Impress your friends with these luscious Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes. A fresh vanilla cupcake with a delicate lemon mousse and topped with cream cheese whipped cream.
This post is sponsored by Rodelle. All opinions are my own. This was originally posted in 2015 and has since been updated in 2017.
There is nothing like sinking your teeth into the first bite of a cupcake and wiping that leftover frosting off your face. Sometimes you might think to yourself, “this cupcake is too pretty to eat”. I don’t have that problem. My first instinct is, I need to know what this tastes like, so I usually just dive right in. Ya feel me?
It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, these Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes are the perfect excuse to bake. I’ve been holding onto this one for awhile and it’s finally time to share it! This is a light and fluffy vanilla cupcake with a lemon mousse filling and a cream cheese whipped cream. Can you say amazing?
You remember my friend, cream cheese whipped cream? I used it earlier this week on my Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake and also the Coconut Cream Pie Cupcakes. If cream cheese isn’t your thing, these would be perfect with a plain whipped cream too! The cream cheese whipped cream lends itself nicely to this cupcake because it is a little more tangy than a traditional whipped cream. It’s also much thicker which makes it nice for piping.
I decided that these cupcakes should be a vanilla based cupcake instead of a lemon cupcake. I didn’t want an overwhelming lemon flavor so I grabbed my Rodelle Pure Lemon Extract for the cupcake batter. This just gives it a subtle lemon flavor to compliment the filling without over powering it.
I fell in love with Rodelle products after I attended a baking retreat and had the opportunity to try their vanilla beans and extracts as well as baking cocoa. In my years of baking, I’ve come to realize that quality ingredients are essential for my kitchen. As I became more familiar with Rodelle beyond their vanilla products, I found myself reaching for the almond extract and now my bottle of lemon extract is almost gone to!
So back to these cupcakes. For simplicity, I used a classic vanilla cake mix, but the substitution of the buttermilk instead of water and the addition of the sour cream. This cupcake turns out to be quite moist and a lighter texture. Of course, you can use your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe but substitute the vanilla extract for lemon.
Now there are a couple steps involved between making the cupcake, the filling and frosting. One way you can cut out a step is to use a frozen whipped topping instead of fresh whipped cream in the mousse. I prefer the taste and texture of the fresh whipped cream, but I understand not every one wants to make it. So I like to provide the option.
Cupcakes are my favorite thing to make because the flavors can be so different every time. You can be as creative or as lazy as you want, and sometimes lazy cupcakes are the most delicious! Excuse me while I go make another batch of these Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes.
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Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 16 mins
- Total Time: 46 minutes
- Yield: 20 Cupcakes
Description
Impress you friends with these luscious Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes. A fresh vanilla cupcake with a delicate lemon mousse and topped with cream cheese whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 box Vanilla cake mix
- 4 Egg whites
- ¾ cup Buttermilk or milk
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ cup Sour cream
- 2 teaspoons Rodelle Lemon extract
For the filling:
- 1 pkg Instant lemon pudding (3.4 oz)
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle Lemon Extract
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces Cream cheese, cold
- 2 cup Heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- Lemon Zest (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F and line your cupcake pan with baking liners
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, egg whites, buttermilk, vegetable oil, sour cream and lemon extract. Beat on medium speed until all ingredients are well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir from the bottom.
- Divide batter evenly between lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cupcake is done. Cool completely.
- For the filling: In a small mixing bowl, combine instant lemon pudding with the milk. Whisk until the pudding is dissolved. Refrigerate the pudding until firm, about 10 minutes.
- Prepare the whipped cream. Put the bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to get them really cold (this step is optional, but a common practice I use.). Pour the heavy whipping cream in the chilled bowl and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and increase the speed to medium high. Beat until stiff peak form. Add the lemon zest.
- Remove the pudding from refrigerator (after it has set) and gently fold in whipping cream. Place the filling in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
- For the frosting: beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is smooth and free of lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Beat into cream cheese until cream cheese resembles a liquid mixture.
- Next add the remaining heavy whipping cream and beat on medium-high speed. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until still peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble the cupcakes, remove the middle of the cupcake using a spoon, knife or cupcake corer. Cut off the tip of the Ziplock bag and fill the center with the lemon mouse filling. Top with cream cheese whipped cream using a large open star tip. Sprinkle with lemon zest if desired.
I made the cupcake recipe for a 80th birthday party today. I used store bought lemon curd and my own buttercream frosting. The cupcake recipe itself is wonderful. Super light and fluffy. Everyone loved them. I made them a week ago and froze them. Then defrosted them on the counter over night. Worked beautifully. Thank you for a great recipe.
Thank you so much Beth!! I am really happy to hear that you also froze some for later.
These are by far the Best cupcakes I have ever made. I’ve made them several times and the never disappoint. Everyone from kids to adults Love them. Thank You so much for this recipe!!
That’s amazing Emily!! Thank you so much!
I make a lot of cupcakes and let me tell you Everyone said. These are the Best Cupcakes they’ve ever had! That includes my 6 yr old grandson Julian. Great recipe! I had to print the recipe for some softball moms. Thank you so much for the post. 💕
Love love love that Emily! So happy you found this recipe!
Delicious cupcake recipe, but there MUST BE a TYPO in the frosting part. TWO cups of heavy whipping cream?! It never thickened into a frosting texture, just more like a cool-whip texture, which you can’t pipe with a frosting tip and have it hold shape like the photos. I had to go with another cream cheese frosting recipe, which like normal recipes only called for 3-4 TBsp milk/cream! Idk if you meant 1 c of heavy whipping cream (still a lot?!) and 2 c of powdered sugar?
Hi Beth. Nope it’s not a typo, it’s a whipped cream frosting thickened with cream cheese, you can also see it here with a video recipe. This is not a traditional cream cheese frosting. If made correctly it will in fact pipe beautifully and hold a great shape. Sounds like you made found and made a traditional cream cheese frosting that worked for you!
Gorgeous cupcakes! I think a batch for the 4th must happen at my house!!!
These look amazing! I love the lemon in there!
I love lemon desserts and these look so good!!
These are so so gorgeous!
Hiya… will this frosting melt quick if it is outside the fridge?
I want to make some lemon cupcakes to donate a charity 😀 And don’t want them to melt when I’m bring it to them :/
Hi Danielle, I do not suggest to leave it out in the heat. It should be okay for about an hour, but other than that I would suggest to use a vanilla buttercream instead.
Can I fill them a few hours ahead of when there to be served and keep them in the fridge
Hi Elena, you sure can! Just keep them in the fridge, you can even frost them and refrigerate ahead of time. In fact, I would recommend frosting them to help prevent the middle from getting dry. Enjoy and happy baking!
Seriously PERFECT for summer! So light and bright and cheerful and you know I love lemon anything 🙂 Gorgeous!