Based on my beloved lemon blueberry cake recipe, this cupcake version features super soft yet moist lemon cupcakes with fresh blueberries perfectly suspended inside and irresistible lemon cream cheese frosting. The flavor is created with every part of the lemon – no lemon extract required! Instead, using lemon zest and juice yields the perfect bright, sunny lemon flavor in the cupcakes and the frosting. And they’re somehow even MORE moist and fluffy the next day – the perfect make-ahead dessert for a brunch, Easter, an upcoming birthday, or any celebratory event!
Lemon Cupcakes with Perfectly Suspended Blueberries
As with my lemon cake, it was super important to me to ensure that the blueberries won’t sink to the bottom of these cupcakes. The size of blueberries can vary greatly, and the larger they are the heavier they are. In other words, blueberries that are too big are more likely to sink in the baking process. To prevent that entirely, there are two things I do:
- Cut the blueberries in half. Using a paring knife, I cut the blueberries in half to decrease their size. I was nervous to do this at first because I didn’t want the blueberries leaking in the baking process, but to my surprise they didn’t leak at all! Reducing their size ensures they stay put when baked.
- Coat the blueberries in flour. This may be one of the reasons why the cut blueberries didn’t leak, and is also a known technique that adds a layer of protection from sinking.
Lemon Blueberry Cupcake Ingredients
This lemon blueberry 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.
- Fresh Blueberries. I don’t recommend any substitutes here. Frozen blueberries have extra water content that will throw off the structure, and freeze-dried blueberries don’t have enough water content so they’ll end up the texture of raisins. Fresh blueberries are best!
Irresistible Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Just like the layer cake version, these cupcakes are frosted with a lemon cream cheese buttercream that is so light and delicious. To make the lemon cream cheese frosting extra stable without having to add extra powdered sugar or stabilizers, we’ll use a slightly different order of mixing the ingredients than a standard cream cheese frosting recipe. Instead of creaming the butter and cream cheese together in the beginning of the recipe, the cream cheese gets added last. This makes it the perfect consistency for piping onto cupcakes!
As with any cream cheese frosting, there are a couple best practices you need to know to ensure success:
- 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.
Other Frosting Suggestions for Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
If you live in an area without access to full-fat brick-style cream cheese or you simply don’t want to make that extra trip to the store, I have a few other suggestions for frosting these lemon blueberry cupcakes:
- Lemon Buttercream
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Blueberry Buttercream
- Lavender Buttercream
- White Chocolate Buttercream
I can’t wait for you to try these lemon blueberry cupcakes! I can’t get over how soft yet moist they turned out and really love that they stay that way days after making them. Let me know if you make them in the comments below (don’t forget to add a rating!) and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram if you post a pic. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry 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
- 1/2 Cup (67g) fresh blueberries, cut in half
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour (for coating the blueberries)
Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 Cups (480g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 8 Oz (226g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese*, room temperature NOT the spread
- Pinch of salt, or to taste
Garnish (optional)
- fresh blueberries
Instructions
Make the Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºF) and line a standard cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and lemon juice and 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. Add the butter and cream it together with the lemon-sugar mixture on medium speed until light and combined, about 2 minutes. 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.
- Coat the blueberry halves in 1 tsp flour and use a rubber spatula to fold them into the batter, then divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. 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 on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Add about 1/2 of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then add the lemon juice and continue mixing on low speed. Add the rest of the powdered sugar until combined. It will look pretty crumbly and thick, but don't worry! It will come together after the next step.
- Add the cream cheese and salt and mix on medium speed until fully combined and smooth (no lumps), about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
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 4B and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake, then garnish with fresh blueberries.
Notes
- The lemon blueberry 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.
Can this recipe made without eggs? Are there any alternative that I can use instead of eggs?
Hi Yaal! I have never tried this recipe with an egg replacer, so I’m not sure if it would work or what to use. Let me know if you experiment with an egg replacement! Otherwise I’d recommend looking for an already eggless lemon blueberry cupcake recipe and use the lemon cream cheese frosting from this recipe.