Enjoy a pretty burst of lemon with these Lemon Blossom Cupcakes. Delicious, moist lemon cupcakes topped with lemon cream cheese frosting!
These pretty lemon cupcakes are a great way to welcome Spring! With moist lemon cupcakes and a swirl of lemon cream cheese frosting, they might just be the perfect lemon bite.
To garnish my cupcakes, I topped with a wedge of fresh lemon and a small mint leaf. I love this garnish as it’s so simple, yet so pretty. Simply press the lemon wedge into your frosting and tuck a mint leaf next to it. And once decorated, these cupcakes are nice and sturdy, so they hold up really well if you need to travel with them.
These bright lemon cupcakes would be perfect Easter, Mother’s Day or any celebration, such as the arrival of Spring :)
Cook’s Notes
Be sure to note the recipe instructions to start with room temperature ingredients. It will make for a better finished product!
You can make the cupcakes ahead and freeze them. Then when ready, thaw and frost/decorate.
When it comes to making the frosting swirl, I like to start a little in from the edge, leaving a bit of the outer edge of the cupcake exposed. Not only does it look nice, it prevents the swirl from getting larger than the cupcake and top heavy :)
For a simpler presentation, simply garnish with lemon zest.
As these cupcakes use a lot of zest, be sure to scrub your lemons well before zesting, or better yet, if you can, pick up some organic lemons.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Blossom Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp (6.16 g) baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.62 g) salt, reduce to pinch if using salted butter
- 4 Tbsp (59.15 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (150.4 g) white sugar
- 1 (1) large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp (4.93 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp (126.88 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup (61 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the lemon cream cheese frosting:
- 4 Tbsp (59.15 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 oz (170.1 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 cups (480 ml) icing/confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2.46 ml) pure vanilla extract
- Zest of one lemon
For garnish:
- Fresh lemon wedges, lemon slice, cut into quarters
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- For the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare 12 cupcake cups paper baking liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together well the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the egg, mixing slowly to combine.
- Add the vanilla to the milk in a liquid measuring cup.
- Add one third of the dry flour mixture, followed by one third of the milk and mix thoroughly. Repeat, stopping to to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the last third of dry ingredients followed by the last third of milk. Mix slowly just until incorporated. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until thoroughly combined at low speed.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan using a standard-size ice-cream scoop until the cups are two-thirds full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes (start checking at 14 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the Frosting: Combine the ingredients in a mixer and whip together at high speed until light and airy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. With a piping bag and a large plain round tip, frost the cupcakes with a swirl and top with a lemon wedge and a mint leaf!
Wow! I was skeptical about the lemon cream cheese frosting but turns out it suits a lemon cupcake better than lemon buttercream 😋
So glad you enjoyed these, Dia! I love the lemon cream cheese, too :) Thanks!
Can you freeze the cream cheese frosting ? Will it freeze and defrost well?
Hi Kirsten and yes, it should freeze and defrost quite well. Enjoy!
I just made this . It is so good and moisture ! I am always back to your dessert recipe if I want to moisture and not crazy sweetness.
Thank you again for this recipe for perfect middle crazy Summer ( Desert in the United States , 118 degrees ) Dessert Sweet for me .
(BTW, I just receipe made half of 6 Muffins . It is perfect successful ! )
Stay cool ! Thank you !
What a perfect cupcake for spring! I love baking with lemon – it’s so fresh and the garnish is fantastic. Can’t wait to try these cupcakes!
Thanks Cindy :)
How did I miss these, I need to make up for lost time and make a dozen! I love the swirl of frosting :)
Thanks Sue :)
These beautiful cupcakes make me smile to just look at them. I’m quite certain my smile would be even bigger if I was enjoying one. They seem to be shouting “spring”!
Thanks Chris :)
Gorgeous spring cupcakes, these sound absolutely heavenly!
Thanks Laura!
Well aren’t these the prettiest cupcakes that I ever did see!!! I’m loving this lemon theme your on cause it’s my FAVE! The mint and lemon garnish is a beautiful touch, Jennifer!
Thanks Dawn :)
So pretty! And I love their poetic name too:) Who wouldn’t want a few lemon blossom cupcakes in front of them with coffee?
Thanks Milena :)
These cupcakes are gorgeous Jennifer! I adore lemon desserts and the bright beautiful colors of yellow and green. Perfect for any spring or summer event – or if we need a little sunshine. Bravo!!!
Thanks Tricia!
These are totally up my alley Jennifer! Lemon desserts rank even higher than chocolate ones for me. I can see that zest in the cream cheese frosting. Bet these are just bursting with lemon flavor!
Thanks Mary Ann and I’m a lemon lover here, too :)
If this doesn’t say springtime, nothing does! And lemon cream cheese frosting? Oh my!! Love these! Pinned!
Thanks Annie :)
These cupcakes are the cutest, Jennifer!!! And, absolutely perfect for spring! I love anything lemon, and cream cheese frosting is my weakness, so I could definitely devour a few dozen of these!!! Cheers!
Thanks so much, Cheyanne!