A perfect triple lemon cupcake cut in half to show lemon curd filling with recipe title on top of image

Lemon Cupcakes are not for the lemon faint of heart. They're the perfect lemon cupcake with triple the lemon flavor.

It's like lemon smacks you in the face in every single bite!

A perfect triple lemon cupcake cut in half to show lemon curd filling

Recipe Video

BEST Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

It's no secret that I love lemon. Sometimes I crave it so fiercely I find myself in the kitchen baking up a storm. This recipe is a product of one of those times. I think you'll be glad for my fierce craving!

These lemon cupcakes are the best lemon dessert I've made. Ever. And?

This recipe is the best lemon cupcake I've ever had.

Strong words, but true. In my opinion the best lemon cupcakes have lemon curd filling and a lemon butter cream. TRIPLE the lemon flavor: lemon in every bite!

Awhile back I had lemons in my refrigerator and needed to do something with them before they went bad. I made lemon curd and then used that curd to fill these easy lemon cupcakes.

  1. Recipe Video
  2. BEST Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
  3. How to make Lemon Cupcakes
  4. Perfect Triple Lemon Cupcakes
A bunch of perfect triple lemon cupcakes topped with lemon buttercream

How to make Lemon Cupcakes

I wanted the lemon in these cupcakes to punch you in the face with flavor. Every single bite needed lemon, so I made these triple lemon cupcakes with three times the lemon!

  1. Flour, Baking Powder, Salt: Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Melted Butter, Sugar: I start with melted butter to keep the cupcakes moist. Mix with sugar.
  3. Eggs: Add eggs one at a time.
  4. Lemon: lemon zest and lemon juice go in next.
  5. Milk: mix the dry ingredients in with milk alternately.

The cupcakes make the oven smell amazing, which is how you know you added enough lemon.

This recipe is a simple lemon cupcake made from scratch.

Overhead collage of 6 photos showing the steps to make perfect triple lemon cupcakes

Lemon Curd is the perfect filling for Lemon Cupcakes!

You can easily buy lemon curd (it's sold by the jams and jellies) or you can make homemade lemon curd. Making your own is easy and fast and it's SO good to fill cupcakes with or eat on toast or with a spoon.

To fill the cupcakes, simply cut out a small section of the cupcake (a circle about the size of a dime) and spoon some curd in the hole. Replace some of the removed cupcake part and your lemon cupcake is ready for frosting.

Overhead shot of ingredients needed to make lemon buttercream

The best frosting is lemon buttercream!

While you could use cream cheese frosting on these cupcakes, I like making a from scratch lemon buttercream. My favorite buttercream recipe is easily adapted to lemon: instead of vanilla, you add fresh lemon juice and lots of zest to the butter and powdered sugar. This lemon frosting is super lemony – perfect for an in-your-face lemon cupcake.

  • Tip: I love making the frosting up to two days ahead of time and storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then when I'm ready to frost my cupcakes, I just let it come to room temperature before frosting.
Perfect triple lemon cupcakes with tops put back on after being filled with lemon curd

Lemon is one of my favorite ingredients! Other lemon recipes:

  • Lemon No Bake Dessert
  • White Chocolate Lemon Bars
  • Lemon Butter Cake
  • Lemon Cake Roll
  • Lemon Meringue Pie
  • Or see all of my lemon recipes here!

Cupcakes:

  • 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter melted
  • 1 ¼ cups (250g) sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (59ml) fresh lemon juice from about ½ a large lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest from about 1 large lemon
  • ½ cup (119ml) whole milk

Filling & Frosting:

  • ½ cup lemon curd jarred or from scratch for the filling
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter softened
  • 4 ½ cups (509g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 large lemon
  • ¼ cup (59g) lemon juice 1 large lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream for desired consistency

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with liners (makes 15-16 cupcakes).

  • Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

  • Add melted butter to a large bowl and mix in sugar with a hand mixer for 30 seconds, until thick and yellow. Add eggs one at at time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest.

  • Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Don't over mix! Divide batter among liners, filling 2/3 full (about ¼ cup of batter per cupcake). Bake for 13-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine took about 14 minutes.) Cool completely before frosting.

  • To fill: cut out a small bit of the top/center of the cupcake. (Cut a hole that's about the size of a dime and the amount of cupcake you take out is a little larger than a marble.) Fill each hole with about ½ – 1 tablespoon of lemon curd. Replace a piece of the cupcake to cover.

  • To make the frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Beat in salt and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until it's all added.

  • Beat in lemon juice and zest. Add 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and mix until smooth. Add more cream as needed for desired consistency. Frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Make sure to let it come to room temperature before using.

  • Frost cupcakes by placing frosting in a pastry bag. I like the 1M tip, it gives pretty swirls. Add extra lemon zest or sprinkles for decoration, if desired.

  • Be sure not to over mix the batter or they will turn out too dense
  • Don't let the batter sit – bake them as soon as they are mixed for a fluffier cupcake.

Serving: 1 cupcake | Calories: 464 kcal | Carbohydrates: 68 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 21 g | Saturated Fat: 13 g | Cholesterol: 84 mg | Sodium: 159 mg | Potassium: 75 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 57 g | Vitamin A: 645 IU | Vitamin C: 4.1 mg | Calcium: 33 mg | Iron: 0.8 mg

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cupcake, lemon

Click here to see the complete list of Lemon Recipes!

collage of lemon cupcakes

Last Updated on May 3, 2021

All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Published on: March 22, 2021