Lemon Cupcakes

interior texture of lemon cupcake with lemon buttercream.

5 from 1 ratings

A soft, moist lemon cupcake recipe flavored with lemon zest and lemon juice! They are light, tender and tangy. Just add a swirl of this easy lemon buttercream or vanilla buttercream frosting for the perfect cupcake!

Prep Time20

Cook Time18

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cupcakes

Author: Chef Lindsey

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoons kosher salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 lemon zested
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 lemon juiced the same lemon as above (approximately 30g or 2 tablespoons)

For the lemon frosting:

8 cups confectioners' sugar 2 boxes
22 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup + 6.5 tablespoons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice approximately the juice of 2 large lemons

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven 325°F convection (with the fan) or 350°F conventional (no fan) and line 19 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Zest just the bright yellow parts of the lemon and mix with the granulated sugar. Rub it into the sugar with your fingers to help the sugar begin to pull out the oils.
In a larger bowl, whisk the cake flour, salt and baking powder. It isn’t worth sifting unless your flour is particularly clumpy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a separate large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate.
In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk with the lemon juice, just to ease incorporating the wet and dry ingredients. Alternate adding dry ingredients with the buttermilk mixture. I like to begin and end with dry ingredients. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. I often finish my cakes by hand with a silicone spatula to avoid overmixing.
Scoop or pour into liners. This recipe makes 19 cupcakes filled ¾ full. This will make a flat cupcake top but you could make 18 and fill them all just a little more. I used a scoop to portion the batter.
Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer comes out with a few clinging crumbs. They will provide a little resistance in the center when pressed lightly. At this lower baking temperature they don’t really brown. Mine took 18 minutes at 325°F convection.

Make the Lemon Frosting:

In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar. {Optional, but I find it makes things easier!}
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add softened butter, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix until light and smooth. Start the mixer on low until combined and then gradually increase to medium speed.
Add the lemon juice to the butter mixture and beat with the paddle until homogenous and lightened.
If a lighter, airier buttercream is desired, switch to the whisk attachment. Whisk on high until light and fluffy and white. For a smoother buttercream with fewer bubbles, keep the paddle attachment.

Assemble your cupcakes:

For Piping: Fit a piping bag with your favorite piping tip. Place the bag with a tip in a large glass and fold the edges over the rim of the glass. Fill the bag about 2/3 full. Press the buttercream to the bottom of the bag, get out any air pockets, twist the top and get ready to pipe!
For Spreading: Simply grab a large offset spatula, dollop on some buttercream and start spreading! Add more as needed.

Notes

Yield – 19 cupcakes
Flavor Tips – Allow the lemon zest to sit with the sugar ahead of time to draw out the flavor.
Technique – Using room temperature ingredients will ensure the best texture.
Storage – Store baked cupcakes well wrapped at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for a week. If you aren’t going to frost them the day they are made, I suggest cooling, wrapping and freezing the cupcakes.

Nutrition