Description
Light and fluffy lemon-infused spring cupcakes topped with creamy pastel frosting and decorated with edible flowers, perfect for Easter celebrations, brunches, and seasonal gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (or coconut oil for dairy-free option)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- â…“ cup buttermilk (or â…“ cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for frosting)
- Food coloring (pastel pink, lavender, yellow, mint green)
- Edible flowers (violets, pansies, rose petals)
- Pastel sprinkles
- Sugar pearls
- Edible glitter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- Fill cupcake liners about â…” full with batter.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.
- Divide frosting into bowls and tint with pastel food coloring as desired.
- Pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes and decorate with edible flowers, sprinkles, sugar pearls, or edible glitter.
Notes
- Ensure cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep cupcakes soft and tender.
- For mini cupcakes, bake 10–12 minutes and expect about 36 mini cupcakes.
- Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months in airtight containers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg