Lemon Cupcakes {Easy Recipe}

Lemon Cupcakes on a table with lemon frosting and lemon curd drizzled over the top.

4.62 from 31 votes

Lemon Cupcakes {Easy Recipe}

These light and fluffy, extra moist Lemon Cupcakes are the perfect treat. Baked in just 20 minutes with an easy recipe and added topping zing!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Family Food

Servings: Cupcakes

Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

150 g Sugar
150 g Butter
3 Eggs
150 g Self raising flour
1 Lemon Zest only (reserve lemon for the drizzle)
1 tsp Lemon extract See notes

For the drizzle:

25 g Icing sugar
Lemon juice From the zested lemon used in the cupcakes

For the buttercream icing:

250 g Butter
500 g Icing sugar
1 tsp Lemon extract

To decorate:

1/2 jar Lemon curd Approx 160g

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180℃ fan/200℃/Gas Mark 6.
Put 12 cupcakes cases into your tin ready.
Cream your room temperature butter with your sugar until it's pale, light and fluffy.
Either: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing really well after each egg. Don't worry if it curdles slightly, it will come good.
OR: Add all of the eggs, flour, zest and lemon extract together.
Mix together by hand or with a mixer until everything is well combined.
Spoon equal amounts of mixture into your cupcake cases. (I use an ice cream scoop as this gives the perfect amount and ensures some uniformity.)
Bake for about 15 minutes. You may need to adjust this depending on your oven. The cakes should be golden and slightly bouncy to the touch.
Meanwhile, make your drizzle. Mix together icing sugar and the juice from the lemon you previously used for the zest.
Now make the buttercream icing. Beat your butter until it's pale, light and fluffy.
Beat in your sieved icing sugar and add in your lemon extract.
Take your cupcakes out of the oven. While they are still warm in the tin, drizzle over your lemon drizzle.
Once the cakes are cooled, pipe over the icing, then either take a fresh bag with the end snipped off or drizzle the lemon curd on top.
Enjoy!

Notes

Zesting tool: My secret weapon for any recipes with citrus zest in is my Microplane Zester. You can buy them here on Amazon: Microplane Premium Zester

Ice cream scoop: Use one to make sure you dish your batter up evenly into the cupcake cases

Buttercream: If your buttercream is too stiff, add a teaspoon of boiling water, one at a time until it is a smooth pipe-able texture

Lemon extract: It is really important to use a good quality lemon extract, not essence. An extract will contain flavouring produced from lemons, rather than an essence which is a chemically produced flavouring

Don't over bake: Be sure to take them out of the oven when they are only JUST cooked as the heat in the pan will continue to cook them for a little while

Nutrition