This recipe for buttermilk lemon cupcakes or cake is loaded with lemon flavor and the buttermilk keeps things nice and moist. I know some people don’t like that word but when it comes to cakes, moist the best work ever! This cake is a lemon lovers dream.
I created this cake recipe for my sisters wedding, where she wanted a lemon cake with strawberry butter cream in the center. I also made it into cupcakes and they are wonderful as well.
For the frosting you can use any of your favorite frostings. I love to use my buttercream recipe but add lemon extract and lemon juice to it so it is a little tart. You can also add strawberry jam, raspberry jam, blueberries, etc. to the buttercream for a fun flavor fusion.
Here are a few of my frosting recipes that you make like:
The Best Buttercream Frosting
Italian Meringue
Chocolate French American Buttercream – leave out the cocoa powder for a lemon friendly version
What you need to make buttermilk lemon cupcakes or cake:
Makes 24 cupcakes or 2 – 8 or 9 inch round cakes or 1 – 9×13 glass cake pan
- 1/2 cup salted butter – melted
- lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1//2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
*To make your own buttermilk: combine 1 1/2 cups milk with 1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, stir and let sit or a few minutes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In mixing bowl, combine butter, lemon zest, sugar, eggs and lemon extract and mix until smooth.
- In another bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder together and mix.
- Add the buttermilk to the butter and egg mixture followed by the flour mixture and the lemon juice.
- Mix everything together until a smooth batter forms.
- Place into greased pans or a lined cupcake tin.
- Bake cakes as followed: 9 inch rounds: ~22 minutes or until the center is risen and top springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger. 8 inch cakes: ~25 minutes or until center is risen and springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger. 9 x 13 glass pan: ~22-25 minutes or until the center is risen and springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger.
- Cupcakes: bake ~ 16 minutes or until the center springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger.
- Cool cakes, then frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy.
Buttermilk Lemon cupcakes or cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter – melted
- lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1//2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- To make your own buttermilk: combine 1 1/2 cups milk with 1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar stir and let sit or a few minutes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In mixing bowl, combine butter, lemon zest, sugar, eggs and lemon extract and mix until smooth.
- In another bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder together and mix.
- Add the buttermilk to the butter and egg mixture followed by the flour mixture and the lemon juice.
- Mix everything together until a smooth batter forms.
- Place into greased pans or a lined cupcake tin.
- Bake cakes as followed: 9 inch rounds: ~22 minutes or until the center is risen and top springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger. 8 inch cakes: ~25 minutes or until center is risen and springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger. 9 x 13 glass pan: ~22-25 minutes or until the center is risen and springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger.
- Cupcakes: bake ~ 16 minutes or until the center springs back slightly when pressed on with your finger.
- Cool cakes, then frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy.