Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon-Blueberry Buttercream

by Jamie on March 8, 2011

Post image for Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon-Blueberry Buttercream

If you follow me on Facebook, you may remember me throwing out the words epic and buttercream in the same sentence last week. Well, here is that “epic” buttercream in all its glory slathered onto some pretty amazing lemon cupcakes.

If you have been a reader of My Baking Addiction for a while, I’m certain you may remember my love affair with Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake. Simply said, it lives up to its name and is all kinds of perfect. In this recipe, Dorie’s cake combines with a lemon-blueberry buttercream that creates a serious party in your mouth. Yep, you heard that right…Party. In. Your. Mouth. Good!

Since today is Fat Tuesday, I thought there was no better way to indulge in the fervor of the day than with cupcakes topped with a butter laden frosting. It has become quite the tradition in the school I work at, to come with paczkis in hand and bribe the students with these fantastic pastries as we discuss the history of Fat Tuesday. I’m not sure how much of the history they remember, but you can be sure they remember the treat that accompanies it!

Over the years, heading over to the local bakery to pick them up, I have always been inspired by the various flavors and smells that engulfed my sniffer: lemon, blueberry, raspberry, cream, and custards a’ plenty! I decided that I wanted to concoct a cupcake that turns my favorite paczki flavors (lemon and blueberry) and combines them into a delectable treat!

I started with the aforementioned Perfect Party Cake, then upped the lemon factor by about a thousand – I filled it with lemon curd! As if that weren’t absurd enough, the blueberry buttercream I concocted to top this little morsel of deliciousness is seriously the very best buttercream variation I’ve dreamed up so far. I hope you enjoy every minute of Fat Tuesday! Eat, Drink, and be Merry!


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Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes

Yield: approximately 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour (I used Swan’s Down brand)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons (finely grated)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

For Lemon Curd

1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Blueberry Buttercream

4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
pinch of fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of one lemon (finely grated)
½ cup fresh blueberries, pureed with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-3 tablespoons very cold milk (add until you reach desired consistency)

Directions:

For the Cake

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites.

3. Place the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of your mixer or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extracts, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full.

4. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

5. Once cupcakes have cooled, hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corer because I am anal and obsessed with symmetry.

For Lemon Curd

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter.

2. Cook in the microwave on full power for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. This process will take about 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. You will know the lemon curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon.

3. Remove from the microwave, and allow to cool completely before filling cupcakes.

4. Pipe or spoon the lemon curd into each hollowed cupcake and top with buttercream.

For the Lemon Blueberry Buttercream

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

2. Add salt, vanilla, lemon zest and blueberry puree and mix until well combined. If buttercream is too thick, slowly drizzle in milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Notes:

- If you want more of a lemon kick in the frosting, simply add a bit more zest.
- Frosting was piped using the large French tip from Bake It Pretty.
- Be sure to use a zester to prepare the lemon zest, you want it to be extremely fine for the cake, lemon curd and the buttercream.
- Cupcakes are best served the day they are made, but you can store them covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. Bring cupcakes to room temperature for about an hour before serving.

-Adapted from Dorie Greenspan.

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{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }

avatar 1 Blog is the New Black March 8, 2011 at 7:26 pm

I haven’t made lemon cupcakes yet- look awesome!

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avatar 2 Becca March 8, 2011 at 7:48 pm

For the love of all that is good in the world… those look AMAZING, but I don’t know how much longer my stretchy pants will hold out!!

Incidentally, do you how it’s possible to do such thorough mixing and have them still turn out tender? Most baking recipes warn not to over mix so that cakes and breads don’t turn out tough and chewy.

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avatar 3 Jamie March 8, 2011 at 7:50 pm

I have no idea…all I know is that Dorie truly nailed this recipe. The cake it utter perfection.

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avatar 4 The Blue-Eyed Bakers March 8, 2011 at 7:49 pm

These look divine! And that butter cream…the lemon blueberry flavors must go perfectly!

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avatar 5 Nancy @SensitivePantry March 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm

You. Are. Amazing. One beautiful dessert after another. Love the blueberries in the frosting.

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avatar 6 Amanda March 8, 2011 at 8:21 pm

You are brilliant… these are the BEST flavors! And the presentation is fantastic!

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avatar 7 christina@ Creations by Christina March 8, 2011 at 8:22 pm

I’ve been wanting to make lemon cupcakes and this is the perfect recipe. Thanks for sharing

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avatar 8 TW92 March 8, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Totally gonna try it!

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avatar 9 Courtney March 8, 2011 at 8:43 pm

Okay so this recipe made me squeal like a girl at a boy band concert. I saw the sneak peak on facebook, and couldn’t wait for the recipe – Bookmarked!! YUM Blueberry and Lemon? Yes, please! :-)

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avatar 10 Robyn | Add a Pinch March 8, 2011 at 8:59 pm

This looks amazing! Lemon and blueberry are so delicious together. Can’t wait to try this.

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avatar 11 Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction March 8, 2011 at 9:11 pm

Yes, this lemon blueberry buttercream is absolutely epic! Love it!

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avatar 12 Prerna@IndianSimmer March 8, 2011 at 9:37 pm

Are u a baker or an artist? OMG, that photo just left me speechless. The buttercream look SO SO good! The recipe is bookmarked and you will very soon see it on my blog :-)

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avatar 13 Katrina (gluten free gidget) March 8, 2011 at 9:38 pm

That Blueberry Buttercream is what has me in ecstasy!

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avatar 14 Kristen March 8, 2011 at 9:44 pm

Sounds like a delicious combination! Lemon and blueberries are a fave of mine.

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avatar 15 Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen March 8, 2011 at 10:04 pm

Gorgeous! I love the little specks of blueberry in the frosting.

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avatar 16 Jennifer (Delicieux) March 8, 2011 at 11:21 pm

These look divine! I’ve had a blueberry craving recently so this definitely hits the spot!

By the way, I love your Fat Tuesday concept!

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avatar 17 Pretty. Good. Food. March 8, 2011 at 11:37 pm

I am all over that frosting! Sounds great! :)

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avatar 18 Jessica March 9, 2011 at 1:27 am

I will be using this recipe, thank you for posting! Your pics are awesome

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avatar 19 A Bowl Of Mush March 9, 2011 at 7:53 am

I love lemon and blueberry together! These cupcakes are beautiful :)

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avatar 20 Brooke (Baking with Basil) March 9, 2011 at 9:01 am

I have been loving the lemon and blueberry combo myself lately. I can’t imagine how good it is in buttercream form!!

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avatar 21 Cathy March 9, 2011 at 10:11 am

Yum! I love blueberries!

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avatar 22 Cookin' Canuck March 9, 2011 at 11:36 am

I can’t wait to try the epic buttercream – sounds promising. These pretty cupcakes make me realize how ready I am for spring to arrive.

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avatar 23 Vimitha March 9, 2011 at 11:59 am

THose little babies are just perfect to gobble all down in one sitting

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avatar 24 Susan March 9, 2011 at 12:24 pm

What a wonderful blend of flavors! I just made a Limoncello Blueberry Sauce to serve with Buttermilk Poundcake. Lemon & Blueberry is a classic combination! I will definitely try these. Thanks for the inspiration!

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avatar 25 Libby March 9, 2011 at 12:42 pm

LOVE THESE! I was wondering what tip you used to pipe the buttercream with and what size cup you used. Thanks for your wonderful blog!

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avatar 26 Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen March 9, 2011 at 3:27 pm

Yum….I love the combination of lemon & blueberries!

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avatar 27 lisa p March 9, 2011 at 3:43 pm

YUM! Beautiful!

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avatar 28 Lauren at Keep It Sweet March 9, 2011 at 4:25 pm

That is some amazing buttercream!

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avatar 29 Evan @swEEts March 9, 2011 at 5:50 pm

I need blueberries ASAP so I can make this delicious looking frosting!

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avatar 30 Happy When Not Hungry March 9, 2011 at 6:47 pm

These cupcakes look amazing! I love the blueberry buttercream. It looks amazing!!

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avatar 31 Jess March 9, 2011 at 8:00 pm

These cupcakes look and sound irresistable!!! I can’t wait until I have the chance to try them out!!! Thanks for sharing!

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avatar 32 Susan Doherty March 9, 2011 at 8:33 pm

How refreshing!

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avatar 33 Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen March 9, 2011 at 10:38 pm

I love lemon and blueberry together. I am wishing you were my next door neighbor so I could sample some of these wonderful goodies! I guess I just need to get in the kitchen and get to baking.

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avatar 34 Jennifer March 9, 2011 at 11:01 pm

I love lemon and I love blueberry, but never thought about making a lemon cupcake filled with lemon curd. Sounds amazing.

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avatar 35 Tracy March 10, 2011 at 5:09 pm

I LOVE the combination of lemon and blueberry! Gorgeous cupcakes!

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avatar 36 Betty @ scrambled hen fruit March 10, 2011 at 11:15 pm

These are beautiful! I just made a double batch of lemon curd that is begging to be put into these cupcakes! That blueberry buttercream is awesome! :)

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avatar 37 Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles March 10, 2011 at 11:15 pm

Pure beauty & deliciousness!! My daughters & I could surely devour a few of these!

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avatar 38 Shaina March 11, 2011 at 9:00 am

These are absolutely gorgeous, Jamie! I’m definitely thinking spring now.

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avatar 39 Ashley March 11, 2011 at 9:04 pm

I was super excited to make these…being prego has made me crave all kinds of things! (I guess sitting at home reading a million baking/cooking blogs doesn’t help either.) I can’t wait to taste these and have been wanting to try making lemon curd for months now….

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avatar 40 Jess March 14, 2011 at 8:12 pm

Mmmm! These look awesome!!
~ Fat Tuesday rocks!!

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avatar 41 Elizabeth March 15, 2011 at 2:31 am

I was just looking for something to do with some leftover lemon curd! These look delightful. I love the pairing of blueberry and lemon.

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avatar 42 Maja March 15, 2011 at 4:47 am

They are amazing, love lemon cupcakes! :)

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avatar 43 Lauren March 15, 2011 at 1:05 pm

Oh my! These sound incredible. A nice treat for the coming spring/summer days.

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avatar 44 Rose Plated March 17, 2011 at 6:21 am

The blueberry cream is so mouthwatering. I love to make cupcakes with fruit flavor since I am sick of chocolate flavors. My kids will be surprise with this new flavor.

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avatar 45 Izzy March 19, 2011 at 12:21 am

I just made these, and they were fantastic. They frosting did turn a very vibrant shade of pink, and the cupcakes weren’t quite as demur as your photo, however.

I did do something different… instead of hollowing out the center of the cake, I injected the lemon curd with an unused ‘meat marinade injector.’ It gave a perfect little surprise pocket in the center, and the flavor profiles popped!

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avatar 46 CaSaundra March 19, 2011 at 9:26 am

This whole post has me convinced that these are the next cupcakes I need to put on my baking list!

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avatar 47 Piano Schoenhut March 20, 2011 at 5:38 am

Blueberry butter cream sounds perfect! I love to try this one. I am sick of chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes. I think fruity flavor will make a new taste for me.

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avatar 48 Lorien March 20, 2011 at 4:20 pm

Hi Jamie! I’ve been peeking at your blog for ages, and have finally got the courage up to post…and tell you how great your baking is. I can’t wait to try these cupcakes out – very apt for my blog name! Do come say hi sometime, in between all your happy baking :)
Lxo

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avatar 49 Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes March 24, 2011 at 4:16 pm

I seriously want to make a vat of that frosting and just eat it!

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avatar 50 Jen March 25, 2011 at 1:34 pm

I have a question about the quantity of the buttercream frosting – looking at the recipe, it certainly looks like it makes a boatload – more than 24 cupcakes worth. Do you need the full recipe to get an acceptable amount of frosting on each one? I am making these this weekend, and didn’t want to use all four sticks of butter if I could make less than the full batch.

Thank you for your wonderful recipes!

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avatar 51 Jamie March 25, 2011 at 8:09 pm

Jen-
The frosting makes a lot, it depends on how much you use. Personally I like to pipe a large amount on my cupcakes (as you can tell from photos). I’m certain you can experiment with the proportions. Enjoy!
-Jamie

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avatar 52 Maria March 27, 2011 at 3:29 am

Hi!! I am not a very good baker, actually i’m more of an easy-recipe girl.. but this looks so delicious that i must do it!
My question is.. do you think i am gonna able to do it??

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avatar 53 Masha April 3, 2011 at 12:29 pm

Question: How do you mske store brought frosting, I think that that would be a wonderful next experiment

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avatar 54 Rachel April 24, 2011 at 9:01 pm

Wanted to say thank you for the wonderful recipe! Made theses cupcakes but filled them with a lemon mousse and topped them with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Everyone loved them!

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avatar 55 Rachel April 24, 2011 at 9:05 pm

I also used your microwave lemon curd in the lemon mousse…so delish! Thanks again for sharing your talents!

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avatar 56 Felicia April 28, 2011 at 6:05 pm

I made these cupcakes this weekend. The cake was excellent, the lemon curd was easy and the frosting was delish. Everyone seemed to love them!

I think I could have halved the frosting recipe and still had plenty for my family and friend’s tastes.

Great stuff!

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avatar 57 Gail May 1, 2011 at 1:53 am

The lemon curd recipe has an error but I didn’t realize it until too late. Lemon soup is actually what results with the ingredients as posted. Never thickened in the microwave and even in a double boiler, the classic way, it barely got to the consistency of cream. I added 1 tsp of softened gelatin to salvage the lemon curd, which was quite tart and tasted good at least. But with the addition of gelatin, the cake did not absorb it. Not sure what would happen if the correct amount of lemon juice (1/2 cup) had been specified. I see why one poster injected it and another decided to use mousse. The cake has a fine crumb and is good just as a plain cupcake with a lemon cream cheese frosting. I can’t imagine making a frosting that calls for one pound of butter and two pounds of confectioners sugar for 24 cup cakes. Glad I did not try to fill all the cupcakes so I didn’t completely waste a couple of hours of work. The lemon cream cheese frosting is a snap to make – 4 oz soft butter, 4 oz Neufchâtel cheese, 1 box confectioners sugar, zest of a lemon, 1 tsp vanilla, juice of a lemon. Whip the butter and cream cheese till light. Sift the sugar and add gradually with lemon juice to right consistency. Whip in zest and vanilla. You will still have tons left over. I will use the salvaged lemon curd in a shortbread tart shell and top with a bit of whipped cream.

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avatar 58 Jamie May 1, 2011 at 5:55 pm

Gail-
I’m sorry you had an issue with this recipe; however, I have been making this recipe for several years exactly as stated above and have never had “lemon soup”. I checked the comments on the original post and several readers had great results as well. Here is a link to the original recipe which also has stellar reviews. Perhaps you can read the reviews and trouble shoot what may have gone wrong.
-Jamie

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avatar 59 Gail May 15, 2011 at 5:21 pm

Hi Jamie,
Thank you for the reply. I also saw that recipe so I am not sure what the problem was except perhaps that my microwave is less powerful or that the exposure to the microwave followed by conventional heating interferes with the chemistry of the thickening process. Perhaps I will try again …
-Gail

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avatar 60 Gail May 15, 2011 at 5:23 pm

BTW – here is the link to the recipe using on 1/2 cup of lemon juice:
http://coffeeworks.blogs.com/coffee_and_tea/2007/01/microwave_lemon.html

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avatar 61 Sarah b May 6, 2011 at 12:03 am

Has anyone tried making this as a layer cake? Love this recipe and want to make in a layer cake form, was hoping to hear some suggestions, if you’ve got them.

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avatar 62 Alison June 16, 2011 at 9:37 am

Hey! I made these AND THEY WERE PERFECT! Thank you so much for such a yummy recipe. To those wishing to try it (and maybe you suggest it as well) I would make the lemon curd first, mine took a long time to cool. If you’re in a rush (which you shouldn’t be cause these take some time) you’ll want to let it start cooling asap. But they were PERFECTION.

I did halve the frosting, but if you’re going to be piping it…I don’t suggest it. Things got a little scarce.

I blogged them here

http://sheblogssheblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/she-gives-cupcake-swan-song.html

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avatar 63 Megan Z. June 23, 2011 at 1:03 pm

These are some of the best cupcakes I have ever made or tasted! Thank you so much for sharing! I definitely plan on making these again very soon.

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avatar 64 Molly July 6, 2011 at 1:23 pm

Hi, the recipe for these cupcakes looks great! So great, I’m considering making them for my friend’s birthday. Would it be possible to make the cake in 2 8″ pans or would it be too moist?

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avatar 65 MommyrellaSweets September 21, 2011 at 12:41 am

Thanks so much for the recipe, I made these for my niece’s birthday and they were a HUUGE hit! I

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avatar 66 Kelly October 24, 2011 at 3:21 pm

Made these last night minus the lemon curd. There isn’t too much lemon flavor and you should probably only make 1/4 of the buttercream recipe. I have way too much extra. The cake texture is amazing. very rich.

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avatar 67 Jennifer Ameer November 5, 2011 at 8:50 pm

I made these cupcakes (minus the lemon curd for simplicity reasons). I have a lemon tree so I used lemon juice instead of lemon extract in the cake batter and it tasted yummy and lemony. In the buttercream, I used 1 Tbsp of milk and used lemon juice instead of milk for the rest of the liquid I might need to thin the buttercream out. I also did this since I left out the lemon curd to up the lemon factor. The flavors were great! Having said that, I do have a question when it comes to the cake. I’ve tried a similar recipe as vanilla cupcakes once before (I believe it was the Greenspan recipe for vanilla cake. It also used the egg whites and cake flour) and it was a disaster. The cupcakes didn’t rise enough, shrunk in size from the cupcake tin and also pulled away from the wrappers. This recipe was not that disasterous but I will say that I needed to fill mine almost completely to the top of the wrapper in order for them not to shrink into mini cupcakes. Have you experienced this? Also, the texture turned out very much like angel food cake but a little more dense. Is that the right texture? Thanks!

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avatar 68 Jamie November 13, 2011 at 9:46 am

Jennifer-
This recipe was adapted from the Dorie Greenspan recipe for Perfect Party Cake. I have heard from other readers having issues with this cake recipe if they are baking at a high altitude. I would suggest that you check out this post from my friend, Katie – she adjusted the cake and gave some great tips for high altitude baking.
-Jamie

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avatar 69 Aly March 13, 2012 at 3:45 pm

I want to try your lemon curd recipe here. I used the one from Momofuku but I wasn’t a big fan. It was too liquidy (it finally set more a few days later, but ugh!) and it used gelatin, which seemed silly to me.

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avatar 70 Andrea March 16, 2012 at 11:29 am

Hi there, I tried your recipe today using ordinary cake flour from the stores. But the cupcakes, though flavourful were a little bouncy and stretchy. I made extra effort ensuring that I didn’t over beat the mixture. I’m quite stumped as to how this could have happened. Hope you can help!!! Thanks!

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avatar 71 Jamie March 22, 2012 at 8:14 pm

Andrea-
This is a pretty light cake, it definitely has a little bounce to it. Sorry it wasn’t what you expected.
Jamie

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avatar 72 Jamie May 3, 2012 at 9:09 pm

how many cupcakes does this make?

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avatar 73 Zoe July 3, 2012 at 1:39 pm

I’ve made these cupcakes several times and they always turn out perfectly (including TODAY!) I will keep this recipe for the rest of my life. Thank you for it!

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avatar 74 Jamie July 3, 2012 at 4:34 pm

Glad these turned out so well for you – thanks for reporting back on your experience with the recipe.
-Jamie

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