These homemade lemon cupcakes are a lemon lover’s dream! They have the perfect fluffy-yet-moist texture, natural zesty lemon flavor, and they’re completely irresistible topped with a swirl of lemon cream cheese buttercream. The batter comes together so easily and you’ll use every part of the lemon to achieve the perfect bright citrus flavor in this recipe. I couldn’t be more obsessed with them!

lemon cupcakes recipe by sugar and sparrow

homemade lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese buttercream

Why You’ll Love These Lemon Cupcakes

Perfectly bright lemon flavor. The lemon flavor in these cupcakes really shine! You’ll blend lemon zest into the sugar at the beginning of the recipe and use the juice of the lemon to make homemade buttermilk for adding at the end of the recipe. You’ll also use lemon juice in the frosting. Altogether, you’ll create a bright and zingy lemon flavor in every bite.
Super soft and moist. Between the butter/vegetable oil combo and homemade buttermilk, this recipe yields lemon cupcakes that are amazingly soft and moist (and stay that way for days)!
Simple to make. This recipe uses simple ingredients and the instructions are super detailed to make it as easy as possible! Even if you’ve never made cupcakes from scratch before, I promise you can knock this recipe out of the park.

fluffy moist lemon cupcakes from scratch

Lemon Cupcake Ingredients

This lemon cupcake recipe uses every part of a lemon to get the perfect citrus flavor. The zest is mixed together with the sugar to release essential oils + the juice is added to the milk to create buttermilk, which adds both flavor and moisture. In fact, these cupcakes are known to stay moist and fluffy for days. Here are the key ingredients that make them special:

Lemon zest + fresh squeezed lemon juice. As mentioned previously, this recipe uses every part of the lemon for flavoring this cake. The lemon zest is mixed with the sugar in the beginning of the recipe to release lemon essential oils from the beginning. Then, you’ll juice the lemon into the milk to create a homemade buttermilk that adds lots of moisture and flavor at the end of the recipe. In total, you’ll need about 2 medium lemons.
All-purpose flour. Although I love using cake flour for a super soft crumb in lots of my recipes, all-purpose flour (or plain flour) is the best choice here. It has the right structure to make the batter thick enough for suspending those blueberries, yet somehow yields a tender and fluffy cupcake.
Whole Milk. In the beginning of the recipe, you’ll add lemon juice to the whole milk to create homemade buttermilk. This creates moisture and adds flavor to the cupcakes. Since whole milk has a high amount of fat and protein, it’s the best choice for adding moisture while binding the ingredients together. The best substitutes here would be soy milk or full-fat buttermilk, but whole milk is my recommendation.
Granulated Sugar. This not only sweetens the cupcakes but also tenderizes the crumb, making it softer.
Butter + Vegetable Oil. These are the two base fats I use in this recipe – a little bit of butter for a rich texture and a little bit of vegetable oil for added moisture.
Large Eggs. These add structure to the cupcakes and help bind the ingredients together.
Vanilla. A little vanilla helps enhance the lemon flavor beautifully.

Tangy Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

These lemon cupcakes are frosted with a lemon cream cheese buttercream that is so light and delicious. The tanginess is taken to a whole new level with the addition of lemon juice! And while cream cheese frostings are notoriously soft and can be difficult to work with, this one ends up perfectly pipeable as long as you follow these best practices:

Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese. It’s critical that you don’t use low-fat or spreadable cream cheese, as these variations contain way more water than the full-fat brick kind. That means your frosting will be extra soft, liquidy, and impossible to decorate with. I always use the Philadelphia brand, but feel free to experiment with other brands as long as they meet the general requirements.
Use refrigeration. If you find that your kitchen environment is humid or the frosting is still a bit soft, pop it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, then re-mix it on low in your stand mixer. The butter in the recipe will solidify a little bit in the refrigerator, so the overall buttercream will feel a bit thicker and easier to work with afterwards.

lemon cream cheese buttercream on lemon cupcakes recipe

Tip: If you don’t have access to brick-style cream cheese, I recommend frosting these cupcakes with a different type of frosting like lemon buttercream or vanilla buttercream.

How to Make Lemon Cupcakes

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients and set them aside.

Step 2: Zest the lemon into the sugar and mix it together on low speed using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer with a large bowl. Meanwhile, juice the lemon into the whole milk, stir, and set aside.

Step 3: Cream together the butter and lemon-sugar mixture, then add the vegetable oil and continue beating on medium-high speed until pale and creamy. It’s going to look like wet sand after adding the butter, but it will fluff up after adding the vegetable oil and beating.

Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time and mix in on low speed, then add the vanilla and beat on high speed for one minute.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed. When they just start to come together, mix in the lemon-milk mixture.

Step 6: Fill your cupcake tins no more than ⅔ full and bake at 350F (177C) for 14-18 minutes. Cool them in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 7: Make the lemon cream cheese buttercream and top each cupcake with a swirl. I used Wilton Tip 1M for these and garnished with a quartered lemon slice.

lemon cupcakes with a slice of lemon on top

These are the sunniest, happiest cupcakes! However you choose to decorate them, they will be absolutely delicious.

More Lemon Recipes You’ll Love

If you love lemon, try these cake and cupcake recipes from my blog:

I hope you love these lemon cupcakes as much as I do! If you make them, let me know in the comments below (don’t forget to rate the recipe!) and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you make with my recipes!

Equipment

Standard Cupcake Pan

Ingredients

Lemon Cupcakes

1 Cup (132g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature
3 Tbsp (45ml) lemon juice from 1-2 medium lemons
2 tsp lemon zest from 1/2 medium lemon
3/4 Cup (150g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 Oz (226g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese*, room temperature NOT the spread
4 Cups (480g) powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt, or to taste

Garnish (optional)

quartered lemon slices

Instructions

Make the Lemon Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºF) and line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer and large bowl), mix together the sugar and lemon zest on low speed until fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, in a liquid measuring cup, combine the lemon juice with the milk and set aside.
Add the butter to the lemon-sugar mixture and cream it together on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. It will look like wet sand at this point. Add the vegetable oil and beat until combined, light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla, then turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for one minute.
Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the lemon milk mixture. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Using a spoon or scoop, add the batter to the cupcake liners and fill no more than 2/3 full. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until light and creamy (no lumps), about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
Add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time and mix on low speed until combined, scraping down the bowl and paddle between additions. Add the lemon juice and salt and continue mixing on low speed until fully combined and smooth.

Assembly

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them with the lemon cream cheese buttercream. To create the look pictured, add the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 1M and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake, then garnish with a quartered lemon slice.

Notes

*It’s very important to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese in the lemon cream cheese buttercream recipe (I use Philadelphia brand), not the spread or low-fat variations. The spreadable kind and reduced fat versions contain much more water content and will add too much liquid to the frosting, making it impossible to work with. If you don’t have access to brick-style cream cheese, I recommend topping these cupcakes with an alternative frosting like lemon buttercream, vanilla buttercream, or any of my other frosting recipes that don’t contain cream cheese

Make Ahead Tips:

The lemon cupcakes can be made ahead and stored, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
The lemon cream cheese buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix it with your stand mixer on low speed until it’s smooth and uniform.
The decorated cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator since the frosting contains cream cheese. When you’re ready to serve, bring them back to room temperature so they return to their soft and fluffy texture.