Originally published in 2013 (and loved ever since!), these sunshine sweet homemade lemon cupcakes are soft and moist, bursting with lemon flavor, and topped with my favorite vanilla buttercream. You’ll love the refreshing zest of citrus flavor in each bite!
How can you not smile sinking your teeth into one of these? The happiest cupcake in the world! Today’s homemade lemon cupcakes are incredibly soft and bursting with lemon, just like my lemon cake. Not too much lemon that you’ll squint your eyes and pucker up your lips, but just enough to give each bite a refreshing zest of citrus flavor. I top them with my favorite vanilla frosting. Sweet vanilla and zesty lemon complement each other wonderfully, though cream cheese frosting would also be delicious!
If these cupcakes look familiar, they probably areโwe double this recipe to make lemon blueberry cake, and we use the exact same base recipe for my lemon raspberry cupcakes and lemon cupcakes with blackberry cream cheese frosting. The gorgeous purple frosting is naturally colored and flavored with blackberriesโand is absolutely divine. We also used this as a starting point and experimented with different citrus flavors in our 6 inch citrus cake.
These Lemon Cupcakes Are
- Sunshine sweet
- Made with basic ingredients
- Bursting with lemon flavor
- A perfect balance of sweet and tart
- Easy to make
- Moist and buttery
- Fun to decorate
- Topped with vanilla buttercream
- A great lemon muffin recipe, too
Overview of Ingredients in Lemon Cupcakes
You need simple, everyday ingredients for today’s cupcakes. The ingredient list is similar to my lemon cake. Let’s review:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of these cupcakes.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: A little salt adds flavor.
- Butter: I favor using neutral oil in my cakes and cupcakes because it makes cakes exceptionally moist. However, when I’m looking for a buttery taste, I use butter. In one bite, all you’ll taste is sweet lemon + buttery vanilla flavor. Unbelievable!
- Sugar: We use all granulated sugar in this cupcake recipe.
- Eggs: 2 eggs add structure and richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor. Try homemade vanilla extract.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture. I use whole milk, but any milk works.
- Lemons: We need 2 lemons for the cupcake batterโthe zest of two lemons & the juice of two lemons.
These would be so good filled with homemade lemon curd! See my chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes for how I fill cupcakes the easy way.
Want to add berries? Use my recipe for lemon blueberry cupcakes.
Frost With Vanilla Buttercream
When deciding what to frost these lemon cupcakes with, I turned to my trusty vanilla buttercream. It’s wonderfully soft and creamy, pipes beautifully (I used a Wilton 1M frosting tip for today’s cupcakes), and pairs perfectly with just about every flavor. I love how this sweet vanilla frosting complements the citrusy lemon cupcakes.
Sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting or a dollop of homemade whipped cream would also be wonderful choices. For even more lemon flavor, try my lemon buttercream. You could even top these with my favorite strawberry frosting (pictured below), or drizzle with raspberry sauce.
More Favorite Cupcake Recipes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Yellow Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Banana Cupcakes
Homemade Lemon Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These sunshine sweet homemade lemon cupcakes with vanilla frosting are incredibly soft and bursting with lemon flavor!ย
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) whole milk
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1/3 cup (80g/ml) fresh lemon juice
- topping: vanilla buttercream and lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, start the mixer on low speed, then slowly add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Once combined, stop the mixer. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it by hand a few times to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Pour/spoon the batter into the linersโfill only about 2/3 to 3/4 full to avoid spilling over the sides.
- Bake for 18โ22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan and return to the rack to cool completely before frosting.ย
- Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream.ย You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Vanilla buttercream can thicken and stiffen in the refrigerator overnight, so use an electric mixer on low speed to beat in an extra splash of milk to smooth it out again. For best results, decorate cupcakes the day you plan to serve them. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip |ย Cupcake Carrierย
- Milk: I highly recommend whole milk for a rich and moist tasting cupcake, but any milk (dairy or nondairy) works in a pinch.
- Lemons: You need about 2 large or 3 medium lemons to yield this amount of zest and juice.
- Mini Cupcakes: For aroundย 30 mini cupcakes, bake for 11โ13 minutes, same oven temperature.
- Be sure to check out myย 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakesย before you begin!
Reader Comments and Reviews
These cupcakes are just perfect! I made them using the instructions for mini cupcakes and they baked beautifully at the 11 minute mark. They are light, and bright in flavor, and the texture is really nice– spongy and moist. I followed the recipe to the T, including weighing the ingredients where measurements were given. Thank you for this fantastic treat! These are delicious, and 12 year-old-son approved!
Hi, I am thinking of using a gluten free 1:1 flour and homemade oat milk as substitutes. Do you think they would still turn out good? thank you!
We haven’t tested those substitutes, but let us know if you do, Cielo!
Hi! Could these be made as mini cupcakes? If so, what would the bake time be?
Hi Natalie, this recipe should make around 30 mini cupcakes, give or take. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Enjoy!
Followed directions and they came out perfect! Love the lemon flavor of the cake.
Can you make the batter ahead of time and scoop/bake a later day?
Hi Molly, we donโt recommend that, because leaveners are activated when theyโre mixed with liquid, so batter should really be baked right away.
I didnโt have milk, so I used buttermilk. The cake has the perfect tender texture and lots of lemon flavor.
My kids baked their first lemon cupcakes and it turnout so well, soft and tasty. Thank you for the recipe xoxo.
Wow, lightest, best cake I’ve ever had! Paired it with a marscapone frosting and lemon curd core, just fabulous!!!
Easy to follow recipe and fantastic result. Very soft, fluffy cupcakes with delicious lemon flavour. I iced mine with passionfruit buttercream and it was extra delicious/zingy!
Can I use this recipe to make a cake instead of cupcakes?
Hi Bretanie, absolutely! This batter yields the perfect amount for a 3 layer 6-inch cake. If you need a larger cake, here is our lemon cake recipe.
Overall, the cupcake was moist but the lemon flavor was overpowering. thank goodness for the icing to help bounce it out, but if we made it again, we certainly would cut down on the amount of lemon juice and lemon zest.โฆ
I only have whole wheat flour and bread flour. Can I use either as a substitute?
Hi Valerie, we recommend waiting until you have all-purpose flour to make these cupcakes. Whole wheat flour will yeild a very dry, dense cupcake, and bread flour will yield a strangely chewy cupcake.
I’m making this into a cake and forgot to pick up unsalted butter, can I adjust the salt to avoid having to run to the store?
Hi Lori, absolutely. You can reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
Hi! Iโve used this recipe numerous of times and theyโre always a hit! ๐ Can I use this recipe to make lemon poppyseed cupcakes? How much poppyseed should I add for a single batch?
Hi Miriam! We would add a couple teaspoons of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients.
Can I use buttermilk for this recipe??
Buttermilk is ok but will give these a tangier taste.
Delicious! Made these and they came out perfect and taste good with vanilla buttercream.
Strange recipe, very pale despite being cooked through and taste a bit sour, I think from the lemon juice. Time to make cake popsโฆ
You might’ve had to bake them longer, the timing on the recipe is really just a suggestion, since it also depends on the oven.
You might’ve had to bake them longer, the time on the recipe is pretty much just a suggestion, since the time can depend on the oven.
These cupcakes taste amazing, although when I baked them they didnโt rise much, so Iโm wondering if I did something wrong
HI Andrea, weโre happy to help troubleshoot! Perhaps your baking powder is old? We find it can lose strength after just a few months of being open.