BEST Lemon Cupcakes + Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
The BEST Lemon Cupcakes start with a simple ONE-BOWL batter and end with a soaking of lemon simple syrup and a topping of fluffy Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting for luscious, lemony, perfectly moist treats!
For more amazing cupcakes, don't miss One-Bowl Coconut Cupcakes and Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix Cupcakes!
My middle child has apparently inherited my love for any dessert by the name of lemon. So one of his all-time favorite desserts is Lemon Cupcakes!
But this isn't an ordinary Lemon Cupcake recipe. No sirree, Bob...these babies are THE BEST. Really. And despite a few separate steps, they're easy to make, too!
Ingredients
I based these Lemon Cupcakes on my straightforward One-Bowl Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes, infusing that recipe with a bit of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to create a foundation of all-natural lemon flavor.
A few notes about the cupcake ingredients:
- All-purpose flour + cornstarch. Cornstarch inhibits gluten formation and results in a more tender cake crumb. This combo is in lieu of using cake flour. So if you keep cake flour on hand, you could use 3 cups of that instead.
- Sour cream. Use regular (not light) sour cream. I don't recommend omitting it, as it contributes moisture and richness to these cupcakes. In a pinch, however, the sour cream can be replaced with full fat Greek yogurt.
- Lemons. There are typically 2 to 3 tablespoons of juice in a medium lemon.
- This recipe calls for ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice -- plus a couple tablespoons lemon zest -- between the lemon cupcakes, the lemon simple syrup, and the lemon cream cheese frosting. You'll also need an extra couple of lemons for the simple syrup, so I usually try to start with six decent sized lemons when making this recipe.
- If you end up needing additional lemon juice, you can always use bottled lemon juice in a pinch. Just make sure it's 100% real all-natural lemon juice whose only ingredient is, well, lemon juice. 😉
- I recommend zesting your lemons first. Once you have enough zest, you can cut the the lemons in half to squeeze their juice.
- Pure vanilla extract. Despite being Lemon Cupcakes, good-quality, real vanilla is going to give all of that citrus flavor a lovely undertone.
You'll also need a few ingredients for the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting...
...and a few additional (repeat) ingredients for the Lemon Simple Syrup.
How to Make the BEST Lemon Cupcakes
The batter for this Lemon Cupcake recipe is ONE-BOWL! How amazing is that? And while there are a couple of additional steps to make the simple syrup and frosting, those are easy-peasy, too.
Make the Cupcakes
To make the cupcakes, you'll want to start with room temperature ingredients. And then you're simply going to be mixing everything in the same bowl...it seriously is a piece of cake! Er, cupcake.
- Line a pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. You can repeat this step a few times (if you wish) for even fluffier cupcakes, but it's not necessary.
- To the sifted dry ingredients, add the butter, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Beat at medium speed for about 30 seconds, then scrape the bowl and beat for 15 more seconds.
- Scoop batter into prepared pan and bake until cupcakes are light golden and test done with a toothpick. Cool for a few minutes in the pans before transferring to a wire rack. TIP: Place wax paper or foil under the wire rack to keep your counter clean for the next step... 😉
Make the Lemon Simple Syrup
While the Lemon Cupcakes are baking, you're going to make your effortless lemon simple syrup. I borrowed this trick from my all-time favorite lemon layer cake (thanks, Martha).
- It's as easy as boiling sugar with water and then stirring in lemon juice. As an added bonus, thin slices of lemon simmer in the syrup as it cooks, resulting in glossy, candied lemon garnishes for the tops of the finished cupcakes.
- Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, use a toothpick to poke holes all over them and generously brush them with the lemon syrup, allowing it to soak down into the cupcakes so that they become (and stay) super moist and even more lemony.
Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Finally, you're going to whip up a big batch of my favorite Classic Cream Cheese Frosting, except you're going to kick it up with still more lemon juice and lemon zest! This delectable Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect complement to the fluffy, sweet-tart cupcakes. Imagine slathering lemon cheesecake on top of lemon cake...
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the cream cheese then slowly blend in the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and well-combined. The longer you whip this frosting, the lighter and fluffier it will become!
- And finally, after you frost these beauties, don't forget to top them with your pretty little candied lemon slices!
Yep, people will be fighting over these Lemon Cupcakes before they even taste them.
Tips, Tricks, & Special Equipment
- I recommend baking this Lemon Cupcakes recipe in foil cupcake liners, as the lemon syrup will soak through ordinary paper liners. If you don't like the look of plain foil liners, you can also find decorative-looking "grease-proof" paper baking cups that are lined on the inside with foil.
- As mentioned before, it's important that all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you start making this recipe. I speed things up when necessary by cutting my butter into small pieces and spreading them out on a plate or cutting board (which softens the butter faster than if the stick was left whole), by very briefly microwaving ingredients like milk or sour cream to take off the chill, and by using a bowl of hot water to warm up the the whole eggs.
- Frost your Lemon Cupcakes using an offset spatula, a knife, or a piping bag. Or, as I did here, scoop the frosting into a gallon-sized plastic baggie, snip off the corner of the bag, and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a spiral, starting from the outside perimeter and working towards the center. Piping the frosting as shown in these photos requires a lot more frosting than spreading it with a knife so, in that case, plan on making a double recipe of frosting.
Okay, enough about how simple and how scrumptious these treats are.
The big takeaway here?
If you adore lemon desserts as much as the middle child and I do, you must give these BEST Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting a whirl!
Perfect for Easter...perfect for spring...perfect for a lemon lover's birthday. Just...perfect.
Enjoy, y'all!
More Luscious Lemon Desserts
The BEST Lemon Cupcakes + Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
The BEST Lemon Cupcakes start with a simple one-bowl batter and end with a soaking of lemon simple syrup and a topping of fluffy Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting for luscious, lemony, perfectly moist treats!
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 376kcal
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Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP:
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 small lemons, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
FOR THE FROSTING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 ½ to 4 cups powdered sugar, equivalent to about one (16-ounce) box
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- To prepare the cupcakes, adjust rack to center position of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners (*see NOTES below).
- Set a large sifter or fine mesh sieve over the large bowl of an electric mixer. Measure flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt into sieve and firmly hit the palm of your hand against its side to sift all of the dry ingredients together into the bowl. (If desired, repeat this process a few more times for fluffier cupcakes.)
- To the sifted dry ingredients, add the softened butter, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Beat at medium speed for about 30 seconds or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 15 more seconds.
- Evenly divide the batter between the 24 cupcake liners (I find it easiest to do this using a cookie scoop). Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until cupcakes are light golden and test done with a toothpick inserted in center (mine were perfect at exactly 20 minutes). Cool the cupcakes for a few minutes in the pans before transferring them to a wire rack set on top of wax paper or foil (to keep the counter clean for the next step).
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the Lemon Simple Syrup by combining the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the mixture is boiling, add the lemon slices and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to remove the lemon slices to a sheet of wax paper; allow to cool. Stir the ¼ cup lemon juice into the simple syrup and set aside.
- Once the cupcakes are done and have been transferred to the wire rack, use a toothpick to poke a bunch of holes all over the top of each cupcake. Use a pastry brush to slowly brush the top of each cupcake with lemon simple syrup, allowing it to soak down into each cupcake. Brush each cupcake once, and then repeat the process (brushing each cupcake again until all of the simple syrup has been used up. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
- One the cupcakes are cool, prepare the frosting. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the cream cheese. Slowly blend in the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, then beat until smooth and well-combined. The longer you whip this frosting, the lighter and fluffier it will become. Frost the cupcakes using your desired method (*see Tips & Tricks below...depending on how you decide to frost your cupcakes, you may need to double the frosting recipe).
- Top each cupcake with a piece of candied lemon and white or sparkling sugar sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve, allowing them to come to room temperature a bit before serving.
Video
Notes
- I recommend baking these cupcakes in foil cupcake liners, as the lemon syrup will soak through ordinary paper liners. If you don't like the look of plain foil liners, you can also find decorative-looking "grease-proof" paper baking cups that are lined on the inside with foil.
- Cornstarch makes the cupcakes fluffy and is added to the regular, all-purpose flour in lieu of using cake flour.
- If you'd like to use cake flour in this recipe instead, use 3 cups cake flour while omitting the all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
- When baking, I like to make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature. I speed things up when necessary by cutting my butter into small pieces and spreading them out on a plate or cutting board (which softens the butter faster than if the stick was left whole), by very briefly microwaving ingredients like milk or sour cream to take off the chill, and by using a bowl of hot water to warm up the the whole eggs.
- Frost your cupcakes using an offset spatula, a knife, or a piping bag. Or, as I did here, scoop the frosting into a gallon-sized plastic baggie, snip off the corner of the bag, and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a spiral, starting from the outside perimeter and working towards the center. Piping the frosting as shown in these photos requires a lot more frosting than spreading it with a knife, so in that case, plan on making a double recipe of frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 7.3mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!
Originally published March 24, 2016, and updated on February 24, 2021, and April 13, 2022.
My 3 year old son & I made these cupcakes. He loves being in the kitchen. It was fun and for the most part it worked. I used cake flour instead of corn starch and cream instead of sour cream. They came out a little dense in spite of sifting. I forgot to add my lemon juice to the syrup and only in the last brushing remembered... It all came out quite lemony still. My only disappointment is that the frosting split when I was busy creaming the cream cheese and butter. I suspect it's because the ingredients weren't room temp... & it was a cold day. Otherwise thanks my 3 yr old still loved it and I enjoyed myself with this 1 bowl recipe. My kinda baking! All the way from Durban, South Africa ?
What sort of lemons did you use? I have some Meyer lemons on hand and want to make this
We have a lemon tree in our backyard loaded with lemons. I decided to try this recipe and was tickled at how delicious these cupcakes were! We are making them again when my family visits for Easter. Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi. How to adjust the recipe to make it 12 cupcakes?
Hello...Used your recipe in the form of a cake for a birthday. Huge hit for a group with sophisticated palates....remarks were "excellent tasting", "best lemon cake", "super moist". I made slight changes from recipe...I substituted cake flour (omitted the cornstarch) and only used a half of the lemon syrup. I did not use the candied lemon slices because the pith made them quite bitter. Also next time I will only use the lemon juice to make the simple syrup to avoid the slight bitter taste.
Thank you for sharing this recipe....it's really wonderful.
Thank you for your comment, Karen...I'm so happy to hear that you were able to adapt this recipe to a cake and that it was a hit at the birthday party! 🙂
Did you know that December 15th is National Lemon Cupcake day? Really! We made these spectacular cupcakes the night before for a special meeting and reception, and they were VERY popular. It was also National Cat Herders' day, and National "Wear your Pearls" day. So on the notice I wrote that any cats that came through the door decked out in pearls would receive lemon cupcakes in honor of the occasion. My cat was quite a hit at the party but he was't so excited about wearing the pearls... I posted pictures to my Facebook page, and now I'm getting requests for your recipe! THANK YOU for a really delicious dessert. (The little white pearl sugar decoration was a perfect touch -- and on some we drizzled a little Limoncello. Next time, we'll use super fine sugar with the flour to mix in better.) Thank you again.
These look delicious! I plan to make them for my sis-in-law's baby shower, but cannot make them on the day. Will they get "soggy" from the lemon syrup if I make them the day before? Have you tried freezing these? Just wondering how they'd hold up. Thanks!
Hi Tawnya! The lemon syrup doesn't make these cupcakes soggy...rather, it keeps them very moist. I have not tried freezing them, but I bet it would work. Alternatively, I usually bake them a day ahead of time, frost them, and refrigerate them, then let them come to room temperature before serving. Hope that helps and congrats on the new baby in your family! 🙂
I made this recipe a few days ago and it was for sure the best cupcake to come out of my kitchen! I followed the recipe as close as I could and they were moist with a fluffy fine texture and perfect lemon flavor. They also made the 24 cupcakes as the recipe said. I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
oh p.s. I did have to add a wee bit more powdered sugar to make the frosting the right thickness.
They were very tasty but a little dense even with the extra sifting.
Hi, I really want to try this recipe for a cake! Do you have any idea if it would work? Is it the same if I bake cupcakes or cake? I've heard that some mixes just don't work for cakes. Thanks
Just wondering if the syrup and candied lemon could be made a day ahead and kept in anew airtight container. Going to make these for a reunion but I fear time will be an issue
I made these cupcakes for my daughter's graduation party. They were so delicious! Everyone raved about how fluffy and moist and lemony they were. Thank you so much for sharing it! I found that the recipe made about 36 cupcakes and I had LOTS of frosting left.
I'm thrilled to hear that these were such a hit, Karen! And thanks for sharing your cupcake/frosting yield. The amount of frosting needed can definitely vary depending on how much frosting you use per cupcake...spreading it on with a knife creates a thinner layer and goes a lot farther than using some sort of piping bag. Congrats to your daughter on her graduation! 🙂
Just tried your lemon cupcakes with some of my friends and they are soooooo good!!!!
Super easy and delicious!!!!
I'm so glad these cupcakes were such a hit, Nacira! Thanks for coming back to let me know. 🙂
can i omit the sour cream?
Sorry that I can't answer your question, but I've never tried making these cupcakes without the sour cream. I don't think omitting it would work, though. Sour cream is important for making the cupcakes moist. You could try substituting Greek yogurt if you like, but the texture and rise of the cupcakes might be affected. Good luck if you decide to experiment!
I just want to make sure I read that right...1/2 CUP of cornstarch? I did read your comments below the recipe talking about using cornstarch to help with not using cake flour. I'm so excited to try these but I just wanted to check first with you before I did 🙂 thank you for the recipe!
Hi Brittany! Great question. Yes, 1/2 cup cornstarch is correct. I know that sounds like a lot, but to make cake flour, you typically remove 2 tablespoons from 1 cup of flour to be replaced with cornstarch. So if you do that for the 3 cups of regular flour that this recipe would typically call for, that would result in between 1/3 and 1/2 cup cornstarch. To make measurements easier, I tweaked the amounts a bit to 2 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup cornstarch. My One-Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes and One-Bowl Coconut Cupcakes use the same ratio and all of the recipes turn out great. 🙂 Hope that helps and hope you enjoy!
Another silly question...when exactly do you add the zest and lemon juice to the frosting...thanks in advance
That's a great question, because I forgot to include those ingredients in the directions! So sorry about that, and I just fixed the recipe. 🙂 You can just add the lemon juice and lemon zest along with the powdered sugar and vanilla...everything gets blended together all at once. Thanks for pointing out my error so that I could fix it! 🙂
Made these cupcakes yesterday for Mothers Day lunch... Everyone said they were the best cupcakes ever.. I tweaked your recipe a little and used cake flour sifted (3 times) and I used young living oils and put a drop of lemon oil in batter, simply syrup and icing along with your recipes.. Just a little extra... Wow... They were awesome... I am gonna try this with a cake.. Best recipe ever. Thanks for sharing...
So happy to hear that these cupcakes were such a big hit, Missy! I bet adding the lemon oil made them even more lemony. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to share your sweet comment!
Might be a silly question, but do you eat the lemon slice on top peel and all?
Not a silly question at all, Emily! Yes, you can actually eat these entire candied lemon slices! I find the rind to be a little bitter, though, so I usually just eat the flesh. My kids were excited to try the candied lemon slices on these cupcakes, but then they decided they liked the way the lemon slices looked better than the way they tasted -- ha. So while they're fine to eat, it's really just a matter of personal preference. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi I am 12 years old and I made these cupcakes and my family loved them! They were a huge hit! Thanks for sharing this recipe!