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Lemon Cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon buttercream frosting. These Lemon filled cupcakes remind me of lemon drop candies, so sweet and tangy!
Lemon cupcakes are one of my absolute favorite cupcake flavors. I’m a huge fan of lemon desserts as it is. But when you take a lemon cupcake, fill it with lemon curd, and top it with lemon buttercream, you have the ultimate spring dessert.
These cupcakes just make me so happy!
The cupcake part is actually my favorite cupcake recipe. I use a variation of it for almost all the cupcakes on the blog.
My lemon lime cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting are just a couple examples of that.
The texture of these cupcakes is so light, airy, moist, and springy. My taste testers said they remind them of angel food cake with how light they are.
So, if you are looking for a fantastic cupcake base, this is the one!
Why this Lemon Cupcakes recipe works
- It has the perfect balance between sweet and tangy!
- The cupcake is delicate without being too soft! It’s able to stand up against the homemade lemon curd and buttercream frosting.
- The frosting is perfect on its own and reminds me of lemon candy. It’s so good!
How to make lemon cupcakes with lemon curd filling
There’s nothing fancy about the cupcake batter. It’s a simple mix of creamed butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and flour. A little salt and baking powder are also added. The batter whips up into a silky, creamy texture that smells of fresh lemon.
It’s quite amazing and I know you will love it after the first bite.
There’s just enough batter for 12 muffin cups so you can simply divide the batter evenly among the cups. They’ll end up being about ⅔ of the way full.
After the cupcakes bake, they get filled with a sweet and tangy homemade lemon curd. This part is totally optional but I highly recommend it.
Top the filled cupcake with silky lemon buttercream frosting.
How to make lemon frosting for cupcakes
Lemon buttercream starts with my basic buttercream frosting recipe. It’s modified slightly so you get the silkiest, fragrant lemon frosting for 12 cupcakes.
Start by creaming the butter until it’s super smooth. Then add a pinch of salt and ⅓ of the confectioners’ sugar. Whip it until it comes together.
Add the zest and gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Slowly add the lemon juice and whip until you have a fluffy, smooth frosting.
Tips for lemon cupcake success
- When measuring your flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, use the spoon and level method or simply weigh it.
- When creaming the butter and sugar together for the cupcakes, it’s important to let it mix for at least 5 minutes. You can mix for up to 10, though! This ensures the cupcakes will have a light and fluffy texture.
- I highly recommend making the lemon curd yourself! Storebought lemon curds can be too sweet or too tart. My recipe is balanced just right and works well with the cupcakes.
If you love these cupcakes, you’ll also enjoy these other lemon recipes
- Lemon Chess Pie
- Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Strawberry Donuts with Lemon Glaze
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Coconut Lemon Bars
- Lemon Cream Cheese Scones
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Lemon Cupcakes
Lemon Cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon buttercream frosting. These Lemon filled cupcakes remind me of lemon drop candies, so sweet and tangy!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (169 g) homemade lemon curd, or you can use store-bought
For the frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups (420 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.
- In a small measuring cup with a pour spout, stir together the lemon juice and milk. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk and add it to the butter mixture alternately with the milk mixture, beating well after each addition.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few dry crumbs.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut the centers out of the of each cupcake and fill the cavity with 1 tablespoon of lemon curd. Frost the cupcakes any way you like.
Make the frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add the salt and continue to beat until incorporated. Add 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar, beat on medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened.
- Beat in the lemon zest. Gradually add in the remaining sugar, one cup at a time. You may need more or less depending on how soft the butter is. Beat on medium-low speed until the sugar is moistened.
- Add the 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice depending on how creamy you want the frosting to be. Turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Notes
Make ahead tip
- The cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and store them at room temperature.
- The frosting can also be made a day ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Cupcakes can also be frozen for up to 3 months, frosted or unfrosted. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 508Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 173mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 1gSugar: 52gProtein: 4g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.
Can this recipe be doubled to make 24 cupcakes?
That should be okay as long as you weigh the ingredients to ensure accuracy.
Amazing recipe! I made it into a mini cake & it turned out great! This recipe is much easier/simpler than most other lemon cake recipes and outcome is way better! I’ve had lemon cupcakes not turn out well before, but this one yields extremely fluffy, airy, and delicious cake. Will definitely recommend & use again in the future, thanks! (I substituted oat milk for whole milk & it worked fine.)
Thank you from a fellow introvert. I made this for my toddler’s second birthday and he loved it. I inadvertently lessened the sugar in the buttercream but it came out well, more tangy and did not fall apart. Will definitely make them again!
Just made these, with you Swiss meringue buttercream and I added lemon zest to it – They are amazing ! THANK YOU!
Hi….can i bake this in a 8×8 or a loaf tin which is 8× 4 1/2 ? Please let me know if i have to cut this recipe into half. Thank you
It should be fine to bake in those pan sizes. The recipe doesn’t need to be halved since it only makes 12 cupcakes.
Thank you so much…i just made this …seriously its so yummy….thank you again
Can I use cake flour instead of AP flour and if so how much?
Generally, you can substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour by using 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour.
Thank you! I can’t wait to try this recipe ?
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe, for someone like me who rarely bakes and tends to mess something up somehow, the taste and texture is just spot on! I can have the confidence now to bake more to bring into work 🙂
Can you use two percent milk instead of whole milk?
I don’t recommend it because the fat in whole milk is what aids in richness and moisture.
Could this be turned into a cake? Specifically a 3 layer 8 inch cake? Or are there more changes that would need to be made to the recipe to make that work? Thanks!
I suggest making the cake part of my lemon raspberry cake. It will work with three 8-inch pans. Then you can fill it with lemon curd and cover it with lemon buttercream.