It’s no secret that I love lemon recipe. I never used to like citrus in sweets but then one day my tastes changed and now I’m all in. These lemon cupcakes are one of the best lemon desserts I’ve made and this recipe is the best lemon cupcake I’ve ever had. 

I wanted to have these cupcakes have lemon in every single bite so I added a hefty amount of zest to the cupcakes and tons of lemon flavor in the frosting PLUS I filled the cupcakes with my perfect lemon curd.

The result: These are the BEST Lemon Cupcakes you’ll ever eat!

How to make Lemon Cupcakes

1. All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Salt: These are the main ingredients I use in my vanilla cupcake recipe. I altered that recipe to make this one.
2. Melted Butter: I start with melted butter to keep the cupcakes moist. 
3. Lemon: lemon zest and fresh lemon juice to punch up the lemon flavor. Don’t skip the zest – the lemon peel is where all the flavor lives!
4. Milk: Whole milk is best but you can use any fat content or nondairy milk.
5. Powdered Sugar: Confectioners’ Sugar is best for a fluffy frosting.
6. Lemon Curd for the filling – you can make my homemade lemon curd recipe or buy a jar at the store. You’ll place the filling in the center of the cupcake by cutting out a small piece (or use a cupcake corer).
7. I frosted my cupcakes with a 1M tip in a piping bag and added a lemon wedge on the top of each cupcake.
8. The cupcakes make the oven smell amazing, which is how you know you added enough lemon.

Have you ever wanted to find a recipe for cake that also works for cupcakes? Well, look no further, because this is it!

I wanted to come up with one that would work for cupcakes and cake. I needed a recipe with a texture that is moist, light and airy, and wouldn’t make me miss my good old standby, the box mix. And guess what? THIS is the recipe I was looking for – and you have been too!

• It makes an 8-inch or 9-inch layer cake, 24 cupcakes or a sheet cake
• It holds up to stacking with a tender yet sturdy crumb and tastes like the perfect moist cake you expect from a yellow cake recipe.

If you’re ready to never have to buy a box cake mix again – this is the scratch cake recipe you need in your life!

How to make this Yellow Cake Recipe

1. Instead of softened, I use melted butter. I find it keeps the cake moister than with softened butter, and it has more flavor than oil.
2. Use baking powder to help the cake rise and be nice and fluffy. I always like to whisk my dry ingredients first: the baking powder with all-purpose flour, and salt.
3. The main difference between cake flour and all-purpose is protein content: cake flour has about 8% and all-purpose is slightly higher. This makes for a bit denser of a cake (hence the extra baking powder and buttermilk in my recipe).
4. I use buttermilk to add a little extra flavor, plus the acid in the buttermilk keeps the cake moist. You can also use regular whole milk or nondairy milk.
5. Be sure to mix in the eggs one at a time, beating between each.
6. It’s important to add the buttermilk alternately with the flour mixture so that you don’t over mix – just mix until the batter comes together.

Substitutions

• You can make this cake with ANY kind of milk. I recommend using whole milk or full fat non-dairy milk – the more fat in the liquid the better the cake.
• You can substitute vegetable oil for the melted butter. This makes it easy to make dairy-free. I recommend adding a bit of butter extract for flavor, but it’s not required.
• To make a gluten free yellow cake, I have substituted Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF All-Purpose flour in this cake with success.
• You can swap cake flour for all-purpose flour 1:1 for an even lighter cake, however it won’t be as sturdy and might not hold up to lots of stacking.

Reader Favorite Cake Recipes

• Do you love lemon cake? I have the perfect triple lemon cupcake recipe too!
• Not for humans, but pets love my dog cake recipe!
• Want an easy cake? Try my Oreo Mug Cake!

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes combine my love of vanilla cupcakes and strawberries and whipped cream into one delicious handheld dessert!

My dad’s birthday is in August and I remember always getting him a strawberry shortcake cake for him. We usually bought it from a local grocery store and it was layers of yellow cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. Now, whenever I see strawberry shortcake, I think of my dad.

Skip those store bought shortcakes and make these cupcakes instead – soft, moist, sweet, and full of fresh strawberries, they’re sure to be a hit.

Ingredient Notes

• Cupcakes: Make my yellow cupcakes from scratch, from a box, or buy them from the store.
• Frosting: You can use either whipped cream or my favorite, whipped cream frosting.
• Strawberries: Use fresh strawberries that have been washed, hulled and diced.

Storing Cupcakes

• While usually cupcakes can be made ahead and frozen, this recipe is not like the others. Strawberries, once washed and cut, only last a day or so before getting weepy, so it’s best to assemble these the day they’re being served.
• However, you can make the cupcakes themselves ahead of time and store in an airtight container for up to 24 hours before assembling. Plain unfilled and unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen as well.
• Whipped cream frosting can be made several hours in advance and stored in the fridge.

How to make Black Forest Cupcakes

First you need to make the compote:

1. Add cherries and sugar to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until they start to pop and thicken.

2. Once they’ve cooked, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, kirsch (if using) and I also love adding a few drops of almond extract.

Next, you have to make the cupcakes. This recipe is derived from my chocolate cake:

3. Whisk all the dry ingredients (granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, etc) in a large mixing bowl.

4. Whisk all the wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, oil, etc) in a large bowl. Then combine the two.

5. Place the cupcake batter in muffin pans lined with cupcake liners. Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Make the whipped cream frosting using cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy whipping cream. You can use a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Then it’s time to assemble the cupcakes!

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest stars in the world and it’s no surprise Friendship Bracelets are all the rage right now – if you’re having a Taylor Swift party or watching the Eras Tour or just have an obsessed Swifty in your life (ME!) then these are the perfect easy cupcakes.

• Use your favorite cupcake and frosting recipe
• Use your favorite words or lyrics – with or without a Taylor influence
• Fun for kids and adults alike!

Storing Cupcakes

Store your cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. After 24 hours the smarties and/or mints will dissolve just a bit into the frosting, so it’s best to decorate these the day you serve them. I don’t recommend freezing Friendship Bracelet Cupcakes once you decorate them.

Ingredient Notes

• Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar. If you are making frosting, you may need powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar).
• Buttermilk: Check the recipe card to learn how to make buttermilk at home! But you can also use any kind of milk (or nondairy milk).
• Butter: I always start my yellow cake batter with melted unsalted butter – it keeps the cupcakes nice and moist.

How to make Mini Cupcakes

1. Make any cake batter in a large mixing bowl following the instructions. (You can make mini cupcakes out of my chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes recipe – just figure you’ll get about 2-3 times the amount of mini cupcakes, and the baking time will be shorter.)
2. Divide batter among mini cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. I like using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the batter.
3. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Make an easy chocolate frosting with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and heavy whipping cream. These are also delicious with vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting.

Storing Cupcakes

• Store Mini Cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container – however once frosted I usually refrigerate them (especially if using cream cheese frosting).
• You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container, and frosting in a separate container, for several months and thaw and frost as desired.
• If you want to freeze frosted cupcakes, place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Freeze, then place in an airtight container with enough room for the frosting.

Ingredients Needed

• Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar. If you make a frosting to go with the cupcakes, they might call for powdered sugar (or confectioners’ sugar).
• Butter: I used melted unsalted butter. I find that melting the butter makes for a moister cupcake.
• Buttermilk: You can substitute this with any kind of milk (or nondairy milk), or you can make your own buttermilk.
• Sprinkles: Use jimmies sprinkles, not nonpareils. Nonpareils could dissolve while the cupcakes bake.

How to make Birthday Cupcakes

1. I like to whisk my dry ingredients first (flour, baking powder, salt) first.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each.
3. You can use any color sprinkles you want! I find the long rod sprinkles (also called jimmies) are better for baking.
4. Use cupcake liners in a muffin pan – fill them 2/3 full.
5. Frost cupcakes as desired (chocolate frosting shown piped using a Wilton 1M open star tip in a piping bag).

Why We Love This Recipe

If you’re looking for the perfect dessert for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, this cupcake cake might just be what you’re looking for! It’s easy to make with some shortcuts and the best dessert to serve a crowd!  You can make these regular or mini sized too!

I LOVE a pull-apart cake for a party! Cupcakes are easy to serve – They are individual cupcakes, so everyone can just grab one, and there’s no hassle with slicing a big cake. Even though it’s not a cake, you can still decorate it like it is – in this case, the cupcakes are frosted and arranged so they look like the American flag.

Ingredients Needed

• White Cake Mix: I always use 15-ounce boxes, so double-check the size.
• Prepared White Frosting: You’ll tint some of the frosting, so you’ll want to buy three containers.
• Egg Whites: Using just the whites to make the cupcakes keeps them very white. You can use whole eggs, too, but that means your cupcakes will have a subtle yellow tint. See the notes in the recipe card for more details about this.
• Vegetable Oil
• Milk: You can use whole, low fat or nonfat.
• Food Coloring: I recommend using gel food coloring for the best colors. You’ll need red and blue.
• White Sugar Pearl Sprinkles: You’ll use these on the blue cupcakes to create the stars.

Mini or Regular Size Cupcakes

• Regular Sized Cupcake Cake: You’ll need about 35 cupcakes (the recipe makes 38).
• Mini Cupcake Cake: Just use one box (half the recipe as written) and you’ll have plenty. It makes about 60 mini cupcakes.

How to Make a Cupcake Cake

1. Bake your cupcakes and allow to cool.
2. Place your cupcakes on a cake board or a wire rack covered in parchment paper. Arrange them into five rows of seven cupcakes each. Place them right next to each other, so they’re snug.
3. Divie frosting into 3 bowls and color one red, one blue, and leave one white. I love using gel food coloring for vibrant colors.
4. White Stripes: Frost the second row and then every other white. Frost the cupcakes close together so the frosting of each cupcake meets.
5. Red Stripes: Frost the same way, but fill in with red frosting.
6. Blue: The size of the blue section will depend on how many cupcakes you have. Large cupcakes: the top 6 cupcakes. Mini Cupcakes: Use the top 9. Frost each cupcake blue and add some sprinkles for stars.