Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes
Cool, Fill & Frost: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 33 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 mini cupcakes
Calories: 260kcal
A quick and easy recipe to make lemon curd filled cupcakes that are full of lemon flavor!
Print Recipe
(2) frosting bags
frosting tip
zester
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 cup white cake mix
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup lemon curd
Lemon Buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 3 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 dash kosher salt
- lemon zest for garnish
Lemon Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
Add all the cupcake ingredients except the lemon curd to a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed with a mixer for about 2-3 minutes.
Place batter into each cupcake liner about ¾ full and bake for 16-18 minutes.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling or frosting.
Lemon Buttercream
Place the butter into a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and incorporate it completely after each addition.
Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and beat until creamed together and smooth.
Fill and Frost the Cupcakes
After the cupcakes have cooled completely, place the lemon curd in a pastry bag with a round tip attachment (you can also use a ziplock bag). Gently Insert the tip into the top of the cupcake about ½" deep. Squeeze in some lemon curd (about a teaspoon). The cupcake will expand slightly, stop as the curd oozes out of the top a little. Don't worry what it looks like, you are covering it with frosting!
Place the frosting in a different pastry bag. Use your favorite tip and frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle with lemon zest and enjoy!
- I zested and juiced 4 Meyer lemons for the cupcakes, buttercream, and lemon curd recipes at the start and set it all aside. It made each step with lemon juice or zest so much easier!
- Of course, if you don't have Meyer lemons, regular lemons will work just as well.
- This recipe is for 12 mini-cupcakes. If you want to make regular-sized cupcakes, you can double this recipe and add 6-7 minutes to the cooking time (check with a toothpick).
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.1g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 5.1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 40.1g | Calcium: 31mg