Best Lemon Cupcakes
An easy Lemon Cupcake recipe. The perfect soft best cupcakes with a lemony taste. Add a creamy whipped cream Lemon Frosting. Lemon lovers will love these!
If it’s lemon then it’s got the Italian’s name on it, from this perfect Homemade Lemon Bread to these Easy Lemon Squares!
I don’t think an Italian would know how to bake if there wasn’t a lemon involved! Ok a bit of an exaggeration but they seriously like to add a little zest or juice in pretty much every homemade baked good that I have ever tasted.
From a simple Lemon Bundt Cake (Ciambella) to a delicious melt in your mouth Lemon Cookie.
And I can tell you the Italian has yet to complain! And of course these simple soft cupcakes went down easy as he was quick to mention.
What you need to make the cupcakes
- Purpose flour or cake flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter – if you use unsalted butter then add more salt
- Sugar – granulated sugar
- Eggs – room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon zest
- Milk – 2% or whole milk
- Fresh lemon juice
- Cream – whole, heavy or whipping cream at least 30% fat content
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice
How to Make Cake Flour
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.
How to make Lemon Frosted Cupcakes
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and zest and beat to combine.
Add the flour and combine.
Add the lemon juice and milk alternately beating just until combined. Do not over beat.
Fill a 12 medium size muffin or cupcake tin and bake, test with a toothpick for doneness.
Let cool in the pan then move to a wire rack to completely cool before frosting. Top with a simple lemon Chantilly frosting.
What is a Chantilly Frosting
Its origin is French and all it really is, is whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla, but in this case I substituted the vanilla with lemon juice. Just whip the cream until soft peaks form, then add the icing sugar and the juice .
Beat on high until thickened. It is a perfect lighter frosting for any cake or cupcake recipe. Change it up with your favourite flavouring.
If you prefer you could also top it with some lemon curd or a cream cheese frosting or even a Swiss meringue buttercream frosting, which is actually one of my favourites.
Tips for making the best cupcakes
- Make sure that your ingredients are all at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients mix better and the cake or cupcakes rise more easily.
- Do not over beat the batter, if you do your cake will dense and could be dry.
- Make sure to fill your cupcakes only 3/4 full or they may over flow.
- Be sure to use cupcake liners, that way no need for greasing and flouring the pan and they are easier to remove from the pan.
More Lemon Desserts
How to store the cupcakes
If the cooled cupcakes are unfrosted then they can be stored in a covered cake dish for up to two days. If you are baking them in advance then this is the best method. Then frost them before serving.
If they are frosted then they should be refrigerated in an airtight container. They will keep for up to four days. Bring them to room temperature before serving.
So if you are looking for something lemony to try why not bake up some Lemon Cupcakes! Enjoy.
Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1½ cups flour all purpose or cake and pastry flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 medium lemon)
- ½ cup milk 2% or whole (room temperature)*
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
*Remove from the fridge 45 minutes before using.
FOR THE FROSTING
- 1 cup whipping cream (cold)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons icing / powdered sugar (45 grams total, if you double the recipe then double this amount)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl beat on medium speed the butter and sugar until creamy (2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and zest and best to combine.
- Add the flour and beat just to combine. Do not over beat.
- Add the lemon juice and the milk alternately, beating just until combined (just until the batter is smooth). Again do not over beat.
- Fill the prepared muffin / cupcake tin ¾ full and bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes in the pan then move to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING
- In a medium bowl add the cream and whip until soft peaks appear, continue beating on medium speed while adding half the sugar and lemon juice combine, then add the remaining sugar and lemon juice increase speed to high and beat until thick.
Notes
To make homemade cake/pastry flour
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free.How to store the cupcakes
If the cooled cupcakes are unfrosted then they can be stored in a covered cake dish for up to two days. If you are baking them in advance then this is the best method. Then frost them before serving. If they are frosted then they should be refrigerated in an airtight container. They will keep for up to four days. Bring them to room temperature before serving.Nutrition
Updated from January 15, 2020.
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Thank you so much for all your lovely recipes. Always look forward to your e-mails.
Hi Cora, thanks so much, glad you enjoy the recipes and the newsletters. Take care!
Is there any chance I can substitute Limoncello for the lemon juice? Thank you!
Hi Karen, yes I think that would work, you might need to add a couple of tablespoons, so add a bit less milk. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
Silly question… but how do you apply the frosting the way you do in the pictures… It looks beautiful, but I’m not sure how to do it.
Hi Marinda, not a silly question but I used a medium to large star piping tip. Hope that helps. Take care!