Description
Bright, fluffy, and tangy Lemon Cupcakes topped with creamy lemon cream cheese frosting. A sunshine-filled treat perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar (for frosting)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened, for frosting)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened, for frosting)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (for frosting)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla.
- Gradually mix in dry ingredients, alternating with milk.
- Divide batter evenly among liners, filling two-thirds full.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- For frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Pipe or spread frosting on cooled cupcakes and garnish with zest if desired.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest for the brightest flavor.
- Don’t frost until cupcakes are fully cooled.
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Brush cupcakes with lemon syrup before frosting for extra tang.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 55mg