Happy Wednesday, ya’ll! I am so excited to share the most delicious, light, and refreshing lemon cupcakes EVER. Yep, EVER. I’ve been making these babies for a few years now and they are a family fav. They’re especially great in the summer when you want something light + sweet (but not too sweet)!
These lemon cupcakes have the consistency of angel food cake and the light, fluffy texture almost makes you believe they’re zero cal. Almost. And then you try the cream cheese frosting with just enough lemony zing and you think that maybe there’s like 5 calories. Or something like that. Anyway, you MUST try them and when you do, you MUST tell me what you think!
Lemon Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 box of white cake mix (I used Betty Crocker, but any brand will do)
- 1 small box of lemon Jell-o instant pudding mix
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of water
- 4 egg whites
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 brick of softened cream cheese (my little trick for softening the cream cheese is to sit the package on the oven while the cupcakes are baking)
- 1/4 cup of softened butter
- 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I always do a little more because I like the tart taste)
- 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (you can add more here depending on how sweet you like your frosting)
- 2 teaspoons of lemon zest (optional)
Lemon Cupcakes
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Combine your cake mix, pudding mix, veg oil, water, and egg whites in a large bowl and mix with electric mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Then spoon the mixture into a lined cupcake pan. How easy was that, right?!
- Bake for 21-24 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
For the frosting:
- Combine the cream cheese, butter, and lemon juice in a bowl and mix with electric mixer until blended and then begin to add powdered sugar.
- You can also mix the lemon zest into the frosting OR you can use it as a garnish on the cupcake. Your call!
- I always chill the frosting for about 5-10 minutes before frosting the cakes because it’s not a very thick frosting and can be a little runny, especially if you have no patience and start frosting your cupcakes while they’re still warm. I can’t be the only person who does that, right? Right??? And finally, once your cupcakes are frosted, garnish with lemon zest and/or fresh raspberries.
Enjoyyyyy!
XO,
L
