I feel like I crave the flavors of summer all year long. There is something so magical about these Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream! The flavors, the light, warm, refreshing flavors of summer that tastes amazing any time of year! Try my Strawberry Muffins for another summertime favorite! Looking for more cupcake recipes? I’ve got you covered.
Lemon Cupcakes
As much as I love the comforting aroma’s of pumpkin and spice, or the biting coolness of mint, or even the rich decadence of all things red velvet… I can’t help but crave the light citrusy tang of lemon. I slightly adapted my Cherry Limeade Cupcakes to make them lemon and boy was that a good idea!
These cupcakes are infused with lemon before AND after baking! Lemon juice goes into the batter, you bake, and then brush each cupcake with more lemon juice hot out of the oven. It’s magical I tell you!
Strawberry Buttercream
Strawberries go for about $5 a container at my local grocery store and lemons are $1 each! Since I didn’t win the lottery recently, I splurged and got just one lemon.
As far as the strawberry, I compromised and made a recipe utilizing strawberry jam instead of fresh. This worked beautifully! I was able to get the sweet hint of strawberries and not break the bank.
I stumbled upon a recipe using jam for the buttercream. This is quite a genius way to add a specific flavor to the buttercream, as I noticed that the first ingredient in jam is sugar!
Now don’t look too closely at this picture or you might start seeing things. Ha! I can’t tell you how many people have told me these look like boobs. (Also, sorry for saying boobs on my blog.) But they do. I can’t deny it! They would be perfect for Breast Cancer Awareness month!
Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1½ cups (192g) all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (123g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Strawberry Buttercream
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅓ cup strawberry jam or preserves
- 3 cups (384g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake tins. (This recipe yielded 15 cupcakes for me.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In stand mixer with paddle attachment (starting on low), cream together room temperature butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add in eggs, one at a time and mix until just blended.
- Add in vanilla, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and milk and mix for about 30 seconds on low. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Remove from mixer then fold in lemon zest with spatula.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Use a pastry brush to brush remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the top of the cupcake while they are still warm.
- Let cupcakes cool completely and dry before topping with strawberry frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream
- Place butter, vanilla and jam in stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high for 1-2 minutes, or until fully incorporated.
- With mixer on low, add in sugar, one cup at a time. When mixer starts to struggle, drizzle in milk one tablespoon at a time.
- After all milk as been added whisk buttercream on high for 1-2 minutes.
- To make cupcakes, put buttercream in a pastry bag with a large open tip. (or no tip at all, just the opening of the bag) and pipe out dollops on top of cooled cupcake.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with gold Star Dust.
Video
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Recipe adapted from Cherry Limeade Cupcakes.
I hope you will make these today and enjoy a little summer-time flavor journey just like I did!
I love love LOVE lemon treats! These are perfect little cupcakes, Amanda. Love that you used strawberry jam to be more economical. Strawberries are about to be in season here in FL so they will be super cheap. Wish I could ship some to you, without them going bad!
Have a good weekend. 🙂
Clearly I need to visit you in Florida to verify this information. 😉
These cupcakes look oh so delicious and beautiful as well. Very summery. Happy Birthday to your mum, Amanda.
Thank you so much!
These seriously were the first thing that caught my eyes this morning. They are just so perfectly lovely and beautiful and sing to me in a way most things can’t! What a way to start the new year girl. In love!
I love your way with words. 🙂 And you!
I love light summery flavors more than anything. These cupcakes are lovely! They have me longing for sunny days and warmer weather!
Thanks… I totally agree! 🙂
These are simply beautiful. I get what you’re saying about out of season (or not in the house) so I’m going to use an orange, which I have, instead of the lemon. Have not decided on frosting flavor.
Orange sounds lovely! How about chocolate frosting?
hello everyone, all the way from Australia, it’s 9.50am here, I stumbled across your lovely tempting recipe, mainly from the pic, so had to scroll along. I will def make these, but will hold off till a touch cooler here, we are in a heat wave atm. And our lemons here are roughly the same price, unless I knock on the owner’s house down the road to ask for some off their tree :)I’m sure these beauties will taste yummy. Thanks. 🙂
Happy birthday to your Mom. I always make my Mum buttercream cupcakes for her birthday, has come quite the tradition since I started baking now. Last year I made earl grey tea cupcakes, but I think I’ll make these this year – I know she’ll love them.
I’ve made cupcakes with jam frosting too, and they came out really well so I know yours would taste as amazing as they look, too. Gorgeous. Pinning and sharing on my FB page.
Thanks so much Lisa! I bet your mom loves the tradition you blessed her with! 🙂
These cupcakes are gorgeous! Pinned!
These cupcakes are so cute! Your instagram post about them made me giggle. I am definitely ready for summer flavors and these look perfect! 🙂
Strawberry buttercream is one of the best buttercream flavors ever!