Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Sunny, fluffy, LEMON CUPCAKES! An easy and from-scratch cupcake and lemon cream cheese frosting recipe.

Be sure to check out the how-to video below the recipe!

Course cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 17

Total Time 47

Servings cupcakes

Calories 488kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Ingredients

Lemon Cupcakes

¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter softened
¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil¹
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon zest²
2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (185 g) all-purpose flour may substitute cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
8 oz (226 g) cream cheese softened (brick-style, not spreadable)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract optional
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar

Instructions

LEMON CUPCAKES

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Place butter in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat until creamy.
¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add oil, sugar, and lemon zest and beat again until creamy and thoroughly combined.
¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil¹ , ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar , 2 Tablespoons lemon zest²
Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well until completely combined.
2 large eggs, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
1 ½ cups (185 g) all-purpose flour , 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
In a large measuring cup, briefly stir together buttermilk and lemon juice.
½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk, 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Using a spoon or spatula, gradually stir about a third of the flour mixture into wet ingredients until just-combined (don’t use an electric mixer here or you’ll be more likely to overmix the batter, resulting in dense/dry cupcakes). Add about half of the buttermilk mixture into the batter and stir until just combined. Repeat adding flour and buttermilk in this way until ingredients are completely combined, but don’t mix more than you need to. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so all ingredients are combined.
Evenly divide batter into prepared cupcake tin, filling each liner ⅔ of the way full. Transfer to 350F/175C oven and bake for 17-18 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely before topping with lemon cream cheese frosting.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat until well-combined.
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese
Add lemon zest, vanilla extract, lemon extract (if using), salt, and lemon juice and beat well.
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Gradually, with mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar until completely combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to make sure ingredients are well incorporated.
4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
Once cupcakes have cooled, spread or pipe³ lemon cream cheese frosting over cupcakes. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

¹Vegetable oil may be substituted for canola oil

²When zesting your lemon, it's very important that you just use zest from the outer layer of the rind (the yellow part!). If you grind too deeply into your lemon, what you're actually grating is the "pith" of the lemon. The pith is bitter and doesn't have the same citrus flavor that the zest does. If you end up with two Tablespoons of pith rather than zest, your cupcakes will be bitter and not nearly as lemony as they ought to be.

³I used an Ateco 848 tip (affiliate link) to pipe the frosting on my lemon cupcakes

Nutrition