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Home ยป Blog ยป Recipes

Lemon Sour Cream Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

Published: Jun 8, 2017 ยท Updated: Jun 4, 2021 by Kara ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท This blog generates income via ads

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These lemon sour cream cupcakes are super moist and delicious plus they’re actually made from scratch, then topped off with lemon buttercream frosting. They’re perfect for birthdays or any celebration. 

Lemon sour cream cupcakes Blog Post Title
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This year my son turned twenty. What!? I feel old and like time is moving way too fast. Ok, back to the point…I’d been working on some cool birthday cupcake toppers for him that I had planned to put on top of chocolate cupcakes (since forever that’s what he’s asked for.) Out of the blue, he texted that all he really wanted for his birthday was some lemon cake.

Actually he said, and I quote here, “Mom, I don’t need any money for my birthday. All I want is a bad to the bone lemon cake.”  Seriously, that’s what he said.

So of course I immediately changed gears because well, I’m still in the throws of the empty-nest syndrome (even though technically I’ve got step-kids.) Anyway, my only son says he wants lemon cake for his birthday, then that’s what he’ll get.

three lemon sour cream cupcakes with lemon buttercream swirls

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These links also use cookies, which tracks and allows me to get credit for the referral. You can see my policies linked in the website footer.

I did, however come to a compromise. I mentioned I had been working on some cupcake toppers especially for his birthday and that he’d have to be happy with lemon cupcakes instead of a large cake. He certainly didn’t seem to mind.

I had only a few days to write up and test the recipe before his birthday was here and so I decided to use my Favorite Vanilla Bean Cake recipe as a base and change it up to give it a blast of lemon flavor.

Remember, he said he wanted a ‘bad to the bone’ lemon cake, so I tried to pack as much lemon flavor into those cupcakes as I could.

Let me tell you I was actually surprised at how much I liked them. I’ve never been much of a lemon cake fan, but I ended up eating four when I was finished. FOUR! Not even kidding.

close up of lemon sour cream cupcake

These cupcakes aren’t complicated to make. When you make the favorite vanilla bean cake, you use the reverse creaming method, which is when you’ll mix the butter with the flour first to coat it.

For these cupcakes though, you’ll use the regular creaming method, which just means you’ll mix the sugar into the butter first. You’re probably used to seeing more recipes that use the regular creaming method. 

For this recipe, you’ll need real lemons and you’ll need to zest the lemons. Make sure to not grate them too far down (like into the white of the lemon), or it’ll be bitter.

You’ll also add in a package of lemon pudding. Yep, I told you I was really going crazy with the lemon flavor. Make sure to reserve one tablespoon of the dry pudding mixture, because you’ll want to add that to your buttercream.

lemon cupcake with bite taken out and fork on a plate

These lemon sour cream cupcakes have a soft consistency that’s moist, with just the right amount of lemon taste, then topped with buttercream that’s packed full of lemon flavor.

TIPS & FAQS FOR MAKING THE LEMON CUPCAKES:

  • Use cake flour if you can get it…you’ll get a softer cake. If not, you can make a substitute: For every cup of cake flour called for in the recipe, use one cup of all purpose flour instead and remove two tablespoons of it, then replace that with two tablespoons of cornstarch.  
  • Make sure to use real butter…not margarine.
  • When zesting your lemons, don’t get too crazy and zest the white part of the lemon…that part is bitter.

Ok, ready for the recipe? Here ya go.

Video:

Lemon Sour Cream Cupcakes-5

Lemon Sour Cream Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

These lemon sour cream cupcakes are super moist and delicious plus they’re actually made from scratch, then topped off with lemon buttercream frosting. They’re perfect for birthdays or any celebration
4.29 from 14 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon buttercream, lemon sour cream cupcakes
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 478kcal
Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (two sticks)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ยฝ cup whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon zest (from about two lemons)
  • 1 pkt lemon pudding mix (small box) (reserve 1 tablespoon for the buttercream)
  • yellow food coloring (optional)

For the buttercream:

  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temp. (4 sticks)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar (add in another cup if needed)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon zest (zest from about two lemons)
  • juice from two lemons
  • 1 tablespoon lemon pudding mix
  • yellow food coloring (optional)
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Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil and lemon zest. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
  • Add in eggs one at a time, beating just until combined after each.
  • Alternately add in the flour and liquid mixtures. (Add a third of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add half the liquid mixture and beat just until combined. Add another third of the flour mixture, mix until combined. Add in the last half of the liquid mixture, mix, then add in the last third of the flour mixture and mix only until combined.) Be very careful not to over mix. Only mixed until well combined.
  • Add the package of dry lemon pudding mix (reserving 1 tablespoon for the buttercream) and mix.
  • Add in a couple drops of yellow food coloring and mix.
    Fill cupcake liners slightly over halfway full and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Once baked, cool on a wire rack.

For the lemon buttercream:

  • Add two cups of butter (4 sticks) to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
  • Add three cups of confectioners sugar and beat.
  • Add in the lemon juice and the last three cups of confectioners sugar and beat again until mixed well.
  • Now add in the lemon zest and one tablespoon of the lemon pudding mix and mix well. You can also add in a bit of yellow food coloring.
  • If your buttercream is too thin, mix in another cup of confectioners sugar. If it's too thick, just add in a little more lemon juice.

Notes

Nutritional values are an estimate.
Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post.

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 81mg | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 805IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Some recipes have difficulty levels.Check out what they mean here: Difficulty Levels Explained
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DisclaimersTo see food safety, allergy & nutrition disclaimers, go here: Disclaimers

How to Share

I’d love for you to share this recipe link or tag it, but please do not share screenshots or copy/paste the recipe to social media as the content and photographs are copyright protected and we (bloggers) work really hard on our content. Sharing the link, tagging us on socials and pinning it is super appreciated though!

TOOLS USED FOR THE LEMON CUPCAKES:

  • KitchenAid Mixer
  • Flat Beater Attachment
  • Piping Bags
  • 2D Icing Tip

Don’t Forget to Pin it for Later!

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Filed Under: Cakes, Cupcakes, Frostings/Fillings, Recipes Tagged With: birthday cakes, buttercream, lemon, spring cakes, summer cakes and recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. plizcassandra

    July 21, 2017 at 2:11 pm

    4 stars
    En mi pais no consigo pudin de limรณn, con que lo puedo sustituir?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      July 21, 2017 at 2:27 pm

      If you don’t have lemon pudding available for the cupcakes, try adding in another teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter. That should give the lemon flavor a little more boost. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  2. Melissa

    March 09, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    Which tip did you use? 1M?

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      March 09, 2018 at 3:47 pm

      Hi Melissa, I think that one was a 2D tip, but it’s quite possible it was a 1M. I use those two constantly ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
  3. Bobbi

    March 13, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    For the lemon pudding is it instant pudding or the cooked type pudding? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      March 13, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      Hi there, You’ll want to use the instant pudding. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  4. Kelly

    April 06, 2018 at 8:26 pm

    Can you use this recipe to make a cake?

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      April 07, 2018 at 11:28 am

      Hi, I haven’t made it into cake, only cupcakes so far, but there isn’t any reason why it wouldn’t work as a cake. Just bake it at 350 degrees and start checking it at about 30 minutes or so. The outside should lightly brown, the top will bounce back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted will come out with just a few crumbs on it. The batter should be enough to fill 2, 8″ round pans or 3, 6″ round pans.

      Reply
      • Kelly

        April 07, 2018 at 4:54 pm

        Great Thanks!

        Reply
  5. MARIANNE KOWAL

    May 11, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    I really enjoyed making these today, they are super moist and bursting with flavour.I actually used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I wonder if this recipe could be made in a vanilla version, omit the lemon zest, add vanilla extract and use vanilla instant pudding, that will be my next baking adventure. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      May 11, 2019 at 8:25 pm

      Hi Marianne, I’m so glad you liked the cupcakes! Yay! I actually do have a recipe that is very similar to this one, but it’s vanilla. It doesn’t include pudding, but it doesn’t need it either. It’s moist and has a really nice texture. You can find it here: https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/favorite-vanilla-bean-cake/

      Reply
  6. Tangela Jenkins

    February 18, 2020 at 8:25 am

    Hi,
    These look incredibly delicious! Can lemon extract be added to boost the lemon flavor? If so, how much do you recommend?

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      February 18, 2020 at 7:26 pm

      Yes you can add lemon extract. I’d probably add about a teaspoon and that should really boost the flavor.

      Reply
  7. Pamela Mosher

    May 01, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    Hi, Can sugar free lemon pudding be used? Is the pudding more for flavor or texture?

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Kara Jane

      May 02, 2020 at 6:47 pm

      Hey Pamela, yes I think that would be just fine.

      Reply
    • Natalie

      September 30, 2022 at 12:43 pm

      Hello Kara, I am looking for a lemon cake that would be good for stacking. would you recommend this recipe for a 3 tier cake or would you just change the flavor in your vanilla bean cake recipe? Which is one of my favorites! Thanks for your time!
      Take care

      Reply
      • Kara

        September 30, 2022 at 4:39 pm

        Hi Natalie, this recipe is very similar to the vanilla bean cake. I would go with this one. it should be just fine as a layer cake and for stacking, as long as you use proper doweling. If you like the mixing method of the vanilla cake (the reverse creaming method), you could do that with this recipe as well. The reason I used the regular creaming method for the cupcakes is to get them to puff up and have rounded tops, but you don’t necessarily need that for layer cakes. it’s up to you though…either way should work.

        Reply
  8. Rhonda McNeal

    April 09, 2022 at 10:07 am

    These cupcakes were a hit with everyone. Delicious.

    Reply
    • Kara

      April 09, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      Hey Rhonda…yay!!! I’m so glad you liked them! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  9. meena gupta

    June 06, 2022 at 3:57 am

    hi kara the recipe is amazing. can i have the replacement of egg.want to try it eggless.

    Reply
    • Kara

      June 06, 2022 at 7:05 pm

      Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚ Eggs are a little tricky to sub out. That might be something you’d need to experiment with because really no substitution is going to make it come out exactly. I have a post on baking substitutions if you want to check that out. There’s a section in that post about eggs. https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/cake-baking-substitutions/

      Reply
  10. Robin

    June 22, 2022 at 9:10 am

    5 stars
    You had sent a bottle of lemon curd in one of your quarterly boxes when you used to do them. Could this be used to fill these cupcakes?

    Thank you,

    Reply
    • Kara

      June 22, 2022 at 7:50 pm

      oh yes…that would be really good!

      Reply
      • Robin

        June 23, 2022 at 8:14 am

        5 stars
        Thank you. ๐Ÿ˜Š

        Reply

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Hey there, I’m Kara!

Hi, I'm so glad you're here! Cake shows up at our most important and happiest moments in life, like birthdays, weddings, baby showers and holidays. It's also for those everyday moments...it makes them even better. Put simply, cake just makes us happy! I love trying out new cake flavor combinations and decorating ideas. Have a look around and I bet you can find a cake recipe or tutorial for any of life's big moments and those everyday moments too. Click here if you want to learn more about me!

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