Easy Lemon Cupcakes for Beginning Bakers
Y’all, I tell you no lies when I say this is literally the best cupcake recipe ever!! These little pieces of heaven came out moist, light, sweet and just lemoney enough and they are soooooo easy to make!
I love eating healthy and as clean as possible for the most part but I also don’t believe in total deprivation for every single food item on the “naughty” list. When it comes to holidays and special occasions I believe in little indulgences within reason!
I wanted to make something special for Mother’s Day, and cupcakes were the obvious choice.
I thought of doing lemon flavor since lemons fit so well with spring and the color would be popping!
I tweaked a recipe I found on cakecentral.com.
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix
1 box of lemon instant pudding mix (the small box)
1/2 tsp of pure lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup of sour cream
4 eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1/2 cup of water
Instructions
Mix cake mix, pudding, water/lemon juice mix, oil, sour cream, eggs, extract and zest for 30 seconds on low and 2 minutes on medium. Bake at 340 degrees for 20 minutes.
Frosting
Of course you can make your own frosting, but I was short on time so I used 2 cylinders of Pilsbury cream cheese frosting and added 2 tsp of lemon extract and mixed lightly with a spoon.**allow cupcakes to cool for about 20 minutes before frosting**
Enjoy!!
I tried these lemon cupcakes last weekend for my niece’s birthday, and the simplicity of the recipe was exactly what I needed as a novice baker. I remember the first time I attempted a cake; I was terrified of overmixing and ending up with a dense, dry crumb. This recipe’s step‑by‑step instructions gave me confidence, especially the tip about zesting the lemon right before adding the juice—it kept the flavor bright without any bitterness. When they came out, the cupcakes were moist, with a tender crumb and just the right amount of citrus zing that made everyone ask for seconds. Even my sister, who usually avoids anything too sweet, loved them. The frosting was easy to pipe, and the lemon…