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    Home small batch recipes

    Published: Jan 26, 2021 • Modified: Feb 23, 2023 • This site generates income via ads and may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy linked in the footer.

    Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes

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    Images of small batch lemon cupcakes from Beyond the Butter®.
    Images of small batch lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting from Beyond the Butter®.
    Images of light and fluffy lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting Beyond the Butter®.
    Images of small batch lemon cupcakes from Beyond the Butter®.

    This easy-to-make Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes recipe gives you six soft and fluffy cupcakes topped with a whipped lemon cream cheese frosting. Flavored with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and a little honey, these cupcakes are incredibly delicious!

    Sliced open lemon cupcake with whipped lemon cream cheese frosting on cupake liner and 2 wedges of lemons on a dark wood background | All Images © Beyond the Butter®
    Randomly placed lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting, garnished with lemon triangles with a small bowl of lemon zest on a dark wood background | All Images © Beyond the Butter®
    Jump to:
    • Reasons to Love These Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes
    • Your Ingredients List
    • Making Homemade Buttermilk
    • How to Make The Best Lemon Cupcakes
    • Essential Cupcake Tools
    • FAQs and Troubleshooting
    • Additional Baking Tips Before Starting
    • But wait, there's more!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Reviews

    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 fluffy!
    • 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.
    • Perfect for a light and refreshing dessert.
    • It pairs perfectly 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!

    Two rows of small batch lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting and garnished with lemon triangles on a dark wood background | All Images © Beyond the Butter®

    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 perfect for this recipe.
    • 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 ½ tablespoon goes into the cupcake batter, and the remaining tablespoon gets mixed together with the honey.
    • Buttermilk. Only a ¼ cup is needed. Whole milk can also be used in its place or homemade 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 recipe using any alternative flour, sugars (other than organic cane sugar), or egg substitutes.

    Making Homemade Buttermilk

    To make the homemade 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 recipe— add it to the batter. Homemade 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.

    Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting garnished with lemons on small wavy dessert plates | All Images © Beyond the Butter®
    Close up of decorated small batch lemon cupcakes | All Images © Beyond the Butter®

    How to Make The Best Lemon Cupcakes

    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 recipe 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!

    1. Prep your lemons. I always like to zest and juice my lemons before starting this recipe. It's not a huge time saver, but it keeps things moving as you bake. It's less time your batter is sitting too. I suggest using this grater from Microplane for the lemon zest.
    2. Whisk together the dry ingredients. This is a super simple 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.
    3. 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.
    4. Blend it all together. To the wet ingredients, you will add the whisked dry ingredients, fresh lemon zest, 1 ½ 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.
    5. Evenly fill the cupcake liners. Fill them about ⅔ or a little over halfway full.
    6. 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!
    7. 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 mixing bowl. Mix it together until it's uniform in color.
    8. 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.
    9. 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

    KitchenAid Cordless Hand Mixer, 7 Speed
    Wilton Cupcake Liners - 150 Count
    Solula 18/8 Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop, 3.4 Tablespoon
    Wilton Featherweight Reusable 14" Piping Bag
    Rubbermaid Oven Monitoring Thermometer
    Good Cook Sifter - 3-cup
    Premium Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (Set of 6) Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
    KITCHENAID KP26M1XFL Professional 600 Stand Mixers, 6 quart, Matte Fresh Linen
    Microplane Classic Grater
    KitchenAid Citrus Juicer
    Ateco 1385 Offset Spatula
    Wilton 1A Piping Tip
    OXO Good Grips 11 Pound Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
    GIR Ultimate Whisk 2-Piece Set
    GIR: Get It Right All Silicone Mini, Skinny & Ultimate Spatula 3 Pc Set
    Wilton 12-cup Muffin Pan
    Cooling Rack Stainless Steel Half size - Commercial Grade Steel 11.5" x 16.5" | 1 Piece | Cooking Rack Designed To Fit Perfectly Into Baking Half Sheet Pan | Only From Indigo True Company
    Zassenhaus Magnetic Retro Kitchen Timer
    Randomly placed lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting, garnished with lemon triangles on a dark wood background | All Images © Beyond the Butter®
    Randomly placed lemon cupcakes with a small bowl of honey and small bowl of lemon zest on a dark wood background | All Images © Beyond the Butter®

    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.

    Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting garnished with lemons on small wavy dessert plates | All Images © Beyond the Butter®

    Additional Baking Tips Before Starting

    • The 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. 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 ⅔ 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 recipe.
    • 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 Beyond the Butter®!

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      Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes
      Cook Time1 Hours 20 Minutes
    • Overhead image of vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting sprinkled with sparkling sugar grouped close together on white background and small ceramic plates.
      Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
      Cook Time35 Minutes
    • Hand holding a large almond butter chocolate chip pecan cookie.
      Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
      Cook Time31 Minutes
    • Overhead image of single layer carrot cake frosted on parchment paper and placed on a wood dining room table.
      Single Layer Carrot Cake
      Cook Time55 Minutes

    📖 Recipe

    Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting garnished with lemons on small wavy dessert plates.

    Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes

    Author: Jennifer
    This easy-to-make Small Batch Lemon Cupcakes recipe gives you 6 soft and fluffy cupcakes topped with a whipped lemon cream cheese frosting. Flavored with fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and a little honey, these cupcakes are incredibly delicious!
    5 from 2 votes
    (prevent your screen from going dark while making this recipe)
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 cupcakes
    Calories 474 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    small batch lemon cupcakes

    • ⅔ cup All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
    • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
    • 1 Large Egg (room temperature)
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
    • 2 ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice (divided (1 ½ tablespoon for the batter, 1 tablespoon to mix with the honey))
    • ¼ cup Buttermilk or Whole Milk
    • 1 tablespoon Honey

    whipped lemon cream cheese frosting

    • ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
    • 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
    • 1 ½ cup Powdered Sugar (sifted)
    • ½ tablespoon Lemon Zest
    • 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
    • 1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream

    Instructions

    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.
      ⅔ cup All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
    • Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until well blended. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
      ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, ½ cup Granulated Sugar, 1 Large Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • Switching the mixer speed to low, add in the whisked dry ingredients followed by the lemon zest, 1 ½ 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.
      1 tablespoon Lemon Zest, 2 ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice, ¼ cup Buttermilk or Whole Milk
    • 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 ⅔ 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.
      2 ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice, 1 tablespoon Honey
    • 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 fluffy in texture.
      ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, 4 oz Cream Cheese
    • 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.
      1 ½ cup Powdered Sugar, ½ tablespoon Lemon Zest, 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
    • 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 fluffy (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.
      1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
    • 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.

    Video

    Recipe 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 ⅔ 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 recipe.
    • 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).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.

    Tried this recipe and loved it?Snap a pic and share it with me over on Instagram tagging @beyond.the.butter and #beyondthebutter in your caption or stories!
    Lemon cupcake with lemon cream cheese frosting garnished with lemons on a small wavy dessert plate | All Images © Beyond the Butter®
    « Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Brownies
    Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes »
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    © All images & content on BeyondtheButter.com are copyright protected. You may not republish, redistribute, or otherwise use any images, recipes, or content, in part or in whole, without express written permission from the author. Beyond the Butter® is a registered trademark of Jennifer Switzer. All rights reserved. For more information, please read my Policies page.

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    1. Christine says

      February 09, 2021 at 12:46 pm

      I absolutely love these! Well...give me anything lemon flavoured and I’ll love it. But seriously though, I love baking and as a single woman who doesn’t have a lot of people to share a buttloads of cupcakes with, this small batch recipe is PERFECT! so easy, so delicious and just the right amount! Many many thanks for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 09, 2021 at 1:29 pm

        Yay! You're welcome! So happy you loved it!

        Reply
    2. Becky says

      February 09, 2021 at 5:49 pm

      These were awesome! Love anything lemon and the small batch size was perfect.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 09, 2021 at 5:52 pm

        Love this! Thank you for the feedback!

        Reply
    3. Becca says

      February 13, 2021 at 9:28 pm

      These were wonderful! I used gluten free flour and they still turned out perfectly. Will definitely make again and share with family and friends.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 13, 2021 at 9:35 pm

        So glad you loved them! Thank you for sharing you made them with gluten free flour too!

        Reply
    4. RheaC says

      December 16, 2021 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      Found your recipe after finding another with adjustments for # of cupcakes. I thought I needed 8, there are four of us. First recipe said it took an hour +++ to make, and that was a deal breaker. I went on, almost giving up, then I looked one more time and found your recipe. Easy, fast, included honey, loved it!! Thought we’d eat 1 1/2 each. Then I thought to put them into 4- 1 cup ramekins. In place of the zest I added more juice; also added an extra egg and maybe a tablespoon more butter. I turned the oven off at 20 minutes, and I’ll let them stay in for 10 more minutes.
      I will return to your site for more small batch recipes in the future.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        December 16, 2021 at 5:31 pm

        Oh, I'm so glad you found the recipe and loved it too!

        Reply
    5. Don says

      April 30, 2022 at 9:40 am

      5 stars
      Awesome recipe. These are so very tasty and easy to make. The lemon honey post bake finish gives the cupcake a great depth of flavor and texture.

      Reply

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