Lemon Cupcakes
Lemon cupcakes, made from scratch, are perfectly moist and sweet. Made with both lemon juice and lemon zest, the light and fresh citrus flavor shines through. The trick to perfect homemade cupcakes is in how you mix the batter. Topping these lemon cupcakes with mascarpone frosting is downright heavenly!
Servings: 15 cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon cupcakes:
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- zest + fresh juice of two medium lemons meyer lemons recommended
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
Frosting:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12-count muffin pan with paper liners. Recipe will make about 15 standard size cupcakes or 9 jumbo cupcakes. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or large measuring cup with a spout, mix 2 large eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1/2 cup whole milk, and zest + fresh juice of two medium lemons. Set aside.
- Measure out dry ingredients (1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt) and place them into the stand mixer bowl. Attach the paddle to the mixer, and turn on the slowest speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers). Slowly add chunks of your softened 1/2 cup unsalted butter until it is all added. Let mix until batter resembles coarse sand.
- Add 1/3 of your liquid ingredients while mixing on low until just moistened. Once incorporated, increase mixing speed to medium high (setting 7 on Kitchen Aid mixer). Let the mixture whip up until it has thickened and lightened in color. It should look like soft-serve ice cream. This mixing can take up to 2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl and give it another short mix to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Slowly add in the rest of your liquid ingredients while the mixer is running on low speed, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Mix just until everything has combined. Your batter should be thick and not too runny.
- Spoon batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. A large cookie scoop works well. Bake for about 18-22 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting with Mascarpone Frosting.
Notes
Recipe based on Sally's Baking Addiction's Homemade Lemon Cupcakes
Nutrition
Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 86mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.7mg