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
Can you please email the recipe to me. Look delicious.
Hi Loretta! 🙂 You can find the full written recipe on the recipe card on this blog post, just above the comments section 🙂 hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hello MK,
I love your recipes and you YouTube channel. Can I make these ahead of time (Friday morning for a party on Saturday evening) or will the cupcakes get soggy? Should they kept in the fridge? Thank you for the great recipes and the awesome baking tips!
Hi Gram! 🙂 So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes and videos! And yes you can absolutely make these ahead of time. I would recommend making the cupcakes and lemon curd on the Friday, and storing the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temp. Then make the frosting on Sat and fill and ice them 🙂 alternatively you can make it all and assemble them the day before but then because of the cream cheese icing you will need to pop them into an airtight container and leave them in the fridge. Just remember to let them come to room temp before eating 🙂
Hi MK thanx yr recipe I’m starting a business selling cake very nice and moist
I have been trying almost all your cakes and mashaa Allah they are incredible delicious and fluffy may you be blessed alwayz…
Thank you so much Nawal! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes 😀
Great recipe, I made two 8 inch lemon cakes and they came out fab. Thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Mary! 🙂
Can the cupcakes be chilled to eat next few days ?
Yes that should be fine 🙂 just make sure to store them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out. They will be okay to leave out at room temp for a few days when you first make them too (if they haven’t been iced) 🙂
Hi Maryam, thankyou for this cupcake recipe, it is so so good! Perfect textured , light and moist sponge cake and the most delicious and stable cream cheese buttercream (though I did reduce the sugar in the buttercream by 50g). Will definitely be making again and look forward to trying more of your recipes 🙂
Thanks Robin! So happy to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes 😀
What can I use instead of Greek yogurt?
Hi Veronica! Regular yoghurt will work too, or sour cream, although sour cream may make the cupcakes slightly more dense 🙂
I am going to make this cupcakes.
Hope you enjoy them! 😀
Thank you so much for these recipes. Can you please tell me what size liners you use? Thank you
Hi Beth! You’re so welcome 🙂 I believe the liners I use are 2inch liners – they’re the standard size ones 🙂
Recipe looks fab but could I use normal or low fat plain yoghurt? Love all your recipes, easy to follow and tasty.
Hi Shirley! Yes you can use regular or low fat yoghurt too, it may just make the cupcakes a little less soft because of less fat 🙂 so happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes!