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Light, moist & airy Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream. These scrumptious cupcakes are perfect for Spring, Summer, an Afternoon Tea Party, or a baby shower.
For my friend’s recent Gender Reveal, I wanted to bake and figured I’d challenge myself to frost these Lemon Cupcakes using an icing tip. I love baking, but frosting is not my cup of tea. I tend to frost cupcakes the old-fashioned way – using a spatula.
To my surprise, it was easy. If I can do it, anyone can do it.
When baking with butter, my baked goods tend to be dry and crumbly. For this reason, I baked these lemon cupcakes with cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour contributes to a light and airy cupcake that’s less crumbly, too. I also added some sour cream, which made these cupcakes moist.
Two days later, these cupcakes were super moist. I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing. Hope you try these because I know you’re gonna love them.
How to make Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your baking tray with cupcake holders.
2. Begin by zesting 2 lemons and juicing a lemon. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, sift the dry ingredients… flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar so it’s light and fluffy. Beat on low and work your way up, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add one egg at a time, and mix with an electric mixer.
6. Add vanilla.
7. Now alternate between the dry and wet ingredients in 3 batches, starting and ending with the dry. Mix, but DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Add half the milk.
9. Mix.
10. Once all the flour and milk have been added, add sour cream. Blend for a few seconds until combined. Do not over-mix.
11. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds. Do not over-mix.
12. Batter is ready.
13. Using a mini scoop, add 2 1/2 scoops of cake batter into each cupcake holder.
14. Place into the oven for 20-24 minutes. Start checking at 20 minutes and using a toothpick to test make sure the center comes out clean.
15. Perfect and fluffy.
For the Lemon Buttercream
16. Whip the butter.
17. Once light and fluffy, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, milk, and lemon zest.
18. Frosting is ready. You can always add more or less milk to make it more or less firm.
Optional: Food Color
19. I baked these cupcakes for a gender reveal, hence I needed pink and blue frosting. I split the buttercream into 2 bowls and added a drop of blue frosting to one bowl and a drop of red to the other. A yellow buttercream would be ideal for these cupcakes.
20. I frosted my cupcakes using a 1M tip.
21. Right before serving, you can garnish the cupcakes with a little wedge of lemon and white edible pearls as seen here. Note: don’t leave the lemon wedge on the frosting too long because it will dilute the buttercream.
Tried this recipe? If so, please leave a comment & rate this recipe. That would mean so much to me. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I’m happy to share and mention you. Thank you!
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour*
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
for lemon buttercream
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
- For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking tray with cupcake holders.
- Begin by zesting 2 lemons and juicing a lemon. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients… flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar so it’s light and fluffy. Beat on low and work your way up, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add one egg at a time, and mix with an electric mixer.
- Then add vanilla.
- Now alternate between the dry and wet ingredients in 3 batches, starting and ending with the dry. Mix, but DO NOT OVER MIX.
- Add half the milk.
- Mix.
- Once all the flour and milk has been added, add sour cream. Blend for a few seconds until combined. Do not over mix.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds. Do not over mix.
- Batter is ready.
- Using a mini scoop, add 2 1/2 scoops of cake batter into each cupcake holder.
- Place into the oven for 20-24 minutes. Start checking at 20 minutes and using a toothpick to test make sure the center comes out clean.
- Perfect and fluffy.
- For the Lemon Buttercream
- Whip the butter.
- Once light and fluffy, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, milk and lemon zest.
- Frosting is ready. You can always add more or less milk to make it more or less firm.
- Optional: Food Color
- I baked these for a gender reveal, so I split the buttercream into 2 bowls. Added a drop of blue frosting to one bowl.
- I frosted my cupcakes using a 1M tip.
NOTES
In this scenario we are using 1 1/2 cups of cake flour which is equal to 1 1/4 cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour and 3 tbsp cornstarch.
Followed the recipe to a T and it was perfect