Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
These Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes are moist and fluffy with a perfectly tender crumb. They’re topped with a rich and creamy strawberry buttercream frosting, and are perfect for any occasion.
For more strawberry recipes, be sure to check out my Strawberry Crisp, Fresh Strawberry Pie, and Strawberry Spinach Salad.
With warm weather right around the corner, and all of the great spring and summer holidays ahead, recipes like these Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes are the perfect treat for celebrating.
These Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes taste so fresh and delicious, and they are extremely hard to resist! They get their lovely tart flavor from freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest, and are complemented by a sweet and luscious strawberry buttercream frosting made from fresh pureed strawberries.
They would make the perfect dessert for Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays, 4th of July, and any holiday in between!
Ingredients for Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes (SEE MEASUREMENTS IN RECIPE CARD BELOW!)
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- baking soda
- unsalted butter
- vegetable oil
- white granulated sugar
- eggs
- sour cream
- buttermilk
- lemons (juice and zest)
- powdered sugar
- fresh strawberries
- vanilla extract
- strawberry extract (optional)
How to Make Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes – Step by Step
Step 1: Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Step 3: Stir wet ingredients
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs. Add the sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and whisk until combined.
Step 4: Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and stir together until just combined.
Step 5: Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the liners, about 3 tablespoons of batter each. Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake your strawberry lemon cupcakes for an additional 10-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the muffin pan before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Make frosting
To make the strawberry buttercream, beat the softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Continue to beat over medium speed as you gradually add the powdered sugar and salt. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to fully incorporate all of the sugar. Add the strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and strawberry extract if using. Beat over medium speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Frost your strawberry lemon cupcakes and add any desired toppings such as sliced strawberries, lemon wedges, or sprinkles.
Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes – Tips and Notes
- To puree the strawberries for the frosting, you can mash them really well with a fork. Try to remove as many lumps as possible. You can also use a food processor or blender to puree them.
- Strawberry extract is optional. I suggest preparing your frosting without it first and tasting the frosting to see how you like the flavor. If you’d like a deeper strawberry flavor, adding 1 teaspoon of extract will help to enhance it.
- Use room temperature eggs and sour cream. This will help your ingredients to incorporate smoothly. If you haven’t had time to let your eggs come to room temperature, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes before adding to the batter.
- Piping the frosting: I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting on my strawberry lemon cupcakes. The recipe makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes total.
- Make sure to adjust your oven temperature during baking. Baking your strawberry lemon cupcakes at 375 for 5 minutes will help to achieve the the perfect amount of doming and rise that we look for on cupcakes. The increased temperature helps the batter puff up fast, and then reducing the temperature to 350 allows the cupcakes to finish baking. This method lends to a lovely rise and texture!
- Change up the flavor. You could easily swap the strawberry flavor in the frosting for another fruit of your choice. Blueberry, raspberry, or blackberry would be great options. I also think these cupcakes would taste great with the coconut buttercream I use on my coconut cake!
How to Store
These frosted Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to two days. They can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, though I don’t recommend this method as the cupcakes can dry out due to the refrigeration.
CAN YOU FREEZE CUPCAKES?
Yes, you can definitely freeze these Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes, frosted or unfrosted! To freeze unfrosted cupcakes, simply place the completely cooled cupcakes in a flat layer inside of a large ziplock bag. Freeze for up to three months.
For frosted cupcakes, first place the cupcakes in the refrigerator on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours to allow the frosting to set and harden. Remove from the refrigerator and wrap each one securely in plastic wrap before freezing. Freeze for up to three months.
Thaw your cupcakes at room temperature for 1-2 hours before enjoying.
More Spring Desserts You Should Try!
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Recipe: Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- zest of two lemons
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons fresh strawberries, pureed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs. Add the sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and stir together until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the liners, about 3 tablespoons of batter each. Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake an additional 10-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the muffin pan before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the strawberry buttercream, beat the softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Continue to beat over medium speed as you gradually add the powdered sugar and salt. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to fully incorporate all of the sugar. Add the strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and strawberry extract if using. Beat over medium speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes and add any desired toppings such as sliced strawberries, lemon wedges, or sprinkles.
Notes
- To puree the strawberries for the frosting, you can mash them really well with a fork. Try to remove as many lumps as possible. You can also use a food processor or blender to puree them.
- Strawberry extract is optional. I suggest preparing your frosting without it first and tasting the frosting to see how you like the flavor. If you'd like a deeper strawberry flavor, adding 1 teaspoon of extract will help to enhance it.
- Use room temperature eggs and sour cream. This will help your ingredients to incorporate smoothly. If you haven't had time to let your eggs come to room temperature, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes before adding to the batter.
- Piping the frosting: I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting on these cupcakes. The recipe makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes total.
- Make sure to adjust your oven temperature during baking. Baking your strawberry lemon cupcakes at 375 for 5 minutes will help to achieve the the perfect amount of doming and rise that we look for on cupcakes. The increased temperature helps the batter puff up fast, and then reducing the temperature to 350 allows the cupcakes to finish baking. This method lends to a lovely rise and texture!
- Change up the flavor. You could easily swap the strawberry flavor in the frosting for another fruit of your choice. Blueberry, raspberry, or blackberry would be great options. I also think these cupcakes would taste great with the coconut buttercream I use on my coconut cake!
I made these GF by swapping the flour for half GF flour and half rice flour. They didn’t dome, instead sunk slightly in the middle, but the top had a nice crunchy texture and the cakes were light and fluffy. Really pleased! Would recommend.
Question? Can I use a high quality strawberry jam instead of the puree for the frosting ?
Yes that should work fine.
Omg…they are everything I wanted them to be, this is an amazing recipe!! If you haven’t made it yet, you are missing out! My birthday is Thursday so I made these to take to my table tennis club tomorrow night. Oh man I can’t wait for everyone to try them.
Great flavor in both the cupcake and the frosting…just the right amount in both. Absolutely fantastic!
These are amazing! A friend shared this recipe with me. I’m gluten free, so I subbed King Arthur Measure for Measure. I decreased the baking powder a little due to altitude. The cupcakes were a little more dense than the gluten version according to my friend, but they seemed great to me! Everyone that ate them LOVED them! The frosting is amazing!!! Very light, not overly sweet! My new favorite cupcake recipe! Thank you!!!
These sound delicious. Can’t wait to try them.
I LOVE the combination of strawberry and lemon! These sound incredible and like such a fun treat.
These cupcakes are the best! Very simple and easy to make! I love lemon cupcakes!
I love anything with lemon and strawberries in it so these are right up my alley, I’ll bake them over the weekend
I have to make these for my 12 year old. Those are her two favorite flavors in one cupcake!