• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Confessions of a Baking Queen logo
  • About
    • Contact
  • All Recipes
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • British Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
      • Bars
      • Breads
      • Brownies
      • Caramel
      • Cakes
      • Chocolate
      • Confections
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cookies
      • Cupcakes
      • Custards & Puddings
      • Creme Brûlée
      • Lemon
      • Peanut Butter
      • Pies & Tarts
      • Frostings
      • Scones
    • Appetizers
    • Drinks
    • Egg Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Spring
    • Fall
    • Summer
  • Desserts
    • Cookies
    • Cakes
    • Bars
    • Cheesecakes
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • All Recipes
    • Recipe Search
    • Recipe Index
  • Chocolate
  • Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • All Recipes
      • Recipe Search
      • Recipe Index
    • Chocolate
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Cakes » Cupcakes

    Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Frosting

    By Elizabeth Waterson // Jun 25, 2014 (Updated Aug 15, 2022) // Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review
    This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    75 shares
    Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Frosting unwrapped and on a white and blue cake plate
    Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Frosting unwrapped and a bite missing from the cupcake on a white background

    Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Frosting make a delightful summer cake. Easy Lemon Cake mix is topped with a light lemony cream cheese frosting finished with fresh berries.  Lately I have been on to the whole lemon kick more than my normal chocolate kick. In fact it's been quite a while. Something about lemon it is just so refreshing. Lemon frosting are my favorite. This frosting is a cream cheese whipped cream infused with fresh lemon zest & juice. It is DIVINE. As in I want to use it as my only frosting ever. I absolutely hate store-bought cake frosting. You know those cakes/cupcakes you get from the grocery store with that nasty over the top sweet, fake tasting frosting? UGH I hate it. 

    Well the day before I made these someone bought a cake and I felt obliged to at least take a bite even though I knew it would be dreadful. Needless to say, I couldn't get that awful taste out of my mouth so I HAD to make my own frosting to cancel it out.

    a bunch of Lemon Cream Cupcakes on a white wood surface

    It's kind of like my constant battle between sweet and salty, I get home from work have some cheese and crackers overdo it a bit so I need a slice of chocolate but then I overdo it on the chocolate so I need the cheese again... it is a vicious cycle. And by vicious, I mean the tastiest best cycle ever!

    You could totally make from scratch lemon cupcakes but I felt lazy and used a box and I am so glad I did. The cupcakes were super lemony and that lemon frosting...wow!

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

    Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

    Print

    Recipe Card

    clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon
    Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Frosting unwrapped and on a white and blue cake plate

    Lemon Cupcakes w/ Lemon Cream Frosting

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    No reviews

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Lemon Cupcakes & Lemon Cream Frosting make a delightful summer cake. Easy Lemon Cake mix is topped with a light lemony cream cheese frosting finished with fresh berries.

    • Total Time: 48 minutes
    • Yield: 28 Cupcakes 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Lemon Cupcakes

    • 1 box Lemon Cake Mix
    • 1 small box Lemon Pudding Mix
    • ½ cup lemon juice
    • ½ cup oil
    • 1 cup sour cream/ greek yogurt
    • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

    Lemon Cream Frosting

    • 16oz Cream Cheese, at room temp.
    • 1 scant cup powdered sugar
    • 3 tbsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
    • 1 tsp lemon zest
    • 3 cups heavy whipping cream

    Instructions

    Lemon Cupcakes

    1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a cupcake tin with liners, set aside.
    2. In a large bowl/bowl of electric mixer combine cake mix, pudding mix, lemon juice, oil, sour cream and eggs until no lumps or flour streaks remain.
    3. Fill liners ⅔ full with batter and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes then place cupcakes on wire rack to cool completely.

    Lemon Frosting

    1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat cream cheese for two minutes. Add in powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until fully combined. With mixer on slowly whisk in heavy whipping cream mix until nice and fluffy. Pipe on to cupcakes and garnish with fresh berries. Store in fridge.

    Equipment

    cupcake pan

    Cupcake Pan

    Buy Now →
    kitchen aid cordless hand mixer

    Cordless Hand Mixer

    Buy Now →
    oxo food scale

    OXO Kitchen Scale

    Buy Now →
    • Author: Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 18 minutes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    Explore Recipes

    CupcakesDessertsSpringCream Cheese, Lemon

    More Cupcake Recipes

    • apple cupcakes with maple frosting on a wire rack on a light brown surface with a navy linen and apples and cup of coffee
      Apple Cupcakes Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
    • hand holding half of a banoffee cupcake above a grey surface with cupcakes and ingredients blurred
      Banoffee Cupcakes
    • baileys frosted guinness chocolate cupcakes on a white surface
      Guinness Cupcakes
    • strawberry cupcakes on a pink background
      Strawberry Cupcakes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a comment & rate this recipe Cancel reply

    If you love this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating ⭐ when you post a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. I am incredibly grateful for your support! —xx Liz

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    elizabeth mixing frosting

    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

    More about me →

    Winter Favorites

    • bowl of chicken mulligatawny soup on a light surface with a white and orange linen
      British-Style Chicken Mulligatawny Soup (Comforting & Flavorful)
    • A close-up of a slice of lemon cream cheese bundt cake with a light glaze on top, served on a white plate. The texture of the cake looks moist and dense, and part of the whole cake is visible in the background.
      Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
    • A slice of creamy cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, topped with bright yellow lemon curd and whipped cream, sits on a white plate. A fork holds a bite of cheesecake in the foreground, with lemons in the background.
      Fresh & Tangy No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
    • slice of lemon ricotta cake on a white plate with lemons and the whole cake on a light grey surface.
      Lemon Ricotta Cake
    • salted caramel apple crisp served in a white dish with ice cream on top
      Crisp Crumbles & Gooey Apples: This Caramel Apple Crisp Is Everything
    • Individual slices of lemon cheesecake bars on a marble counter with fresh lemons. One slice has a bight taken out of it.
      Lemon Cheesecake Bars
    • lemon curd cookies dusted in powdered sugar on a white plate on top of a stripped linen on a light surface with more lemons
      Lemon Curd Cookies
    • cut open orange olive oil cake on a white plate on a marble surface with a floral linen
      Orange Olive Oil Cake
    • spatula taking a slice of lemon olive oil cake on a brown marble surface with a blue linen
      Lemon Olive Oil Cake
    • slice of pear bundt cake cut against the full cake on a wire rack on a light brown surface with a blue and white linen, pear and coffee cup
      Moist Pear and Spice Bundt Cake
    • marshmallow topped hot chocolate in a large glass mug on a white marble surface next to chocolate chips, marshmallows and more hot chocolate
      Crock Pot Hot Chocolate
    • close up of a rib eye roast dinner on a white plate with a stripped blue linen on a light cream surface
      Juicy Ribeye Roast Made Easy

    Featured

    featured in confessions of a baking queen

    Footer

    Join the CBQ Community

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Join our Community on Social Media
    • Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest

    Check Out Google Web Stories

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Elizabeth
    • Contact

    Resources

    • The Best Baking Tools
    • Cheesecake Recipes
    • Brownie Recipes
    • Cake Recipes
    • Shop My Favorite Products & Tools

    ↑ back to top

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen.

    Copyright © 2026 Confessions of a Baking Queen

    • 9
    75 shares