I am doing it right. The narrative above says to add the blackberries lemon juice and sugar to the saucepan….. But the instuctions don’t mention the sugar. I am doing the way you said in the narrative. Hoping the recipe is just a little typo. Keeping my fingers crossed they turn out half as pretty as they look! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Rebecca. There is no sugar added to the blackberry lemon jam. You will add the confectioners’ sugar to the cooled jam, though. I hope that helps! I just went through the recipe again and it looks good to me. Please let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Hey I’m about to try these beautiful cupcakes. I hate sour cream however and was wondering if I could replace it with whipped cream? Would the cupcakes still turn out okay? Do you know if I would use the same amount of whipped cream? Thank you. So excited!
Hi Yvette. I definitely do not recommend substituting whipped cream for the sour cream. You could however use full fat greek yogurt in its place. The sour cream adds texture but you won’t taste it in the cooked cupcake 🙂
I made these cupcakes last night, and while I also found the cake dense (more like a muffin), the flavour got rave reviews! However, the icing wasn’t worth the time. Unfortunately the blackberry taste was lost in the icing sugar and it was just too sweet, especially with the light lemon taste (and I like sweet). I think if I were to make this again I would top with a blackberry whipping cream. Thanks for the fantastic cake recipe.
Hi Holly. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. The icing is very sweet, but adding a dash of salt definitely will decrease the sweetness. You can also hunt down blackberry extract if you ever want to make them again and increase the blackberry flavor.
I just baked these cupcakes and the flavor was great,but I’m a little dissappointed in the texture of the cupcake. It was very dense and muffin like
Hi Marissa. Did you happen to pack your flour? Did you follow the recipe to a T? The cupcakes are typically very moist and fluffy, so I’m not sure why they came out dense. Happy you enjoyed the flavor 🙂
Hai, thank you so much for the recipe! I made it yesterday and it was delicious!! But the icing was really too sweet. But pls remind me again the recipe for the icing, is it 1/4cup butter with 4 1/2cup icing sugar? Cause it turns out too sweet and grainy! Couldn’t get the texture right so I changed it to 1 cup butter to 2cups icing sugar with the blackberry reduction and it turns out beautifully. But again thank you for the inspiration I definitely gonna do t again!
Hi Shen. Did you add the cream cheese and cream to recipe as well? There is a half cup of butter, a half cup of cream cheese, and cream as needed, which should give you the right texture 😉 I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe! And thank you for letting me know. xo
What tip did you use to frost the cupcakes? I’m experimenting with different styles of icing these days…
Hi Erin. It’s a Wilton star tip; I believe a 6 B.
Hello!
First off.. I made these but did a blueberry butter cream and did the reduction with blueberries. It was amazing.
Second this cake recipe is awesome. It is my go to recipe now.. If I want a different flavor then lemon then I switch out the lemon zest and use whatever flavor I want in the sugar. ie: lime, vanilla beans, chocolate etc. All have had amazing results!
Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
I cheated and used boxed Lemon cake mix and added a few drops of doTERRA Lemon Essential Oil and they came out amazing! The icing is a beautiful color and I don’t have a problem with the sweetness of it I have an issue with it being very sticky. There is no possible way I can even pipe this. I even added an extra cup of confectioners sugar and 2 tablespoons of meringue powder hoping it would stiffen up, and chilled it over night. But delicious flavor, will have to make icing like I always do and add compote.
I just tried making these cupcakes about 1 hour ago. The cupcake itself turned out fantastic. However, I am having troubles with the frosting. First off, the puree was more liquid than anything. I tried to let it sit longer but I was worried about it starting to burn. Now the frosting looks gritty but isn’t. It is simply not fluffy. Do you have any tips on what I may be able to do?
Hi Kelsey. Did you strain the blackberry puree? It definitely should not be mainly liquid, but more of a thick jam. If it’s looking gritty you may need to add some heavy cream, about a tablespoon or two to start. Whip the cream into the frosting and continue to whip it on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
Hey! I am getting ready to make these as a trial for a shower I’m hosting ina few weeks. I’ve read all the comments to try and make sure i avoid some of the common pitfalls. I am a little confused though. When you make your reduction and strain it, you use what’s left in the strainer, NOT the liquid, correct? I suppose if it’s all to sweet, as some of the comments suggest, adding lemon zest to the mixture could help take care of that. Thanks in advance!
Hi Cortney. You actually use the liquid. Straining it just helps take out any chunky bits. You can always add a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet. I like to taste it once it’s done whipping and add a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt if it’s too sweet. Simply beat it in until it’s well combined 😉
I am in the process of making this right now! I cooked some blackberries I had saved in the freezer from the summer. I guess I was rushing, because the blackberries never thickened up! Now I have basically blackberry/lemon juice after straining. I don’t know if this will be seen, but wondering if it will still work to use the juice, and just not use all of it? Also, I didn’t add sugar because it wasn’t in the written recipe. I am worried they will be too tart.
Hi Wendy. I promise any comment you leave will always be seen 🙂 The icing will definitely not be too tart, as there is plenty of sugar to balance it out. I would just add a little puree at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
Those look so good! I am going to make them. YUMMY!
I made these cupcakes today, while the cake turned out very yummy, I found I had to add an extra lemon’s worth of zest, and possibly could have added more to amplify the flavour. The frosting I was rather dissapointed with, as after doing all the right amounts, all I could taste was the cream cheese. I had to do another batch of the blackberry and lemon jam, and therefore had to add much conf. sugar to keep it light. Even then, the taste was not there and I had to end up adding strawberry extract just to give it some fruit flavor and to cover up the cream cheese.
So, I made these last night to bring to work this morning. They were a BIG hit. ‘My favorite yet”, “yummy’ “Oh my’ were some of the comments. The funny part is – not until I read the comment above mine did I see that cream cheese was required for the frosting. I accidentally left it out. I probably added an extra teaspoon of cream and the consistency was ideal. The frosting was still awesome. Thank you!!!
Hi Rebecca! I am SO happy to hear these turned out for you. They are one of my all-time favorite cupcakes – especially the frosting – so I am pleased to hear they were a home run for you too 🙂
It’s freezing cold outside and I am going to make these cupcakes this weekend. 1. They look amazing! 2. It will remind me of warmer wearther 😉
Yes! Veronica these are like an instant beam of sunshine! <3
Ok I made them tonight.. Couldn’t wait for tomorrow 🙂
They are sooooooooooo goooooooood!!!!!!!
I didn’t have a lemon so I used lemon juice instead but it worked out! The only problem I had was with piping. The frosting is so smooth and delicious but I had a hard time with it. It doesn’t look bad it’s just not perfect. Any suggestions? Did you use top 2D?
Hi Veronica. I am so happy to hear you made these cupcakes – one of my favorite recipes! I used a standard star tip that came in a cake decorating kit from the grocery store; I wish I could be more helpful with that. Sometimes, if I start piping and see my frosting is too limp, I’ll either add more confectioners’ sugar or place the bag in the fridge for a half hour to firm up. I also always place my newly frosted cupcakes in the fridge for 20 minutes, just to let the loose creamy frosting kind of “set”. I hope that helps! xo
I made these last night and they are amazing! Definitely my new favorite cupcake recipe. Thank you for making the instructions so clear and easy to follow! I’m a novice baker and was easily able to follow this recipe. Thanks!
My question is- do you think your recipe for the buttercream frosting would work with strawberries? I’ve looked for similar icing recipes to this one (except using strawberries) but I’m not finding anything that looks as good. Would I just substitute the blackberries for strawberries?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Erika. Thank you so much for your sweet comment 🙂 I’m a huge fan of these cupcakes myself and so so happy they worked out for you! To answer your question; I think if you followed the instructions and just subbed in strawberries it would work out OK. But since I’ve never tried it myself it’s hard to say for sure. Maybe I’ll just have to post a strawberry cupcake soon 🙂 xo
I think I am going to give these cupcakes a whirl! They look amazing. I am a novice baker- and tend to lean toward being a better cook than baker. A pinch of this and a pinch of that. But the instructions are very well written out and after reading others trials and errors I’m hoping to be successful! Question- Do I need to sift the flour?
Hi Liz. No need to sift the flour. Just be sure not to pack it when you’re measuring 🙂 The best method is to spoon it lightly into the measuring cup, then level it off with the flat side of a knife. Happy baking! xo
Have you ever tried making these as a cake rather than as cupcakes? Was thinking of trying the recipe this weekend as a cake and wanted to know if you had any tips. Thanks!
Hi Gina. I have never tried it myself, but if you adjust the bake time… I think it could work. I would watch the cake closely as it bakes and pull it out as soon as a tester comes out clean 😉
I was just wondering how long these cupcakes will last in the fridge???
Hi Ashley. They’ll last up to 48 hours (Just be sure to let them come to room temperature before serving). xo
Is there a substitute for the sour cream? I want to make these but I have no sour cream! Anyways thanks!
Hi Portia. You could use plain yogurt 😉
how many cupcakes does this make?
Hi Robyn. You should have 2 dozen cupcakes 🙂
It says on the recipe that it makes a dozen.. so now it makes 2 dozen?
Hi Ashley. That’s my mistake. It is indeed one dozen. I’m sorry you had an issue with the recipe. It’s actually so crazy to me how some readers are getting perfect results and others horrible ones. I will be retesting this recipe this week and noting any news on the post.
yes it does say divide into 12 cup cakes. Also frosting asks for salt but directions never ask for it so I just threw it in last.
They look great and will send to work with the DH
oh my frosting is also too thin so did add more p sugar and will now try chilling it a bit.
I will try these again and see what happens with less berries also added more lemmon juice to cupcake. zest not enough flavor. thanks for the recipe!
oh my goodness, these are delicious and gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe! It is awesome! I make a lot of cakes from scratch and this recipe was very different from what I am used to… But I followed it exactly and it was perfect! I doubled the recipe with no problem and baked in 2 8inch pans for 35 minutes. As far as the frosting, I always cream the butter ( beat on high for 7 min.) sift the sugar before measuring, and add cream for consistency only. I will be making this often!! Thanks again!!!
I just made these cupcakes- WOW! The blackberry buttercream is to die for! It didn’t come out the same vibrant color as in the picture but it’s still pretty great. Thank you for sharing!
Just wanted to say I made these and they are friggen great.
i made these cupcakes and frosting today and they are AMAZING!!! I absolutely love the frosting!!! Although next time I may half the frosting recipe as it makes a TON!!!
Hi Carrie! That is so awesome to hear 🙂 You can definitely halve the frosting, or store the leftovers in the fridge and use it for sugar cookies/pound cake/ etc. Thank you so much for letting me know these were a hit for you! xo
Oh my gosh! The cupcakes came out awesome. I will be using this recipe with my own tweaks based on cupcake flavors but it’s perfect consistency and delicious! My boyfriend isn’t too much of a cupcake fan but these he could not put down & then I knew I did something right.
The only difference was my frosting and bake time had to be extended to 26 mins total. I followed the buttercream recipe and unfortunately did not have blackberries. So I improvised and melted Ghirardelli ChocChips, mixed it into the basic buttercream frosting & it turned into a delicious chocolate lemony buttercream flavor. To say the least, my family loved them and so did my boyfriend! It’s a refreshing flavor with the lemon in my cupcakes, I really like it.
Now my next batch I will try the blackberries and make them mini being that this batch were regular sized cupcakes. My boyfriend requested a batch to take to work lol! So glad I tried these 🙂 Highly recommended!
These turned out fabulous! The only changes I made was baking time took 20 minutes and I didn’t add cream cheese to the frosting but other than that I followed your recipe. The cake is moist and tender and the frosting – can I just say WOW! It was gorgeous! Your directions are great and easy to follow. They had a beautiful presentation and I will be making these again. Thank you for a great – and unique – recipe!
These are sooo good. Thank you for the recipe!
best cupcakes I have made in awhile. Everyone loved them!! I couldn’t stop eating them. Followed the recipe to a T and everything came out perfect!!
Hi Erica. That is so awesome to hear! We love these cupcakes and I am beyond happy to read they were a hit for you 🙂 xoxo
I just made these and my frosting turned out great except I only got 1/4 cup of the blackberry purée so I added some lemon juice to make the rest of the 1/3 cup. It is very sweet but most frosting is. However my cake tastes more like flour than anything else. I’ve never made cake mix from scratch before so maybe that’s how it’s supposed to taste. I did make a batch and a half so maybe I got my measurements wrong. Also it didn’t mix well in my stand mixer, the butter and sugar combo stuck to the bottom of the bowl causing chunks in the batter. Have you ever experienced these issues when making them? Thank you 🙂
Hi Kiersten. I’m so happy the frosting turned out for you. I make these cupcakes all the time (sometimes with different frosting) and I have to say I’ve never experienced that issue. Was your butter melted? You want to beat the butter and sugar until combined, and use a spatula to scrap it down as needed.
Hi! I’m planning on making these for my baby’s one year birthday party! So glad people have posted positive comments based on their results! And I must commend you on your positive and patient responses to some of the slightly less positive posts! You show great grace patience!
Hi Priscilla. Your sweet comment made my night! I hope your party is a hit 🙂 Please let me know if you have any questions about the recipe. xoxo
These were AMAZING! Not quite sure why people had any issues with them…I followed the directions to a T (minus substituting the flour for gluten free flour so I could eat them
These cupcakes are amazing. Made them a few times now. The last time I had some left over batter, because I double the recipe, so I decided to bake it as a small cake. Used it with some strawberries and whip cream. It was even better than normal strawberry shortcake. Will defiantly use this in the future.
I’ve made these a few times now and each time the cupcakes themselves are too dense… I’ve been VERY careful not to over-beat them, but no matter what I do, they are too dense. I was wondering if maybe it would help to omit the sour cream? Not sure what else to do…
Hi Beth. Omitting the sour cream definitely would not help. You could try using cake flour for a lighter crumb, or add an extra 1/4 cup of sour cream, which might help.
I made these last night for a baby shower. I didn’t have sour cream, so used low fat yogurt instead. I think this made the cupcakes a bit denser than they should have been, but they still had a great flavor. Also, I had to store them in the fridge for about 15 hours, which I felt definitely affected the texture. Also, the frosting was wonderful, but I feel still overpowers the very delicate cupcakes. I have leftover frosting, and might try it with a lemon loaf or something similar.
Hi Laura. Thank you for your feedback! The cupcakes would definitely be denser after being stored in the fridge, but I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them 🙂 xo
Hi. I love the combination of lemon and blackberries. I followed the direction to the T and the cupcakes came out as muffins. I had the standing mixer on low and afraid that it would be muffin like I switched to hand mixing.
Also, how much of the strained blackberry purée should you have? I think i got 2 tsp.thank you
These are perhaps the best dang cupcakes I’ve not only ever eaten…. but MADE. Consider your blog saved!!! 🙂 WOW! We made them in mini cupcake form and only needed 1/2 the frosting but the blackberries were the perfect compliment!
I just found this recipe on Pinterest and initially I tried it because of the beautiful blackberry buttercream. The lemon cake part of this recipe is absolutely to die for. The only things I changed in the cake were that I subbed Greek yogurt for the sour cream and I’m not that big on sweets so I cut the amount of sugar in half and still found it plenty sweet. I wasn’t fond of the buttercream but that’s just me.
Hi Desiree. Thanks so much for the honest feedback. If you decide to try the icing again, you can try using all butter and leaving out the cream cheese (just double the butter). xo
Hi! I made these tonight, and the flavor of the cake was delicious! Very lemony, and I was very please. They were just rather dense. Not so much to make them inedible, but still I’d much rather a lighter, fluffier cupcake. I was careful not to over mix, and baked a little longer than 16 minutes because they were still undercooked at that point. So I’m wondering if you have any other suggestions?
I’m also curious of the buttercream could be made with all butter rather than butter and cream cheese. The flavor was pretty good, but the cream cheese was very strong.
Thanks for your help! I really do like this recipe 🙂
Hi Taylor. The cupcakes should be dense but not dry. If they’re too dense for your taste, try using cake flour next time 🙂
You can definitely use all butter instead. Thanks for the feedback!
I found the recipe on Pinterest and could not wait to make them. The buttercream frosting looked as gorgeous as the pictures and tasted lovely. My issue was the cupcake; great taste but dense. I am a baker so I immediately questioned the technique. For me, the traditional method for baking cakes ei creaming, alternating the flour with liquid etc makes for the most tender of cakes. I wondered about 2 tsp of vanilla. Seems like a lot for a lemon cupcake. Tasted the vanilla more than the lemon. Plan to make again but the traditional way with less vanilla but what are your thoughts traditional vs your method? Thanks.
I made these the other day, and they turned out beautifully! I love the black berry and lemon taste!
These were the lightest, moistest, and delicious cupcakes I’ve ever made! My family is requesting I make them all the time. Only thing I changed was to add the juice of the lemon I zested into the final batter. Gave it a bit more zing of lemony flavor. Frosting was amazing! I am adding this to my arsenal of “event” desserts. Thanks!
Hi Courtney! So happy to hear it 🙂 I love the idea of adding lemon juice in the batter; I’ll have to try that next time I make a batch.
I’m about to make these but after reading all of the comments I see some say to put cream cheese and cream in the frosting. The recipe I’m looking at above doesn’t say to put either one of those in the frosting. Just don’t want to miss something.
Hi Monique. You didn’t miss anything! The recipe is as written; I simply suggest adding a dash of cream if your frosting is too thick (but most likely you won’t need it!). Please let us know how they turn out 🙂
These cupcakes were AWFUL. What a waste of my time. The cake turned out just fine (but hardly could taste lemon), but the frosting was terrible. I ended up using 5 cups of confectioners sugar and all I could taste was salted butter. Also in no way could I taste blackberries either. Waste of money.
Hi Lindsay. I’m truly sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe. Feeling like you wasted time and money is never a good feeling.
To address your issues:
1) There is a note at the bottom of the recipe box that says to add a little lemon juice to the cupcake batter for a stronger lemon taste. Not everyone enjoys a lip puckering lemon recipe, which is why I simply give it as an option to those who do.
2) If you needed 5 cups of confectioners’ sugar, you may not have reduced the berry mixture enough. It’s a small amount and shouldn’t mess with the consistency of the frosting. Almost all frosting recipes call for 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar, so the amount I use in this recipe isn’t anything new.
3) The salt is such a small amount you shouldn’t be able to taste it at all. Did you by chance use already salted butter? That’s the only reason I can think of it tasting overly salty. The reason I add the salt is simply to counterbalance the sweetness.
If you have any additional questions or would like to retry this recipe in the future, I am here to help.
Hello! I’m planning on making these tonight, and after reading the comments about the buttercream frosting, I’m very confused and nervous! Should I be using half cream cheese and half butter for the frosting, or all butter? What would be the difference between the 2 options? Would one make it sweeter over the other? If cream cheese is the way to go, I’m guessing it should be softened, yes?
Also, for the cake- would there be a difference in consistency / the directions if I used 2% milk and low-fat sour cream? I know nothing about a cupcake is “healthy”, but I like to try and cut down on fat when I can! 😉
Thank you! I’m excited to try these, they look positively lovely! Here’s hoping I can get it right 😉
ALSO! Sorry, one last question. Could blackberry jam or preserves be used in place of the blackberry reduction, in case I have a minor panic when I try a reduction? 😉 I’ve seen another recipe that used raspberry preserves that sound delectable and similar to yours! Just less fancy 🙂
Hi Karen. I completely understand your concerns! You will use all butter, that has been softened. If you did decide to use cream cheese it should be VERY soft.
Using a low-fat dairy will most likely make a slightly more dense cake, but it can work.
You could definitely try using blackberry jam/preserves. That’s basically what the reduction ends up becoming.
Good luck! And please let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
Holy cow, that was a speedy response! 🙂
Thanks so so so much for your help! Hopefully I can get these right. I have a sweet-tooth, so I’m not too worried about the frosting being too sweet. I figure if you think it’s too sweet, just use a bit less on your cupcake 😉 Me, I LOVE a mountain of frosting like in your photos 😉
Thanks again for your help! They turned out pretty well I think! I doubled the recipe actually and didn’t fill my liners enough, so I ended up with 24 regular cupcakes and 18 mini cupcakes! Which is okay with me, since the cake recipe is DEVINE. Definitely used the extra lemon juice, and they’re lovely!
I ended up using jam for the frosting but still added the lemon juice (I’m a slow baker and it was already about 11:00 when I started making frosting… oops!), and it came out pretty tasty, though is only light purple compared to what you got. It was super sweet, but the salt did help! I also added a little milk to it to get a better consistency / balance the powdered sugar. The frosting alone is INTENSE, but when topped on the cupcakes, it really has a nice balance.
I made these for Mother’s Day. I definitely over beat them…they were too dense. No one else seemed to notice though…
The buttercream was delicious but a bit hard to work with at first so I cooled it a bit and it was fine.
I will definitely be adding more lemon, but that’s just me. 🙂
I am making them tomorrow for my mom’s wedding and will substitute raspberries for the blackberries this time.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hiya,
I was wondering if you could help me! I’ve tried the buttercream recipe twice, and both times it has been fine until I’ve added the second cup of icing sugar – then it starts splitting. I carry on, adding more icing sugar to thicken it up, but it still splits and goes really runny ): any idea why this could be? I follow the recipe exactly
Hi Melody. How strange. It’s such a small amount of liquid that it really shouldn’t be runny. Are you starting with softened butter? If should be soft but not liquid.
I start with softened butter it’s nowhere near a liquid at all, I follow the recipe exactly using the correct quantities and methods, but the blackberries when added just make the icing weird and runny?
Hi Melody. Did you let the blackberry puree cool completely?
I just received an e mail from Pinterest telling me they removed a Pin that I repinned from you. With all my respect, people like me who love Pinterest are not taking credit for the Pins we repinned. That’s Pinterest, a place to share our interests and what we like, so it’s very easy, if you don’t want to share your recipes on Pinterest don’t use Pinterest and don’t give the option to repinned your recipes. I liked your board and you’re good at it, but I won’t follow you anymore.
Hi Mercedes. The pin that was removed was not pinned by me; it was taken down by me because it was a bad link that lead to someones page who was stealing my content. I’m sorry you’re upset the pin was taken down, but I work very hard on my content and do not wish to have others stealing my photographs and recipes. If you’d like to talk about this more, please feel free to direct message me.
Made these tonight. My cake turned out great, followed recipe exactly and they are NOT dense at all. Very good cake. I did add a little lemon juice at end of mixing and it is perfect. I did not fill up cupcake liners as much as I should have and ended up with more, but short cupcakes…which was fine with me. I did struggle with my buttercream mostly my fault. I don’t have a fine mesh strainer (How is that possible?) So I improvised with my sifter. I think I lost some of the reduction by doing this as i didn’t end up with enough and the blackberry taste isn’t strong enough, but that is my fault. The ONLY thing I would change in recipe is the amount of salt in buttercream. 1/2tsp is too much. I taste it in the frosting. Next time I will use just a dash of salt, but I am very glad I made them. Thank you for the recipe!!!
I made these last night and they came out great! I did add extra lemon juice to the batter at the end, about a teaspoon. I found the cake to be a little dense, and lightly lemony. The cake was very moist. I read in a comment the sugar didn’t blend smoothly into the butter – mine didn’t either but I made do. The blackberry buttercream was delicious. It did taste very sweet, but once on the cupcake it was a killer combo. Thank you for this gorgeous recipe! I plan to make minis for an upcoming bridal shower 🙂
Hi Allison. I’m so happy this recipe was a hit for you! I think they’ll be just perfect as minis – just be sure to adjust the baking time as they’ll bake a lot faster 😉
Made it yesterday
Turned out great with a gentle lovely fresh tase.
Thank you!
Made them yesterday turned out great! very fresh gentele tase.
Thank you!
Hi Effi. So happy to hear it! You’re very welcome 🙂
I made this cupcakes yesterday and had zero problems. I’m glad I started them beforei read some of the comments because that may have discouraged me. I’m not sure why so many people had trouble with making these beauties but they came out perfectly for me. I wish I could add my picture of them.
Hi Rose. I’m so so happy you enjoyed these cupcakes – they really are something special! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know how this recipe turned out. If you’d like to share your photo, feel free to post it on my Facebook wall https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baker-by-Nature/123135011188380 ; I’d love to see it 🙂
I made these cupcakes this morning with raspberry buttercream instead of blackberry….used the same recipe you posted just substituted for raspberries. Turned out great and everyone loves them! Awesome recipe. Will definitely make again
these cupcakes were huge hit at a family event! Everyone loved them and raved over how delicious they were! Planning to use the recipe again, but this time I would like to make a cake out of it. Do the ingredients for the recipe change, besides the obvious of doubling and or tripling the actual ingredients
I am making these soon do you think that the color will still be beautiful with raspberries instead of blackberries
Hi Nicole. I actually have a raspberry version of this cupcake. Here is the link: http://bakerbynature.com/lemon-cupcakes-with-raspberry-buttercream/
Hello I was trying to see if this question had already been asked but i cannot seem to find it in any replies. Is there a substitute for the granulated sugar? I was thinking about using honey?
Hi Dalida. I would not recommend substituting honey for granulated sugar as the consistency will be very different and most likely not great in texture.
I find it really hard to mix the sour cream, milk and egg mixture ind the mix og butter and egg and flour mixture. It’s full of small lumps. And I’m afraid to mix it too much.
Wow! The frosting color is stunning! ! I want to make it badly but I have to wait till I get some berries tomorrow 🙁
I don’t like buttercream though and I saw some comments mention cream cheese but I didn’t find it in the recipe. Can I make cream cheese frosting with the berries jam?
I just tried the cupcake this morning and I’m disappointed with the result 🙁
1- it didn’t rise!
2- the mixture was a bit heavy
3- the cupcakes were dense and tasteless no lemon flavor no blueberry! (I added few to the some of the mixture)
Maybe next time I’ll reduce the flour and increase the lemon juice. Any suggestions?
Hi Fatimah. Did you use blueberries in the cupcake batter? That would certainly mess with the texture. Is there anything else you changed in the recipe? I look forward to helping you troubleshoot.
No I changed nothing. I just split the batter in half and added blueberries to one half. So I had some cupcakes with blueberry and some plain.
I’m not sure what went wrong 🙁
Well, there are a few things I can think of that may help:
1) When measuring your cake flour, be sure you don’t pack it. It should be lightly spooned into the measuring cup, then lightly leveled off with a knife.
2) Check the expiration date on your baking soda and baking powder. This recipe includes both of those ingredients and should have no issues rising in the oven.
3) Do you use an internal thermometer for your oven? It may run hot, which can cause dense/dry cupcakes.
4) Always use FULL fat ingredients when called for.
I hope these help!
Second attempt was good! I just posted a pic and tagged you!
The cake is delicious and fluffy. I added 1tbsp lemon juice to enrich the flavor but it’s still light. I like it nonetheless!
The frosting was a bit messy, will fix it mext time but I’m totally satisfied what the end result l.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I forgot to ask you this. I made cream cheese frosting and the color turned out light purple not like yours. now this was heart breaking because I was looking forward to your bright color. Any suggestions for that?
So first, I’d like to say I made these a couple of weeks ago and they were a HUGE hit. Flavors were fantastic, presentation was gorgeous.
That being said, it was a mess of an endeavor for me, and this was by no means my first cupcake rodeo. 😉
I’d assumed, reading the ingredients list, this would make 2 dozen cupcakes, since just about every other cupcake recipe I’ve made is automatically for that amount. I had to scramble when I went to actually make them and realized the ingredients list was only for ONE dozen! Whoops. Totally my bad for not thoroughly reading in the first place, but it threw me for a loop.
It’s also much easier to state how full each cup of the tin should be filled. These turned out needing to be filled almost all the way, since they didn’t rise much at all. My experience, again, is to fill 2/3 to 3/4 full, so I had some sad, low cupcakes in their papers (nothing a healthy dose of frosting couldn’t hide, though!).
The blackberry reduction was nearly impossible to strain!! I had to mash and push and press to get a little squeezed out through my fine mesh strainer, then swipe it off into a dish, then repeat…and repeat…and repeat. It easily took me over an hour JUST to make the frosting!! The prep time is way off, in my estimation, for anyone who isn’t an absolute professional. So, allow yourself plenty of time for these bad boys!
The effort was worth it to make these for my family for Easter, but man oh man. I’m not sure I’d want to repeat the whole endeavor!
Thanks for the great recipe, Ashley! My kids and I love blackberries, so this was a perfect fit for us! 🙂
P.S. Don’t doubt yourself; short people can bake, too! 😉
I made these today and they were a hit! I’m new to baking and I was looking for a recipe that was easy but has great flavor, and this was a home run! Thanks for posting!
So happy you enjoyed them, Brian!
Hi,
I was just wondering if I could freeze them for a week, trying to cut down my work for next weeks bday party.
Thanks!
I made these last night, the cake came out very dense like a muffin…is it because of no oil? Practically all cake mixes use oil
Very unusual taste.. I alone a baker and entrepreneur mom, selling cakes and organzing kids theme party. I made one exactly as t his. usuallly I use cupcake stand or cupcake tower especially if i am planning a kids party, kids wont appreciate it that much if they were placed in a flat table no matter how colorful my cupcake were.
I actually look one online and its hard time looking what I exactly I want, but I finally saw one online. You can follow my pinterest accout where I pin all the cupcakes that interests me most and cake stand i use similar to that.
https://www.pinterest.com/sharrydima/
I tried the recipe and thought it turned out great and my husband agreed. I’ll have to say I did not put the blackberry puree through a strainer as blackberry seeds do not bother me. I thought the blackberry and lemon flavors worked very well together. I was not disappointed in this recipe at all, as is not the case with many recipes I try. Thank you so much!
I. Love. These.
They are perfect in every way! I made these exactly as your recipe stated and had no issues. I wish I had more blackberry reduction in the frosting, but they weren’t super juicy since they aren’t in season. The flavors were amazing! I loved it so much I immediately adapted the same cupcake base to make a vanilla almond recipe as well and they turned out perfect too! Your photos (on IG) are what drew me in, now I’ll make anything you post with confidence! We had your one bowl chocolate cupcakes and salted caramel cupcakes at our party as well and only ONE out of 60 were left over by the end! Thank you for posting such delicious and easy to follow recipes that are reliable.
I like these cupcakes a lot, but I doubled the recipe and it made 3 dozen which is sorta over whelming.
Hello!
Has anyone tried this recipe at a high altitude? I live 6,512 ft and really want to try this out!! Any suggestions are welcome:)
Thank you,
Lauren F.
Is it possible to adjust the recipe for a 7 in round cake? Or even a sheet cake?
I just made your cupcakes this weekend and they were a big hit! The cake was a little on the dense side so I think I overmixed the batter, but the flavors were spectacular. The buttercream was the perfect mix of sweet and tart. I tasted it before and after adding the salt and that definitely made the difference between an overwhelming sense of sugar, and just the right amount. I would suggest to others not to rush cooking down the blackberries and wait until you have ~1/4 cup of juice concentrate. My friends were all big fans of these. I will definitely be making them again.
hi!!! how far in advance can these cupcakes be made if stored properly covered at room temp? thanks!
Hi, I’ve been reading through the comments and wondering what this talk about adding cream cheese is when I don’t see it in the recipe. I’ve never made butter cream before. Can you help me figure this out please? Thank you!
Okay, so I just had to try these, as I am a boxed mix user, doctoring them up a bit. mine overflowed terribly and tasted just like sugar cookies! I wonder if I did something wrong? there was only one difference in your recipe and what I did; I didn’t have any cake flour so I used all purpose flour. do you think that could be the problem with the overflowing?
Yum! Made these tonight. They are some of the best cupcakes I have ever had! It’s really hard for me not to eat every single one. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe.
YAY!!! Thank you so much for letting me know, Melody 🙂
I have made these several times and they’ve been delicious! Have you ever used the cupcake recipe as a cake instead? Wondering if you had good results and what size this recipe would make Also, how long you baked it for. Thanks!
Hi Malory. I haven’t tried baking this into a cake, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. I would guess there’s enough batter for one 9″ round, but I can’t say for sure. If you try this, I’d recommend baking it for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean 🙂
Thanks! I will be trying this! The cupcakes are too good, can’t imagine they wouldn’t be just as great as a cake.
Hello, I am makeing these for a party tomorrow night! I’d prefer to bake them tonight (24 hours in advance of consumption) will they still be okay? I know you wrote up to 6 hours in your recipe but wondering what your thoughts are here? Will any leftovers last 48 hours?
Hoping you see this in time! Thanks!
I made these today and they came out great. My only complaint is that the frosting was a little soft. Any suggestions on what I can do to make it firmer?
Hey, I just made these and the cupcakes came out pretty well. They came out kind of crispy on top. I did use all purpose flour, is that reason?
The main thing, though, is that my frosting came out way too salty. I followed the recipe exactly. It tasted great before the salt, but afterwards it was overwhelmingly salty. It ruined it. Pretty disappointed.
Hi! Could the reduction be used in Swiss merengue buttercream?
These are amazing! The frosting is a great color and the flavors together! Wow! Thank you!!
I put my sugar and lemon zest along with 1/2 tsp of lemon juice in my food processor to infuse the flavor, worked great1 I didn’t have cake flour so I sifted AP flour and they are still light and airy.
i am so going to try this
The wife recently made this. Turned out really well. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Followed all directions and mine turned out awesome!! Tons of compliments and they looked so pretty – I’d love to share a photo but don’t see a place to do that! Pinterest success
I made these cupcakes for book club. They were a huge hit! They are delicious, moist, and beautiful. Thank you for this recipe.
These are my go to cupcakes for any event. I’ve made your recipe 4 or 5 times and they always came out perfect! My sister is getting married next week and asked for these cupcake flavors for her wedding cake. Have you ever tried this recipe for a cake? Does it stack well? It will only be a 2 tiered cake.
Thank you again for the phenomenal recipe!
Made these using raspberries instead of black berries so pretty and they taste amazing!!! So glad I found this recipe.
Thank you
Hi, love this recipe so much! I’ve made it twice before and can’t remember If I had any issues but I do remember loving them so I probably didn’t! I was reading through the comments however and seen several mentions of cream cheese in the frosting? Is that right? I don’t see it under the ingredients or directions so just wanted to make sure as I’m planning on making these again for a birthday. Thank you!
Hi Staff! Happy belted birthday! You are correct: just butter in the frosting.
These cupcakes are amazing!!