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We almost always have lemons in the house – they’re just one of those items I impulsively swipe up every time we hit the grocery store. They’re so affordable year round, and I love the bright, sunshiny kick their juice and zest add to… well, everything! So naturally, when I discovered we had an absurd amount of lemons sitting around the apartment (19 to be exact!), I immediately knew I had to make you guys some light and lovely lemon cupcakes! It just made sense 😉
For this fun recipe I added lemon juice and zest to the cupcake batter, as well as the buttercream – for a luscious lemon cupcake you’re sure to love! The cupcakes are soft, tender, and a million miles away from dry; the buttercream is light, fluffy, and laced with a perky lemon kick sure to please. We gifted these to our neighbors as well as the folks who run our favorite coffee shop, and it was applause all around – these cupcakes are winners!
I added extra lemon zest to the top of each cupcake before serving – for an extra kick of color and zing – but it’s not a necessary step 😉 Just a fun one! xoxo
Light and Lovely Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream (I used full fat)
- 1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
For the Lemon Buttercream:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (very soft)
- 4-5 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
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, and salt; mix well to combine. Set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl combine sour cream, milk, and egg whites; mix well to combine. Set aside.
- 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. Add lemon juice and lemon zest and beat for another minute on medium speed. 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 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before topping with frosting.
To make the Lemon Buttercream:
- Beat butter until light and fluffy. Slowly, add 4 cups of sugar, beating on low until well combined. Add in lemon juice, zest, and cream; beat until combined. Add additional confectioners sugar as needed, stopping when you've reached your desired consistency. Place frosting in piping bag, or simply slather onto cooled cupcakes.
Just made a batch of these cupcakes and they were yummy and fragrant. I made my own cake flour, substituted 4 TB of flour with cornstarch. I decided to reduce the amount sugar by 1/4 C anticipating using a stiff American Buttercream to pipe green grass on top. I also make some figurines with fondant to go on top. The cupcakes turned out perfect. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi,
Could I make this into a cake?
Oh my goodness! I just couldn’t wait to frost these cupcakes before wolfing one down. So good! It even smelt lemony and that’s never happened before. Thank you for a fantastic recipe. This one is a keeper for sure!
Thank you so much for your reply! I think you are right on with packing the flour. I do believe that is what I did wrong. Our oven does run hot so I do use a oven thermometer to correct. Thanks again for your response and happy baking!
Of course! Happy to help 🙂
hi there! i know this is an older post but it looks like the photos are of mini cupcakes, is that right? if so, can you tell me what your baking time was for the mini muffin tins? that’s what i’m wanting to make too. 🙂 thanks!
Hi Amanda. No, these are full-sized cupcakes 🙂 I think the recipe would probably work for minis, but you’d need to reduce the baking time a good bit.
First off let me say the buttercream is amazing! My question is can you subsitute the lemon juice and lemon zest for vanilla extract to make a regular buttercream? Or would it not taste the same .