Add Cream Cheese Frosting For Over The Top Flavor
When summer days roll around, lemon desserts seem extra good! These lemon cupcakes are everything you want in a dessert! They’re the ideal portion size, tangy, light, and fluffy. The crowning touch is yummy cream cheese frosting! You can never go wrong with a combination like this one!
Here’s Why Lemon Cupcakes Are The Perfect Dessert for Summer
These cupcakes are the perfectly portion-sized, portable dessert for picnics, beach trips, or any outdoor adventure, bringing a burst of sunshine to every bite. The fluffy cupcake base is as light as a summer breeze, making it a delightful treat on hot days; they are like a party on your palate!
Bite into a luscious lemon cupcake with cream cheese frosting, close your eyes, and let the flavors transport you to a tropical paradise! The tangy lemon flavor will excite your tastebuds, and the cream cheese frosting adds a creamy, velvety twist that complements the lemony goodness. It’s the ultimate flavor combo for summertime indulgence.
Here’s How You Make A Dozen Luscious Lemon Cupcakes
This recipe will taste best if you use fresh lemons! Before you squeeze them, wash them and make the lemon zest. If you have a “zester,” use it. I don’t have one myself.
You can use the fine side of a grater to “zest” the lemon peel and remove just the yellow part. You don’t want to use the white part underneath; it’s bitter.
You can also use a vegetable peeler to remove the thin outer peel and chop it fine with a knife or food chopper to make lemon zest.
Then, move on to squeezing your nice fresh lemons to make one-half cup of juice. They do not need to be big, fancy five-star lemons. This recipe is a good place to use bagged or “imperfect” lemons. Here’s a great article that will help you choose the best handheld lemon juicer you can find.
Plop those lemons into a bowl of hot water, or nuke them for a half minute or so. Once they’re warm, roll them around on the counter, pressing firmly. When you do this, they will yield considerably more juice. Set the lemon juice and zest aside while you prepare the beautiful batter!
Start the process by turning the oven to 350 degrees so it can preheat, and place cupcake liners in 12 cupcake pans.
Whisk the cake flour*, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set it aside. Use a stand or handheld mixer in another bowl to beat the softened butter and sugar together for 2 minutes or until it’s light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
*Here’s what to do if you don’t have cake flour: Measure 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, then remove three tablespoons from your measurement. Replace with three tablespoons of cornstarch, whisk together, then sift.
Slowly mix half of the dry ingredients, half of the milk, the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the butter/sugar/egg mixture; mix until well combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix until fully combined and no lumps are visible. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until about two-thirds full. Bake for 18-22 minutes until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring the perfectly baked lemon cupcakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make Some Amazing Cream Cheese Frosting For The Lemon Cupcakes
Put the softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat them together until the mixture is creamy, about one minute. Add the powdered sugar, half at a time, and slowly mix until the ingredients are fully combined.
Then, whip at high speed for two to three minutes until it reaches a light, fluffy, spreading consistency. Add the vanilla and whip for another one to two minutes. Pipe or spread the frosting with a knife onto the cupcakes, garnish as desired, and proudly serve your beautiful lemon cupcakes!
We love our lemon desserts, especially in the summer, but we think lemon is divine every day of the year! Here are some of our favorite recipes! Easy Lemon Angel Food Cake, Easy Lemon Squares, No-Bake Layered Lemon Dessert, and Luscious Lemon Meringue Pie.
Printable Recipe:
Lemon Cupcakes
This recipe makes 12 perfect light, luscious, and lemony cupcakes. The cream cheese frosting recipe plays beautifully with the tangy lemon for a perfect summer dessert!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups cake flour (see notes below for an easy cake flour substitute) *
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (one stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed emon juice
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (one block)
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Using a stand or handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Slowly mix in half of the dry ingredients, half of the milk, the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice; mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix until fully combined and no lumps are visible. Do not overmix
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until about ⅔ full.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter and cream cheese and beat until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar, half at a time, and slowly mix until the ingredients are fully combined.
- Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes or until it reaches a light and fluffy spreading consistency
- Add the vanilla and whip for another one to two minutes
- Pipe or spread the frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Notes
*No cake flour? You can make a simple cake flour substitute with all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Measure out 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, then remove three tablespoons of flour from your measurement. Replace with three tablespoons of cornstarch, whisk together, then sift.
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