Perfect vanilla cupcakes that are moist and fluffy, topped with a slightly tart lemon frosting. The best summer flavor.
I can’t wait to share these cupcakes with you. They’ve been sitting in my “To-post-list” for a few weeks. Terrible, i know. We’ve been crazy busy here. And July is almost over?! I feel like it just started! Have you been enjoying all the sunshine and summer!? Do you have kids headed back to school soon? Either way I can’t wait to enjoy August. Hopefully it won’t go by as quick as July did!
I’m a sucker for cupcakes. I’m not sure what it is about them. Maybe its because its like having a piece of cake you can eat without a plate and a fork?! And if you know me, even a little just by reading these posts you’ll know vanilla is my favorite flavor. Boring, right? Well not when you have amazing frosting like this Lemon Buttercream.
Its the perfect combination of a vanilla cupcake with a slightly tart frosting. I love that its not too sweet. But its still bursting with lemon flavor. I had forgotten how much I love lemon flavored desserts. You will definitely be seeing more of them in the future.
This is my go-to cupcake recipe. Its easy, and it makes exactly 12 cupcakes. How can you not love that. Oh, and you don’t need a mixer. I’ve said it once and there’s a good chance you’ll hear me say this again: Less counter space and less dishes is HUGE in our tiny kitchen. I’ll take all the space I can get.
Pop into your kitchen and whip up these cupcakes for your next family dinner or BBQ. You won’t be disappointed!
Cupcake liners from Sweets & Treats – the best greaseproof liners.
What You’ll Need
- Medium Bowl
- Small Bowl
- Cupcake Pan
- Hand Mixer
- 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter - melted
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter - softened to room temperature
- 2 cups icing sugar - sifted
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt - set aside.
- Using a whisk mix the melted butter and sugar together in a medium bowl, the mixture will be gritty.
- Add the egg whites, greek yogurt, milk and vanilla bean extract and mix until well combined.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until no lumps remain - the batter will be thick.
- Fill all 12 cupcake liners evenly and bake for 18-19 minutes - do not bake longer than 20 minutes - mine were ready right at 18 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack before frosting.
- Using your hand mixer whip the butter on medium speed for 4 -5 minutes.
- Slowly add in 1 cup of the sifted icing sugar, mix until combined.
- Add the lemon zest and extract and the last of the icing sugar and continue mixing.
- Add in 1 tbsp of the heavy cream at a time until the consistency is right.
- Once all is added beat on high speed until light and fluffy - at least 2 minutes.
- You want the frosting nice and creamy, but for it to be able to hold a point at the same time.
- I piped my cupcakes with a Wiltons 1M.
- Store in an air tight container for up to a week.
WHERE I CAN BUY lemon extract AND lemon extract .
CAN I USE SOMETHING ELSE ?
PLEASE I NEED IT QUICKLY
Hi Alice,
You should be able to find lemon extract at most of your local grocery stores. Unfortunately I haven’t tried using anything in place of the extract. You could try substituting fresh lemon juice -maybe 2-3 tablespoons? Let me know if you give this a try 🙂
Stacey