Lemon Cupcakes

Moist Lemon Cupcakes With Lemon Frosting

When it comes to lemon desserts like my lemon curd cake, lemon drizzle cake, and lemon cookies, it’s all about striking a balance between tangy and sweet. These lemon cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and bursting with fresh lemon juice and zest. Best of all, they’re made from scratch using mostly pantry staples, plus a few key ingredients that make them truly the best.

I use buttermilk in the cupcakes and in the creamy homemade lemon frosting. It really takes the richness to the next level. So, while other lemon cupcakes recipes focus wholly on the lemon flavor, these are bursting with lemon and still soft and buttery, as a cupcake should be! These would be perfect for spring birthdays, bridal or baby showers, or any occasion that calls for a refreshing, tangy dessert. 

Ingredient Notes

You’ll find the complete recipe with amounts in the printable recipe card, but for now, here are some quick ingredient notes for these lemon buttermilk cupcakes and frosting.

For the Cupcakes

• Oil – Baking with oil yields exceptionally moist, tender cupcakes. It also means there’s no need to wait for butter to soften.
• Fresh Lemons – You’ll need the juice and zest from fresh lemons. Trust me, the flavor is a million times better than bottled juice. Zest the lemons before you juice them. In case you need it, I’ve included tips below.
• Lemon Extract – I really wanted the citrus flavor to pop in these lemon cupcakes, so I added lemon extract instead of the usual vanilla. If you don’t have lemon extract, use pure vanilla instead, or replace the extract with additional lemon juice.
• Sour Cream – Substitute the sour cream with regular plain or Greek yogurt if needed.
• All-purpose Flour – Make sure to measure the flour correctly. Use a kitchen scale, or the spoon and level method, to avoid adding too much.
• Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use a homemade buttermilk substitute made from 1 scant cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Or, if you’re really pressed, substitute the buttermilk with regular milk.

For the Lemon Frosting

Unlike the batter ingredients, the frosting ingredients should be cold from the fridge.

• Butter – My frosting recipe calls for cold butter. This is not a mistake! It’s my secret to making the perfect frosting consistency. The extra time it takes to beat the cold butter creates a lighter, more stable buttercream.
• Additional Lemon and Buttermilk – If you opted not to buy buttermilk for the cupcakes, I’d recommend replacing it with either lemon juice or milk in the frosting, rather than the homemade option. Unfortunately, a buttermilk substitute doesn’t work as well in the frosting.
• Heavy Cream – Make sure to use heavy whipping cream and not pouring cream. Full-fat, cold whipping cream will yield the creamiest frosting.

How to Make Lemon Cupcakes From Scratch

If I could capture “sunshine” in a dessert, it’s in these bakery-style lemon cupcakes with fresh lemon zest! Start by preparing the cupcake batter, which comes together in a few easy steps.

1. Mix the wet ingredients. First, cream the sugar with the oil, eggs, and lemon extract. Mix in the sour cream and lemon zest.
2. Add the dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk and lemon juice until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go, and stir the batter from bottom to top. Take care not to overmix. 
3. Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the wells of a lined standard cupcake pan. I usually use a large cookie scoop to fill the liners about ⅔ full. Bake the lemon cupcakes at 350ºF for 15 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.

Frosting the Cupcakes

After baking, let the cupcakes cool completely before you frost them.

1. Beat the cold butter. Instead of waiting for the butter to soften, let your mixer do the work. Be sure to beat the butter for several minutes, until it’s whipped and fluffy.
2. Finish the frosting. Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating with the lemon extract, lemon zest, and buttermilk. Beat the frosting for about 3 minutes, then add a final cup of powdered sugar, plus the heavy cream. Beat the frosting again until it’s smooth and airy.
3. Decorate the cupcakes. Lastly, pipe or spread the frosting generously over the cooled cupcakes. I used a large, open-star piping tip to pipe swirls. Refer to my full tutorials on decorating cupcakes, how to use a piping bag, and how to use piping tips if needed.

Lemon Cupcake Variations

• Fill the cupcakes. Try filling the center of these cupcakes with lemon curd (see above), strawberry filling, or the blueberry filling from my lemon blueberry cupcakes.
• Add berries. These cupcakes taste great with fresh blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries added, similar to my lemon blueberry cake or lemon raspberry cake. Toss the berries in flour before adding them to the batter. It helps to keep them from sinking.
• Add poppy seeds. Whisk 2-3 tablespoons of poppy seeds into the batter.
• Make a layer cake. I’ve made this recipe as a three-layer, 8-inch cake for my lemon coconut cake.

Recipe FAQs

How to Store These Cupcakes

• Store airtight. These cupcakes are at their freshest within 2-3 days. Store the frosted lemon cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container, unless you live in a warm climate. In this case, you should store your frosted cupcakes in the fridge and let them come to room temperature before serving.
• Freeze them unfrosted. Once the cupcakes have cooled, flash-freeze the unfrosted cupcakes on a baking sheet. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost the cupcakes and frost them before serving.

More Lemon Desserts

• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Lemon Bars
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake