Triple Lemon Cupcakes (fluffy and moist)

Lemon Cupcakes! Need I say more? These lemon cupcakes are tangy, and sweet, and have the perfect fluffy moist crumb.

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Why You’ll Love These

Lemon cupcakes are the perfect spring treat, right?

These homemade lemon cupcakes are bursting with fresh lemon flavor!

They are simple and easy to make.

This recipe makes 24 luscious cupcakes. Perfect to share with friends and neighbors.

Do you love lemon desserts as much as we do? Try our lemon sandwich cookies, lemon orange pound cake, Meyer lemon bundt cake, and lemon cheesecake bars with shortbread crust.

Cupcake Ingredients

• Cake flour, baking powder, and salt – Cake flour produces a lighter cake texture than all-purpose flour.
• Buttermilk – Adds moisture and flavor.
• Unsalted butter – Unsalted butter lets you control the salt. The sodium level differs in each brand of butter.
• Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
• Egg whites – This recipe uses 4 large-size egg whites at room temperature.
• Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest – For the best fresh lemon flavor.
• Vanilla extract and lemon extract – To boost the flavor.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

• Unsalted butter – Softened.
• Cream cheese – Lends a tangy flavor to the icing.
• Fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt – These add additional fresh citrus flavor to the cupcakes.
• Powdered sugar – For volume and sweetness.

How to Make Lemon Cupcakes

Prepare cupcake tins (muffin tins) by using cupcake liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl to use a hand mixer) and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon juice, then add one-third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Beat the batter for about 2 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Don’t worry they won’t be tough and dense.

Divide the batter equally into the muffin pans.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cupcakes should be well-risen and springy to the touch.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the lemon buttercream frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, thoroughly mix together the room temperature butter and cream cheese.

Add the lemon juice, zest, and salt and mix to combine. On low speed, add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time until you reach the desired spreading consistency.

To finish, frost the cooled cupcakes and serve. You can put the frosting on with an offset spatula or place it in a piping bag.

Tips

• Always use room-temperature butter, eggs, and buttermilk. They will incorporate better and lend a lighter more even-textured cake.
• Use fresh lemon juice and zest. Please don’t use bottled lemon juice.
• Always measure flour properly. Aerate the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, then use the back of a knife to level off.

FAQs

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Lemon Cupcakes Recipe

Perfect Spring dessert. Tangy, sweet, and a tender moist crumb!

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 24

Calories: 247kcal

Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For the cupcakes:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• lemon zest of two lemons
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 8 tablespoons, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the icing:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• Juice and zest from 2 lemons
• Generous pinch of salt
• 4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cupcake tins by using liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2 1/4 cups cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
  1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 4 large egg whites
• Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
  1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon zest of two lemons, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• Beat in the extracts and lemon juice, then add one-third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract, 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
• Give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Place the batter into the cupcake tins.
• Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Icing

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, thoroughly mix together the butter and cream cheese. Add the lemon juice, zest, and salt and mix to combine. On low speed, add the confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time until you reach the desired spreading consistency. To finish, frost the cooled cupcakes and serve.
  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 oz cream cheese, Juice and zest from 2 lemons, Generous pinch of salt, 4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg

Adapted from trialsinfood

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