Lemon Cupcakes
I love lemon in desserts. These cupcakes are light and fluffy, topped with the best cream cheese frosting. I get asked this all the time, and I know it’s an easy shortcut to not, but you’ve got to use fresh lemon juice in this recipe or it just won’t taste the same.
For the cupcakes:
1 stick of butter, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of one lemon
For the frosting:
1 block of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick of butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Optional: Lemon Curd for the center of the cupcake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cupcake pan with paper liners, spritzed with nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour and baking powder.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Mix until just combined.
Alternate adding the milk and flour mixture until all is combined. Add the lemon juice and zest.
Scoop cupcakes (I use an ice cream scoop for this) into the liners. This is enough for about a dozen cupcakes.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool.
For the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until well combined. Add the vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add the lemon juice and zest. Whip on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. [Note: If the frosting is too thick, add a little milk or cream. If it’s too thin, add more sugar until it reaches the desired consistency.
To ice the cupcakes, scoop the frosting into a gallon size ziplock bag and snip a hole at one end. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes in a circular motion. If you’re wanting to make lemon curd cupcakes, use a spoonful of store-bought lemon curd on top of each cupcake then pipe the icing around the curd in a circle, like in the photo seen here.
ENJOY!