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
- 1ยฝ cups (192g) all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon coarse salt
- ยฝ cup (1 stick, 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ยฝ cup (123g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Strawberry Buttercream
- ยฝ cup (1 stick, 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- โ cup strawberry jam or preserves
- 3 cups (384g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Heat oven to 350ยฐF. 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
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
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!
Hello! I am also curious how many cupcakes this recipe makes. Thank you!
Can I utilize this recipe for a sheet cake?
She said 15 muffins up there
These look beautiful! I’m going to try them this weekend. I have 2 questions: 1. Are these made in regular cupcake tins or muffin tins? 2: How do you get the frosting/icing to look like the picture – what “tip” did you use, and how?
Hi! Can you provide the link for the gold dust? I’ve searched around & haven’t been able to find something similar. Gorgeous cupcakes!!! Perfect for a little girl’s tea party ๐
The icing was not good. Maybe it was the strawberry preserves we used.
Hi Amanda. I noticed you have at least two or three recipes for lemon cupcakes or cake. Which is your personal favorite and why? Thanks!!
Best lemon cupcake recipe! Made them over and over, and they are a special treat
SO glad you like them!
If i made these The night before would they need to be REFRIGERATED ovee night?
This recipe seems to be amazing and looks fresh and bright – them cupcakes.
But, is there an egg less version available for the same?
Or anything which I can substitute for the eggs used?