Perfectly tender, moist and zesty, these perfect lemon cupcakes get topped with the smoothest and most delicious mojito flavored buttercream! If you love lemon like I do, you will adore my Raspberry Lemon Poke Cupcakes, Lemon Layer Cake, lemon pound cake , blueberry lemon pound cake and Lemon Meringue Pie as well.
WHY MAKE THIS LEMON CUPCAKE RECIPE?
This Lemon Cupcakes recipe with Mojito Frosting was a must for several reasons.
1. I didn’t drink an ounce of alcohol all last year and I’ve barely had any this year since I’m nursing.
2. I was hoping that the spring beauty of these cupcakes would make me forget the wack weather in Chicago currently
3. My boo Jessica Merchant of How Sweet Eats created the recipe so I knew they would be off the hook.
This lemon cupcakes recipe comes from her brand new book The Pretty Dish, which has more than 150 recipes and 50 beauty DIYs inside. Jessica is so brilliant and such an overachiever that my boo had to come up with over 200 items to impress us with! Insane!
I first met Jessica at a blogger retreat that Heidi and Marie invited me to a couple of years ago. I just adored her from the very first second I spoke to her. She has such an incredible energy and joy and happens to be insanely down to earth considering how accomplished she is. I have to think of another word to describe my feeling for her other than love. Her talent is immense, and this book is one for the ages. I couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted to make but the words “mojito frosting” grabbed me y’all!
WHAT MAKES THESE LEMON CUPCAKES SPECIAL?
Now let me tell you about these incredible cupcakes. They are fluffy, buttery and tender. That’s basically everything you want in a cupcake.
I love cupcakes made with cake flour because it is what I was raised on baking with. You always get a delicate end result, which I find delightful. The lemon kick is two fold with the zest and lemon extract. There is no doubt that the lemon shines in these.
LEMON CUPCAKE RECIPE TOPPED WITH MOJITO FROSTING
And lastly, let’s not forget about this incredible mojito frosting. It is creamy and smooth in texture. The lime zest is a nice contrast to the lemon in the cupcakes. The flavor is on point because both the cream cheese and rum add something special. I know these would be perfect for any fun spring and summer holiday get togethers you have or any upcoming barbecues. These cupcakes were the truth!
And if you love all things lemon, make sure you check out my Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake. It’s seriously one of my top cake recipes on the site. I love seeing my followers making it all year round.
Lemon Cupcakes Recipe with Mojito Frosting
Ingredients
Fluffy Lemon Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
- ½ cup whole milk
Mojito Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
- 2 teaspoons rum
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an elecric stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg white, beating on medium speed until combined. Add the oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon extract and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk with the mixer on and mix to combine. Pour in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until the batter is combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters of the way full. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden on top and set in the center. Let cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Mojito Frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed of the mixer and beat the frosting, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until fluffy and combined. Beat in the vanilla, lime zest, and rum.
- Frost the cupcakes and garnish with the fresh mint.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is a very creative and yummy cupcake. The mojito frosting is such great idea. I guess margarita flavour will do too. Beautiful pictures and fantastic recipe easy to follow. Something to bake for tomorrow dinner. Thanks for sharing.
I would like to make in advance and freeze, then frost at a later date. Will it effect the
quality? Going on a girls weekend, they sound fabulous!
Yes! I would make them and wrap them super well in plastic wrap so there is no air getting in and then freeze.
Can the icing be made without the rum?
Surely!
Can this be made into a cake instead of cupcakes with the same measurements?
Yes it can however if you want cake measurements already, you can use my lemon layer cake recipe here: https://grandbaby-cakes.com/lemon-layer-cake/
I made these cupcakes yesterday, and they were WONDERFUL. The mojito frosting is the best frosting I have ever made. Will be making these many times in the upcoming warm months.
A question… Why does the recipe say to put the cupcake pan on a cookie sheet during baking?I have always put cupcake pans directly onto the oven rack. Maybe it has something to do with heat distribution. Anyway, I followed the directions, and the cupcakes were THE BOMB, so I’m not quibbling. This is now my “Go To” recipe…. old lemon recipes are out the door!!!
I made these cupcakes for Father’s Day at my church to celebrate the men. Let me tell you that they were more of a success than I could have ever imagined. They went really fast. I was asked if I was selling them.. LOL! I have used another lemon cupcake recipe and it did not come out as light and fluffy. Even after putting them in the fridge overnight, after they warmed to room temperature, the cupcake and the icing held up flawlessly… I tripled the batch and instead of buying cake flour, I just made my own! I am all about saving dollars! The frosting was the best part. My good girlfriends was in heaven with the frosting alone! Thank you for sharing this recipe and all that you do! Many blessings.
Hooray!!! I’m so excited about that you enjoyed it!!
If am making a cake which says use all purpose flower, baking soda and baking powder but I want to use cake flour instead of all purpose flour do I still need to add the baking soda and baking powder?
These cupcakes look amazing! So refreshing and delicious ♥
Super delicious!
I made these cupcakes and they are so delicious! I love making your recipes because I haven’t been disappointed.. Thanks for sharing!