The BEST Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes

My middle child has apparently inherited my love for any dessert by the name of lemon. So when I told him that I was thinking about making lemon cupcakes, he was way excited. And so was I…because, hellooo? LEMON CUPCAKES.

But these aren’t your ordinary lemon cupcakes. No sirree, Bob…these are The BEST Lemon Cupcakes. Really. And despite a few separate steps, they’re easy to make, too!

I started with my straightforward One-Bowl Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes recipe, infusing it with a bit of freshly-squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to create a foundation of all-natural lemon flavor. All you need to know is to start with room temperature ingredients and mix everything in the same bowl…it seriously is a piece of cake! Er, cupcake.

Next I borrowed a trick from my all-time favorite lemon layer cake (thanks, Martha) by making an effortless lemon simple syrup. It was as easy as boiling sugar with water and then stirring in lemon juice. As an added bonus, thin slices of lemon simmer in the syrup as it cooks, resulting in glossy, candied lemon garnishes for the top of the finished cupcakes. But that comes later, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves quite yet…

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 small lemons, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar (equivalent to about one 16-ounce box)
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. To prepare the cupcakes, adjust rack to center position of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners (*see Tips & Tricks below).
2. Set a large sifter or fine mesh sieve over the large bowl of an electric mixer. Measure flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt into sieve and firmly hit the palm of your hand against its side to sift all of the dry ingredients together into the bowl. (If desired, repeat this process a few more times for fluffier cupcakes.)
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for full recipes please see : www.fivehearthome.com