If you’re looking for an easy lemon cupcake recipe that is super soft, moist, and bursting with lemon flavour, then this recipe is it!
Fluffy cupcakes are filled with a half batch of my super easy eggless lemon curd recipe, and topped with a small batch of my all time favourite cream cheese frosting that has a slight kick of lemon too! The cupcakes are great on their own as well, so you can skip the lemon curd and frosting if you prefer (though I highly recommend them!).
How to Make Lemon Cupcakes
These cupcakes come together really easily!
Begin by preheating your oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 3 on recipe card below if you don’t have a fan function) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil, sugar and lemon zest. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine – see note 4 on recipe card below), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
Next add in Greek yoghurt and fresh lemon juice. Mix until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled at this stage but that’s okay.
Lastly add in your premixed dry ingredients from earlier, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix. Your batter should no longer be curdled, and there should be no large chunks or streaks of flour. It’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy in the end.
Distribute the batter evenly into the cupcake liners (fill no more than about 3/4s of the way up), and bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. The cupcakes do ever so slightly sink in the middle while cooling , but once you fill and frost them you won’t be able to tell. In my opinion, it’s a necessary trade-off for the perfect texture 🙂
How to Make Lemon Curd
My eggless lemon curd recipe is SO DELICIOUS and really easy to put together.
Add your lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, milk and vanilla to a saucepan and mix until well combined.
Place your saucepan over a medium heat and stir your mixture continuously until you reach a thick consistency (see video below for visual).
Take your saucepan off the heat and stir in the cold unsalted butter until completely melted.
Strain your lemon curd to remove the little bits of lemon zest (optional).
Stir in gel colour or turmeric for additional colour (optional). Leave to completely cool.
How to Make Cream Cheese Buttercream
Cream your butter for a few minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Either use a hand mixer or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
Add in the icing sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch of icing sugar is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
Next add in your cold cream cheese, vanilla and fresh lemon juice. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing (see note 5 on recipe card below).
How to Assemble Lemon Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, using the back of a large piping tip (you can also use an apple corer, a small serrated knife or small spoon), and poke it halfway through each cupcake, twist and then bring it back up (see video below for demonstration). The middle of the cupcake should come out with the piping tip, leaving a hole in the centre for the lemon curd to go. Remove the part of the cupcake that’s in the piping tip (you can use the back of a spoon or toothpick to push it out if it’s stuck), and repeat the process with the remaining cupcakes.
Next fill the centre of the cupcakes with the lemon curd (see note 6 on recipe card below). I just use a teaspoon to do this.
Next frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese buttercream. I pop mine into a piping bag with a 1M piping tip on it, and pipe cupcake swirls on the top. Make sure the lemon curd is completely cool before doing this.
OPTIONAL: Place any remaining lemon curd in a piping bag, and cut the tip of the piping bag so you have a small hole, and then pipe that in a zig-zag motion on the top of the cupcakes. Enjoy!
Moist Lemon Cupcakes
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1¼ cups (150 g) flour - regular, all purpose (see note 1 if you want to use cake flour)
- 1½ tbsp (11 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour in some countries
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp (43 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ⅓ cup (70 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest - about 1 medium sized lemon
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- ⅓ cup (90 g) Greek yoghurt - room temperature
- 2½ tbsp (35 g) lemon juice - freshly squeezed
Eggless Lemon Curd
- ½ tbsp lemon zest - about 1/2 a medium sized lemon
- ⅓ cup (80 g) lemon juice - freshly squeezed, about 2 and 1/2 lemons
- ⅓ cup (66 g) white granulated sugar
- 1½ tbsp (10 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour in some countries
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk - full fat
- ¼ tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - cold
- 1 small drop of yellow gel food colour or pinch of turmeric - OPTIONAL
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter - room temp
- 2¼ cups (285 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered/confectioners sugar
- ¾ cup (168 g) cream cheese - cold, firm type (see note 2)
- ¾ tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ¾ tbsp lemon juice - freshly squeezed
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil, sugar and lemon zest. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 4), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
- Next add in Greek yoghurt and fresh lemon juice. Mix until well combined. The batter may look a little curdled at this stage but that's okay.
- Lastly add in your premixed dry ingredients from earlier, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix. Your batter should no longer be curdled, and there should be no large chunks or streaks of flour. It's okay if the batter is a little lumpy in the end.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the cupcake liners (fill no more than about 3/4s of the way up), and bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. The cupcakes do ever so slightly sink in the middle while cooling , but once you fill and frost them you won't be able to tell. In my opinion, it's a necessary trade-off for the perfect texture 🙂
Eggless Lemon Curd
- Add your lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, milk and vanilla to a saucepan and mix until well combined.
- Place your saucepan over a medium heat and stir your mixture continuously until you reach a thick consistency (see video for visual).
- Take your saucepan off the heat and stir in the cold unsalted butter until completely melted.
- Strain your lemon curd to remove the little bits of lemon zest (optional).
- Stir in gel colour or turmeric for additional colour (optional). Leave to completely cool.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Cream your butter for a few minutes until it's light and fluffy. Either use a hand mixer or stand mixer on a medium high speed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
- Add in the icing sugar in 3 batches while mixing on low. Ensure that each batch of icing sugar is mixed into the butter well before adding in the next batch.
- Next add in your cold cream cheese, vanilla and fresh lemon juice. Mix just until the frosting is smooth. Avoid over-mixing (see note 5).
Assembly
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, using the back of a large piping tip (you can also use an apple corer, a small serrated knife or small spoon), and poke it halfway through each cupcake, twist and then bring it back up (see video for demonstration). The middle of the cupcake should come out with the piping tip, leaving a hole in the centre for the lemon curd to go. Remove the part of the cupcake that's in the piping tip (you can use the back of a spoon or toothpick to push it out if it's stuck), and repeat the process with the remaining cupcakes.
- Next fill the centre of the cupcakes with the lemon curd (see note 6). I just use a teaspoon to do this.
- Next frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese buttercream. I pop mine into a piping bag with a 1M piping tip on it, and pipe cupcake swirls on the top. Make sure the lemon curd is completely cool before doing this.
- OPTIONAL: Place any remaining lemon curd in a piping bag, and cut the tip of the piping bag so you have a small hole, and then pipe that in a zig-zag motion on the top of the cupcakes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
60 Comments
Will the cupcakes still bake the same if I don’t make the lemon curd to put in the middle or do I need a bake them longer at a different temperature or do I go with the recipe and just omit the lemon curd
Hi Sharon! 🙂
Bake the cupcakes as stated in the recipe and simply omit the lemon curd 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have tried so many lemon cupcake recipes of bakers around the world BUT Maryam’s recipe is THE BEST, 10/10 and will give 11/10 as I brushed hot lemon syrup over the top of the lemon cupcakes after removing them from the oven. I used white caster sugar and reduced to 165g. Many thanks for the great recipe, Maryam.
So so happy to hear you loved the recipe Mary 😀
The addition of hot lemon syrup on the top sounds INCREDIBLE! I’ll have to try that sometime 🙂
Thank you again for the wonderful feedback Mary!
Can I fill the cupcake liners halfway full instead of 3/4 of the way full I don’t want to use the lemon curd for the middle so do I bake it the same 18 minutes and only fill the cupcake liners a half full or do I just bake them longer and fill them at 3/4 so away full cuz I want the center cooked
Hi Sharon! 🙂
I would still fill them 3/4s of the way up and bake for 18 mins. The lemon curd is added after the cupcakes are baked by removing the centre. You can simply leave the centre of the cupcakes intact if you don’t want to fill them with lemon curd 🙂
Hope that makes sense and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello, Maryam!
This recipe is wonderful… these are the best lemon cupcakes I’ve ever had!
I just did a side-by-side comparison between these and the lemon cupcake recipes from two of my other favourite channels/blogs, and while all were very good, yours were the clear winner.
My focus was on the cupcake part as I’m not a huge fan of frosting or filling, and the cupcake texture and flavour were just perfect. Such an easy recipe, and one that’s amazing in both plain and fancy formats.
Thank you very much! 🙂
Hi Sue! Aww yay I am so so happy to hear you loved the recipe 😀
What an honor to hear that they’re the best lemon cupcakes you’ve had 🙂
Really appreciate the wonderful feedback!
can castor sugar be used in your recipes instead of granulated sugar
Hi Deborah! 🙂 I haven’t tried using castor sugar myself, but I think it should be fine! Would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try it out 🙂
Hi Deborah,
I used caster sugar when I made this recipe — I don’t keep regular granulated sugar on hand — and it worked brilliantly. Best lemon cupcakes ever, in my opinion, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Thanks for the info Sue! Very helpful for those who would like to use caster sugar.
So glad you loved the cupcakes 😀
Hello:
I just made these, and they are incredible. For the frosting, I used a lemon blueberry cream cheese frosting that I had left over and frozen. My question is do I have to refrigerate these once assembled and, if not, how long will they stay fresh in a container, at room temperature? Thank you
Hi Lisa! So glad to hear you loved the cupcakes 😀
With them having a cream cheese frosting, they can be left out for the day at room temperature, but overnight should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge 🙂
Just allow them to come to room temp before eating. Hope that helps!
Hi,can I reduce the sugar in the cupcakes 200g is a lot for me if I reduce it will it affect the batter ? thank you.
Hi Hiba! 🙂 You could reduce the sugar by upto about 1/4 cup (50g), but I wouldn’t recommend any more than that as sugar contributes to the moisture of the cupcakes so if you reduce it too much your cupcakes may be a bit dry 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Delicious! 😋
Thanks so much Gosia! 😀
If I won’t be having lemon frosting or curd, will the cupcake have enogg if h lemon since there is only a couple TBS of zest and juice? If not can we freely add more of zest or some extract?
Hi Fifi! Yes the cupcakes still have a great lemon flavor even on it’s own 🙂 you could add a little more zest if you prefer, but adding more lemon juice will affect the texture of the cupcakes. Hope that helps!