Lemon Cupcakes, small batch
Six soft and airy cupcakes topped with a whipped lemon cream cheese frosting — that is what these straightforward to mix Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes deliver. Flavored with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and a little honey, these cupcakes are especially flavorful!
Reasons to Love These Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes
- Made with fresh lemon zest and lemon juice.
- They're a small batch of 6 cupcakes.
- Soft and airy!
- Wonderful to give as a gift to the lemon dessert lovers in your life!
- An easy lemon-honey mixture is brushed over the top of just baked, warm lemon cupcakes—SO GOOD.
- A strong match for a light and refreshing dessert.
- It pairs evenly with this whipped lemon cream cheese frosting!
I'm excited to share these small batch lemon cupcakes with you today because, next to chocolate, lemon desserts have always been a big favorite of mine! They're refreshing and always packed with that winning combo of sweet and tart in each bite.
Another favorite part about this particular lemon dessert recipe is they're a small batch of six. So you can choose to give them as a sweet gift, share them with your family, or keep them all to yourself!
If you enjoy this small batch lemon cupcakes recipe, you should also check out my Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes, Single Layer Carrot Cake, or my Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies!
Have more ideas for small batch dessert recipes? I would love to hear them! Message me on my Say Hello page, or DM me over on Instagram or Facebook!
Your Ingredients List
Below is the list of ingredients you will need to make these fantastic small batch lemon cupcake recipe!
- All-Purpose Flour. This pantry staple is a strong match for this method.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Salt. It helps to balance out the lemon flavor.
- Unsalted Butter. It's helpful to have this at room temperature for smooth mixing!
- Granulated Sugar. Your typical white granulated sugar can be used here. Organic cane sugar is a good substitute as well.
- Egg. Just one and, like the unsalted butter, this is best at room temperature as well.
- Vanilla Extract. This is an optional ingredient, but it does a nice job of rounding out all the flavors while not stealing the lemons show.
- Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice. Grab 2 medium or 3 small will work fine here. The lemon juice gets divided. 1 1/2 tablespoon goes into the cupcake batter, and the remaining tablespoon gets mixed together with the honey.
- Buttermilk. Only a 1/4 cup is needed. Whole milk can also be used in its place or house-made buttermilk. Powdered buttermilk is acceptable too.
- Honey. This gets whisked together with the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Once mixed, it gets brushed over the top of just-baked lemon cupcakes.
I did not test this method using any alternative flour, sugars (other than organic cane sugar), or egg substitutes.
Making house-made Buttermilk
To make the house-made version, you only need regular milk (like 1%, 2%, or fat-free) with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
Add the lemon juice to the measuring cup first, then add the milk. Pour it into a small bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes, then—when it's called for in the method— add it to the batter. House-made buttermilk substitute is meant to be used immediately.
You can also use powdered buttermilk which you can find in the baking aisle, usually next to the powdered milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk.
How it comes together
Here is a brief overview of how to make this small batch lemon cupcakes recipe. Detailed instructions, including how to make the whipped lemon cream cheese frosting, can be found in the method below!
For the lemon cupcakes, you will need either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. A few mixing bowls, a medium grater, a whisk, and a spatula will come in handy as well!
- Prep your lemons. You can like to zest and juice my lemons before starting this method. It's not a huge time saver, but it keeps things moving as you bake. It's less time your batter is sitting too. Try using this grater from Microplane for the lemon zest.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. This is a unfussy step and ensures all the dry ingredients have been mixed well together before they're added to the wet batter. You whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. This is the part where you'll need the hand mixer or stand mixer. Beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together first. Then you will add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Blend it all together. To the wet ingredients, you will add the whisked dry ingredients, fresh lemon zest, 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and buttermilk. Do NOT over-mix the lemon cupcake batter. It should be light in color and easily scoopable into the liners.
- Evenly fill the cupcake liners. Fill them about 2/3 or a little over halfway full.
- Bake the cupcakes. Recommended baking times for this small batch lemon cupcakes recipe is 350ºF for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. They'll have a relatively flat top to them and will smell terrific!
- Make the lemon honey mixture. With about 5-10 minutes left of baking, mix the lemon and honey together with a whisk in a small bowl. Mix it together until it's uniform in color.
- Brush the mixture over the warm cupcakes. When your lemon cupcakes are done baking, brush the mixture over the top. Use either a pastry brush or a silicone brush. The mixture will then absorb into the warm cupcakes.
- Cool completely. Let them cool in the cupcake tin first for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Whether you are making them the same day or for a day or 2 later, it's important to let them cool completely before adding the frosting.
Essential Cupcake Tools
FAQs and Troubleshooting
Can I skip the lemon zest and use bottled lemon juice?You can, but the cupcakes won't be as flavorful.
What if I don't have buttermilk?You can use a buttermilk substitute or whole milk.
Do you have a substitute for any of the ingredients?Unless otherwise noted above in the Ingredients section, no.
Can I bake these lemon cupcakes in advance?Yes. They can be made, sans frosting, 2-3 days in advance and kept in a tightly sealed storage container at room temperature. If the tops appear to be slightly sticky to the touch after storing, let them sit out uncovered for about 30 minutes before adding the cream cheese frosting.
Can the lemon cream cheese frosting be made in advance?Yes. It can be made 1-2 days in advance and should be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Bring it out to room temperature 15-20 minutes prior to frosting the cupcakes. You will need to give it a quick turn or two with a hand mixer to bring it back to life.
Can I double this lemon cupcake recipe?Yes! Baking time and temperature remain the same.
What piping tip did you use to decorate the cupcakes?I used the Wilton 1A decorating tip with a medium-sized piping bag. The Wilton 1A tip is also known as the open tip or open circle tip.
Additional Baking Tips Before Starting
- The method times noted are for both the lemon cupcakes and the lemon cream cheese frosting.
- Ovens are like snowflakes; no two are alike. Start checking the doneness of your cupcakes at the earliest recommended baking time. Using an oven thermometer is also good to ensure your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature.
- There is an added cooling time of 30 minutes for the cupcakes.
- It's best to place your cupcake liners in the 2 middle sections of your cupcake tin.
- Do not over-mix this lemon cupcake batter.
- Use either a cookie scoop, a large measuring glass, or a large and small spoon to add the cupcake batter.
- Fill the cupcakes 2/3 full. When baked, they should be flat on top and baked right up to the top of the liner.
- Standard cupcake liners were used with this method.
- Frosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can be enjoyed straight from the refrigerator or at room temperature (let sit for 10-15 minutes before eating).
But wait, there's more!
Enjoy these other small-batch recipes from Sovuh!
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Single Layer Carrot Cake
- Yield 6 cupcakes
- Prep 20 minutes
- Cook 20 minutes
- Total 1 hour 10 minutes
- Calories 474
Ingredients
small batch lemon cupcakes
- 2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 2 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice, divided (1 1/2 tbsp for the batter, 1 tbsp to mix with the honey)
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk or Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Honey
whipped lemon cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
Method
small batch lemon cupcakes
- Adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center). Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line the middle section of a cupcake tin with 6 cupcake liners.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set to the side.
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until well blended. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Switching the mixer speed to low, add in the whisked dry ingredients followed by the lemon zest, 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. The batter should be light in color and easily scoopable into the cupcake liners.
- Using a large 3 tablespoon-size cookie scoop (or a serving spoon and regular size spoon), evenly divide the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350ºF or until an insert toothpick comes out clean. They should be yellow in color with light golden brown edges and a relatively flat top.
- While the cupcakes bake, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the 1 tablespoon of honey in a small bowl. When cupcakes are done, remove from the oven and brush the lemon honey mixture over the top of each one with a pastry brush or silicone brush.
- Continue to cool the cupcakes in the tin for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Do not frost the cupcakes until they have cooled.
whipped lemon cream cheese frosting
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until light in color and airy in texture.
- Switch the mixer speed off to add in the powdered sugar, then turn back on to low speed. Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice, mixing until just combined.
- Keeping the mixer speed on low, add in the heavy whipping cream. Once mixed in, increase the mixer speed back to medium-high speed whipping the cream cheese frosting until it's light and airy (about 4-5 minutes). If you would like for the frosting to be thicker, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until the consistency you desire is reached.
- Fill a medium-size piping bag fitted with the Wilton 1A decorating tip and pipe the frosting onto each cooled lemon cupcake. Alternatively you can apply the lemon cream cheese frosting with an offset spatula.
Baker notes
Recipe adapted from Food & Wine.
Recipe times noted are for both the lemon cupcakes and the lemon cream cheese frosting.
Ovens are like snowflakes, no two are alike. Start checking the doneness of your cupcakes at the earliest recommended baking time. It's also good to use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature.
There is an added cooling time of 30 minutes for the cupcakes.
It's best to place your cupcake liners in the 2 middle sections of your cupcake tin.
Do not to over mix this lemon cupcake batter.
Use either a cookie scoop, large measuring glass, or large and small spoon to add the cupcake batter.
Fill the cupcakes 2/3 full. When baked they should be relatively flat on top and bake right up to the very top of the liner.
Standard cupcake liners were used with this method.
Frosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can be enjoyed straight from the refrigerator or at room temperature (let sit for 10-15 minutes before eating).
