Description
A vibrant twist on classic cupcakes, combining tart lemon and fresh strawberry flavors in both cake and frosting for a bright, summery treat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 large lemon (~1 Tbsp)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free blend)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ½ cup sour cream (or full-fat yogurt/buttermilk/alternative)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- (optional) yellow gel food coloring
- ¾ cup seedless strawberry jam (optional filling)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (for buttercream)
- Zest of 1 large lemon (~1 Tbsp) (for buttercream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (for buttercream)
- 1 tsp lemon extract (for buttercream)
- ¼ tsp fine salt (for buttercream)
- 3 Tbsp seedless strawberry jam (for buttercream)
- 3½ cups powdered sugar (for buttercream)
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream (for buttercream)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C); line 12 cupcake liners.
- Stir sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Add flour, baking powder, and salt—whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream, water, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add gel color if desired.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Divide batter into liners, filling ~¾ full. Bake 19–21 min, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool fully.
- Optional: Core centers and fill each with ~1 Tbsp strawberry jam.
- Cream butter until smooth. Beat in lemon zest, extracts, salt, and jam until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar and cream, scraping bowl until fluffy and smooth.
- Spread a thin layer of jam inside your piping bag, then fill with frosting. Pipe swirls and garnish with lemon slice and strawberry heart.
Notes
- Let gluten-free batter rest 30 minutes before baking for best texture.
- Frosting too sweet? Add more lemon zest or a pinch of salt.
- Store frosting in the fridge up to 3 weeks; re-whip before using.
- Freeze unfrosted cupcakes up to 3 months and frost after thawing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
