These lemon cupcakes are bursting with citrusy flavor! They’re also vegan friendly and include a gluten free option as well! Perfect sweet treat for my fellow lemon lovers!
If there’s one treat I find myself craving often, it’s lemon cake. I mean, I do love cake in general, obviously, but there’s something about that lemon flavor that has a special place in my heart. I thought about topping these with a fruity frosting, like strawberry or raspberry, but I figured I should start with the classic lemon + lemon combo, and add the berry twist another time.
These cupcakes are egg free and vegan friendly, but you honestly can’t tell. I like cakes without eggs because I think it helps them stay moist and soft; less eggy, if that makes sense. I included a gluten-free option for my fellow gf friends too! 🙂 Enjoy!
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 12–14 1x
Description
These lemon cupcakes are bursting with citrusy flavor! They’re also vegan friendly and include a gluten free option as well! Perfect sweet treat for my fellow lemon lovers!
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes: (gf version below)
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (scooped in and leveled. NOT packed)
- 3/4 cup sugar, pure cane
or coconut
* sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- 1/3 cup olive oil or other oil of choice
- juice and zest of 2 medium lemons (about 1/3 cup juice and 2 tablespoons zest)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon Buttercream, recipe below
or 
* sugarGluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour, I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
, in the blue bag
- 1/2 cup super fine blanched almond flour
- 3/4 cup sugar, pure cane
- 2 teapoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- 1/3 cup olive oil or other oil of choice
- juice and zest of 2 medium lemons (about 1/3 cup juice and 2 tablespoons zest)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon Buttercream, recipe below
, in the blue bag
Lemon Buttercream:
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 3–3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon zest, to taste
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice,
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients—flour(s), sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, mixing just until batter is smooth.
- Scoop batter into paper liners, filling 3/4 full.
- Bake until golden brown and center is no longer jiggly, about 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.
Lemon Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time mixing well after each addition. Halfway through adding powdered sugar, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice and vanilla extract to help melt the sugar. Continue adding powdered sugar, adding 3 cups altogether (add an additional 1/2 cup if frosting is too loose or if it’s not sweet enough for your taste.) Scrape down sides and continue to beat frosting 1–3 more minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with an offset spatula or use a piping bag and tip to get swirls. I used a Wilton 1M tip.
- Cook Time: 22 mins
- Category: Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Vegan