Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (2024)

Apr 3, 2012 · Modified: Jan 28, 2022 by Rose Atwater · This post may contain affiliate links · 68 Comments

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Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (1)

I have so many cakes and ideas and recipes to share over the next few weeks ... I had a hard time deciding where to start. But Lemon Kissed Cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting seemed like a good place.

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (2)

But it's almost Easter. It's Spring. And lemon flavors just seem right for Spring. Oh. And I have an obsession with lemon.

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (3)

Besides, yesterday I shared the Messy Buttercream Ruffles cake (thanks for your sweet comments), so today I thought I'd share cupcakes with a frosting recipe... and ~~tomorrow (or maybe later today if I can't stand to wait)~~ later today... another cake!

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (4)

On with the show! Flavor-wise these Lemon kissed cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting are a lot like my Lemon Icebox cake, but they're different too!

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (5)

The cake is my often-used vanilla cake recipe... nothing too extraordinary there but it works for me (and it's really good cake). PS. Do you see the lemon curd peeking out from under the frosting? I might have overfilled that one! Oops!!

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (6)

Then I took a Wilton #230 Bismark tip and injected a pocket of Lemon Curd filling into the center of each cupcake. Can you see it there? Mmmmmm.

But then... to top it off, I wanted more than just the Cream Cheese Frosting that I put on the Lemon Icebox Cake. I wanted lemon in the frosting. So I came up with this recipe. It's not much of a stretch from the cream cheese frosting! I just changed the proportions of the ingredients a bit and added lemon!

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (7)

I used the Ateco #847 Closed Star Tip from the Ateco Large Tube Set to pipe on a big star of frosting.

As you read the recipe below, I want to mention that this frosting was softer (and creamier... and silkier... perfect!) Than I usually work with, but still stiff enough to hold it's shape when piped. Enjoy!!

Do you have any questions about these cupcakes or the recipe? Please leave them in the comments! Here's the printable recipe:

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

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4.8 from 4 reviews

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

2 sticks of real (salted) butter, at room temperature
4 ounces (115g) of shortening
4 ounces (115g) of cream cheese, at room temperature
½ Tablespoon (7ml) vanilla extract
8-9 cups (1 quart) of powdered sugar
½ cup (118ml) fresh lemon juice
2-3 (30-45ml)Tablespoons milk

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Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and cream cheese until very smooth. Add in the vanilla and mix again.
Begin adding powdered sugar, one cup at a time up to 8 cups.
Your frosting will be very stiff at this point - now add in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of milk.
Mix and check the consistency.
From here, I had to add a little more powdered sugar (it was too soft) but then I went too far, so I added a little more milk. Just play with it until you get a consistency you're happy with! I made mine on the softer side so it was silky smooth ... but still able to hold it's shape!

Equipment

Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (9)

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Lemon Kissed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (12)

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About Rose Atwater

Rose Atwater is the founder and cake decorator behind Rose Bakes. She is baker, cake decorator, author, wife to Richy and homeschooling mommy to 6 wonderful kiddos! Her work has been featured in American Cake Decorating Magazine, Cakes Decor, Pretty Witty Cakes Magazine, Huffington Post and Cake Geek Magazine. Learn more here...

Reader Interactions

Comments

Barbara
April 03, 2012 at 9:56 am
Yum, I love lemon anything these look so pretty I've never used lemon curd, I just got some inspiration.
Have a great Tuesday!
Reply
- Rose
  April 03, 2012 at 2:47 pm
  I had never made or eaten lemon curd until a couple of months ago, but it's SO good and I will definitely use it more in the future!
  Reply
andi
April 03, 2012 at 2:25 pm
Your cupcakes look wonderful, pretty and yummy andi
Reply
- Rose
  April 03, 2012 at 2:46 pm
  Thanks Andi!
  Reply
Katie Rash
April 03, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Lemon is so perfect for spring and Easter, I love lemon! How do you get your cupcakes to look so perfect? Is it the type of cake cups? Mine never look this nice. 🙂 So scrumptious looking!
Reply
- Kristen Miller
  April 03, 2012 at 7:48 pm
  Katie, I keep trying to get her to explain it to me and still mine never seem to come out looking this nice either. I guess you just have to have the touch. Haha!
  Reply
- Rose
  April 03, 2012 at 8:30 pm
  Thanks ladies... first up - most of my liners come from Walmart - Wilton brand (if they're colored) or I order in bulk the Reynolds brand (ie., cheap). One thing I've discovered lately that seems to make them look better is letting them cool in the pan. They seem to shrink and tighten up a bit - pulling the liner tight on the cake and making them look cleaner and really nice!? Does that make sense? As for the piping... I just practiced ALOT. And icing consistency makes a big difference with cupcakes!
  Reply
Tracy
April 04, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Reply
- Rose
  April 07, 2012 at 7:16 pm
  You're very welcome!
  Reply
Desiree
April 06, 2012 at 12:14 pm
I am featuring your dessert on my blog today!
YUM!
See Also
Turkey Ranch Roll Ups Recipe Better No-Knead Bread Recipe Grandma's Secret Pie Crust Recipe with Tips for the Perfect Pie Crust 18 Outrageous PB&J-Inspired Recipes You Need in Your Life
Reply
- Rose
  April 06, 2012 at 7:23 pm
  Awesome!! Thank you so much 🙂 I love your blog!!
  Reply
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
April 07, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Delicious! These are such beautiful cupcakes and that frosting sounds amazing.
Reply
- Rose
  April 07, 2012 at 7:17 pm
  Thank you Dorothy!
  Reply
cheapcraftymama
April 10, 2012 at 6:55 am
YUM! Those are lovely and look delish- perfect for spring! I would love for you to share it at my new party which will be open this evening- "Pin It and Win It Wednesday" @ http://www.cheapcraftymama.com!
Reply
- Rose
  April 10, 2012 at 8:30 am
  I'll plan to stop by - thank you for visiting!! Rose
  Reply
Rose
April 10, 2012 at 7:39 am
Hay I love meeting people with the name Rose, That is my name too. Those lemon cupcakes look so good I will give them a try. I'm happy I found your wonderful blog I'm now following, I would love it if you came to visit me and share this and any other things you would like to share at my party. @ http://www.arosiesweethome.com/search?updated-max=2012-04-08T19:30:00-07:00&max-results=7
Thanks
Rose
Reply
- Rose
  April 10, 2012 at 8:30 am
  Thanks for visiting and I'd love to hop over and link up! Thank you 🙂
  Reply
Homegrown Beanes
April 10, 2012 at 7:57 am
These look delish! Can't wait to give them a try.
Reply
- Rose
  April 10, 2012 at 8:31 am
  Thanks - I think you'll love 'em!
  Reply
Lisa
April 10, 2012 at 8:57 am
They look divine Rose! I cannot wait to try these...I haven't made a lot of lemon desserts, but I will be making these soon 🙂
Reply
Colette Bomsta
April 10, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Visiting from SugarBee... YUM!!!
Reply
Nicky @ Pink Recipe Box
April 11, 2012 at 5:43 am
Yum! These cupcakes look so light and fluffy. The buttercream frosting recipe sounds really interesting - I've never tried anything like it. Can't wait to give it a go. Pinned!
Reply
- Rose
  April 11, 2012 at 10:06 am
  Thanks so much Nicky!
  Reply
Mandy @ Sugar Bee Crafts
April 11, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Thanks so much for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday - you were featured today!
--Mandy, http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com
Reply
- Rose
  April 13, 2012 at 8:28 pm
  Thanks so much Mandy!! I almost missed your comment - it went to spam and I found it today! I love your blog 🙂 Have a great weekend!
  Reply
Michelle
April 13, 2012 at 9:32 pm
Rose,
These look Delicious! I love anything with lemon. I would love it if you shared this and any other posts you would like to on my link party. http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.com. Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Michelle
Reply
Martha Stonewater
May 02, 2012 at 2:44 am
For this cupcake when you say you use your often-used vanilla cake recipe, do you use the vanilla pudding/white cake or the lemon cake mix/lemon pudding variation?
Reply
- Rose
  May 02, 2012 at 8:57 am
  Sorry that was confusing... for these I did the white cake mix with vanilla pudding recipe, but if you want more lemon, that would be delicious too!! Thanks for visiting!
  Reply
Martha Stonewater
May 02, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Great! Thanks Rose, I bought all the ingredients to make both versions so I am ready to bake! Whether or not the kids will keep calm long enough to bake is the real question....ha ha!
Reply
See Also
Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake Recipe
- Rose
  May 02, 2012 at 10:20 pm
  I hope you love 'em as much as we did Martha!! OH, and I always find jobs for my kids to help or ban them from the kitchen!! 🙂
  Reply
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs
July 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Great recipe Rose! Your cupcakes and cakes are beautiful!
I made this icing today and skipped the milk since I was running low on powdered sugar. I ended up using 8 cups of sugar, then the 1/2 cup lemon juice, plus another cup of sugar and it came out a nice consistency. Easy to spread at room temp, but I put it in the fridge after a few minutes so it would get stiffer for piping and decorating. Thanks so much for helping to make a little girl VERY happy on her 3rd birthday!
Reply
- Rose
  July 18, 2012 at 9:03 pm
  Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I absolutely love these cupcakes!
  Reply
Kathy Saggese
February 24, 2014 at 6:51 pm
Facebook isnt working or I'd have shared on your page. I'm thinking of you as I'm up at 2am making this lemon cake, curd and lemon cream cheese frosting. I could eat the curd with a spoon it is so delicious! WOW!! This is now neck and neck with the chocolate/ganache cake. love you friend!!!
Reply
- Rose
  February 24, 2014 at 10:28 pm
  Awww, love you too!! YES - I love this lemon cake. And guess what I bought tonight? Lemon Oreos!! I can't wait to tear into them 🙂
  Reply
Kerry
July 04, 2015 at 12:18 pm
I was wondering how many cupcakes this recipe yielded for you. Also because of the cream cheese, did you keep them refrigerated? Thank you do much!
Reply
- Rose Atwater
  July 05, 2015 at 4:28 pm
  I think it was 30-35 cupcakes?! I try to make them close to delivery time so they don't have to be refrigerated because that tends to dry them out.
  Reply
Margaret
July 18, 2015 at 5:38 pm
Can you please approximate how many cupcakes your frosting will cover. I want to use the same technique that you use in your frosting cupcakes like a pro video. Thank you in advance
Reply
- Rose Atwater
  July 18, 2015 at 6:09 pm
  I honestly bake and make so much frosting at once, that I never measure, but my guess would be around 30 cupcakes. It will also depend on how much you pipe onto each one, of course. Best, Rose
  Reply
  - Margaret
    July 18, 2015 at 11:55 pm
    Thank you for the quick response.
    Reply
Awatea
February 24, 2016 at 4:37 pm
Hi could you please tell me if the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting would be ok under fondant?
Reply
- Rose Atwater
  February 25, 2016 at 4:18 pm
  I think it would work just fine under fondant, but I haven't actually tried it.
  Reply
Hali
July 02, 2016 at 3:48 pm
Found you on Pinterest! For the frosting I omitted the milk and the shortening and just used 8oz of cream cheese. It isn't thick enough for really good piping, but make for a cute little dollop on the cupcakes I made; and its SSSSOOOO good! Thanks!
Reply
Juedie
July 29, 2016 at 3:32 pm
Please tell me how much is a stick of butter. we don't have 'sticks' here. Please tell me weight.
Reply
- Rose
  July 29, 2016 at 11:33 pm
  4 oz.
  Reply
Tracy
February 17, 2017 at 9:27 am
Is there anything that can be substituted for the shortening?
Reply
- Rose
  February 18, 2017 at 12:40 pm
  You could try all butter, but the frosting will not hold up as well.
  Reply
Beverly
March 15, 2017 at 1:05 pm
These cupcakes sounds so yummy. Love all the lemon.
Hugs,
Bev
Reply
Rachel Teodoro
March 20, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Just wanted you to know that I will be featuring this in a dessert round up on my blog. Thanks for linking up to Create Link Inspire party! Can't wait to try this recipe!
Reply
- Rose
  March 22, 2017 at 11:24 pm
  Thanks SO much!!
  Reply
Candice
July 06, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Beautiful cupcakes! I am a little confused on where the recipe is for the cupcakes. Do you use your lemon chiffon cake recipe or vanilla cake recipe and substitute instant lemon pudding for the vanilla or white chocolate pudding? Thank you.
Reply
- Rose
  July 09, 2017 at 12:43 am
  Sorry - for these I use my Vanilla Cake recipe, but you could also use a lemon cake (lemon cake mix with lemon pudding).
  Reply
Robin
December 18, 2017 at 9:40 am
thank you for sharing your very delicious recipes!! I've used several and they're all FANTASTIC!
Robin
Reply
Ardell
March 15, 2018 at 10:28 am
Hi, I was not able to see the lemon cupcakes recipe only the lemon cream cheese frosting.
Reply
- Rose
  March 19, 2018 at 10:07 pm
  There's a link to the cake in the post!
  Reply
Amy O.
April 28, 2018 at 3:45 pm
I was just wondering if these take as long as your cake takes? I also just made the batter and it was pretty thick. Is that normal?
Reply
- Rose
  April 28, 2018 at 9:51 pm
  I bake cupcakes for 18-19 mins at 325°F. Yes, the batter will be thick.
  Reply
Dorothy
June 23, 2018 at 5:13 pm
DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO GET THE RECIPE CAN YOU PLEASE EMAIL IT TO ME, I AM NOT THE BRIGHTEST PERSON ON EARTH OR WITH COMPUTERS JUST LOVE COLLECTING CERTAIN RECIPES, THANK YOU
Reply
Dorothy MacRae
June 23, 2018 at 5:25 pm
HOW MANY CUPCAKES AND SIZE AND HOW LONG DID YOU BAKE THEM FOR
Reply
Anne
April 26, 2019 at 9:02 am
Where is the lemon cupcake recipe? And there are so many ads here the screen is slow freezes up and is sooooo frustrating!! Gah!!!
Reply
Kat
July 13, 2019 at 8:44 pm
I made these for my family and they RAVED over them! It’s the best lemon frosting I’ve ever tasted. I probably won’t ever try another recipe, this one is seriously that good.
That being said, I agree with Anne, the amount of ads and pop-ups on your site makes it difficult and frustrating to navigate the page, especially on mobile devices.
Reply
Riya
April 29, 2020 at 2:09 am
those cupcakes are looking so amazing
Reply
Cloudy
July 23, 2022 at 7:55 pm
How weird. I see the recipe for the frosting but where is the recipe for the cupcakes?
Reply

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[…] admin-September 17, 2017 INGREDIENTS 2 sticks of real (salted) butter, at room temperature 4 ounces of shortening 4 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract 8-9 cups of powdered sugar 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 2-3 Tablespoons milk INSTRUCTIONS Get full recipe >> Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting @ rosebakes.com […]
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