These lemon blueberry cupcakes are supremely soft and moist with fresh lemon flavor. Sweet blueberries dot every single bite and you can finish them off with my tangy, ultra creamy cream cheese frosting. Tasters and readers have been raving about this recipe for years!
One reader, Lauren, commented: “Fabulous! The cake is so moist and bursting with flavor. The frosting is truly delectable. Main tip: frost quickly or refrigerate before frosting as it does warm up very quickly in the piping bag! ★★★★★“
I’ve made lemon blueberry cake more times than I can count. Have you ever tried it? It’s a very popular cake recipe and I even made several of them for a wedding reception. I was waist deep in cake batter and somehow flung cake batter INTO MY EYE but the look on the bride’s face made eye-verything worth it. 😉
Today we’re turning it into cupcakes. They taste like sunshine!
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Brilliant fresh lemon flavor.
- Soft, moist, & fluffy.
- Blueberries complement the tart lemon.
- Cream cheese frosting is sweet, but not-at-all cloying.
- For extra lemon flavor, you can fill them with lemon curd.
- Crowd-pleasing dessert option (honestly, these fly off the serving tray) that’s perfect for spring and summer… or in the middle of winter when you crave some sun!
I originally published this lemon blueberry cupcake recipe in 2016 and have made them several times since for various occasions, baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, anniversaries, and I often include them in my line up of summer cookout desserts. The recipe hasn’t changed except for a slight update to the frosting to help it hold shape—you no longer need milk or cream.
Why This Recipe Works
We’re basically making my lemon cupcakes with blueberries and a different frosting. The recipe stems from my lemon blueberry cake and you can find a 6-inch variation over on my sunshine citrus cake page. I love the cupcake version because they pack more lemon flavor and they’re actually much lighter than both cakes. The batter is so simple and comes together with 10 ingredients.
Did You Know? Cupcakes are typically fluffier than layer cakes because you aren’t stacking them and therefore weight isn’t packing them down.
And Did You Know This Too? You’re also working with less batter, so you don’t really risk overmixing. You see, when you overmix batter, the flour’s gluten strands become quite elastic which results in a denser, somewhat gummy-tasting baked good. If you’ve ever made cupcakes or cakes that should be as fluffy as marshmallows and you end up with pound cake… overmixing could be the culprit.
Grab These 10 Ingredients:
This is a no-frills cupcake recipe requiring a handful of basic baking ingredients and a mixer to bring them all together. Here are some key ingredients you need:
- All-Purpose Flour: The cupcakes are pretty light using a careful ratio of wet to dry ingredients, so cake flour isn’t really necessary. Just use regular all-purpose flour here.
- Creamed Butter & Sugar: A base of creamed butter and sugar (instead of melted butter or oil) often helps achieve a soft, cake-like structure. Make sure it’s proper room temperature butter.
- Whole Milk: Milk with fat such as whole milk, buttermilk, or 2% milk is your best choice here. (Nondairy milk is great in a pinch.)
- Lemon Zest & Juice: Grab a few lemons for this recipe. You need both the zest and juice because each provide something different. Lemon zest gives you a refreshing, light lemon flavor, while the juice adds that familiar tart tanginess often associated with the citrus. Beat the lemon zest with the butter and sugar because fat carries flavor.
Use a Zester & Juicer
- Citrus Zester or Grater: A good portion of flavor comes from the lemon zest, so this tool is a necessity. I use and love this citrus zester. A cheese grater on a fine grating setting or a microplane work too.
- Citrus Juicer: Of course you can just squeeze out the juice by hand, but if you love baking or cooking with citrus or enjoy fresh-squeezed juice, a citrus juicer is convenient!
The batter is thick, which keeps the blueberries suspended in each cupcake. Toss the berries in a little flour before folding into the batter, a secret trick that also helps prevent them from sinking.
And to avoid over-flowing, fill the cupcake liners only 2/3 full:
Plenty of blueberries in each bite, just as if you were making blueberry muffins or lemon blueberry cheesecake bars!
Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
Yes! Use the same amount and do not thaw.
Can I Switch the Berries in These Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes?
These cupcakes are a conversation starter and I know from experience after making them about 100x for various events. Most guests LOVE them with blueberries, but some have asked if you can prepare them with raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries. The answer is yes! Simply replace the blueberries with your favorite berry. Slice the blackberries in half and use chopped strawberries.
#1 Success Tip for Cream Cheese Frosting
The top frosting choice for today’s lemon blueberry cupcakes is always a tangy cream cheese frosting. The frosting uses a little less butter and confectioners’ sugar from my usual cream cheese frosting (what I use most often for carrot cake cupcakes) and many appreciate that it’s not quite as heavy nor sweet. One reader, Victoria, said: “…So light with great lemon flavor and juicy berries! And the cream cheese icing isn’t too sweet.”
No matter the ratios or quantity of ingredients, always make sure you’re using brick cream cheese when preparing cream cheese frosting. You do not want to use spreadable cream cheese (the kind you use on bagels) because your frosting will turn to liquid.
Other Frosting Options
Friends, family, and readers have swapped the frosting for other options including:
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Lightly sweet and holds intricate piped shape.
- Whipped Frosting: Fluffy texture, lightly sweet, holds piped shape, easy to make.
- Lemon Buttercream: For extreme lemon flavor!
- Vanilla Buttercream: Great basic choice that holds piped shape.
- Whipped Cream: Lightest option and hardly sweet. This is what I like to use when I fill the cupcakes with lemon curd.
- White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: Made with melted white chocolate for an extra rich flavor.
- Raspberry Frosting: From my lemon raspberry cupcakes.
- Blueberry Frosting: From my lemon blueberry cookies.
Again, the cream cheese frosting included in the recipe below is my go-to. It won’t maintain a super intricate piped shape, but holds a basic swirl with a round tip such as Ateco #808 piping tip. If you’re just learning how to use piping tips, my piping tips guide is a helpful resource.
Are you bringing these cupcakes to a party? I use this cupcake carrier all the time to help store and transport frosted cupcakes.
More Delicious Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies and Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
- Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Blueberry Tart
- Oatmeal Lemon Crumble Bars
- Lemon Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Babka
- Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
- Lemon Berry Trifle
- Lemon Shortbread
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 15 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deliciously simple lemon blueberry cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting. They’re sweet, fluffy, and make any day feel like summertime!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (140g) fresh or frozen blueberries, tossed in 1 Tablespoon flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- optional for garnish: lemon slices and extra blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipes yields about 15 cupcakes, so you’ll have a 2nd batch.
- Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until creamed, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add eggs and vanilla extract, and then beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and then turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour in the milk and lemon juice. Beat until just combined. Fold in the floured blueberries. Do not overmix.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 18–21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste and add an extra pinch of salt if desired. If you plan to frost intricate designs with this frosting, refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes first.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and top with optional garnish, if desired. I used Ateco #808 piping tip in the pictured cupcakes. You could also use a small icing spatula. Refrigerate decorated cupcakes uncovered for at least 20 minutes to help set the frosting before serving.
- Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. A cupcake carrier makes storing and transporting easy.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Plain cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. If frosting is thick/stiff after refrigerating, bring to room temperature and beat it with your mixer for a minute to help loosen it up. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools: Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Piping Bags (Disposable or Reusable) | Ateco #808 Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Whole Milk or Buttermilk: I usually use buttermilk. Buttermilk helps produce supremely moist lemon cupcakes. If you don’t have buttermilk, use whole milk instead. You can use lower fat or nondairy milks in a pinch, but the cupcakes won’t taste nearly as rich and moist.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Amount of Batter/6-Inch Cake: This recipe yields between 3-4 cups of batter which is helpful if you’re reviewing the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions page. You can use this batter for a 6-inch layer cake and see my 6-inch cake page for complete details and instructions.
- 9-Inch Cake: Follow my Lemon Blueberry Cake recipe.
- Filling with Lemon Curd: You can fill these cooled cupcakes with lemon curd if desired. If you need it, my Sugar Plum Fairy Cupcakes include detailed instructions and a video for filling cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi, I am planning to use this recipe for a 3 layer 6 inch cake for my daughter’s 4 year old birthday party. The theme is Frozen, so I’m wondering if I can use freeze dried blueberries to make the frosting blue? Will I have to tweak anything? Thank you so much! Alway love your cake recipes!
Hi Pris, yes, you can certainly do that. You may wish to add a small drop of blue gel food coloring as well to achieve your desired color, but take a look after you’ve added the freeze dried blueberries to see if you wish to adjust it at all. Hope it’s a hit!
How would me baking 4 inch cakes differ? I’ve tried it with your red velvet, chocolate and vanilla cupcake recipes and have just had to wait it out a couple extra minutes. Will the blueberries burn in this case if I do 4 inch mini cake pans? They are 4×2 inch
Hi Brianna! The blueberries won’t burn if you bake these cupcakes as a small cake. We would love to hear how it goes!
Sally, you’re an absolute baking genius. I never dared baked in my life. Too afraid to mess up the recipe. I stumbled upon your page in 2020 and thanks to your wonderful recipes and great instructions, I now make homemade desserts, your recipes of course! Thank you so much for sharing your gift of baking and helping those like me, learn to love baking too!! I just made your lemon blueberry cupcakes. Substituted the sugar for monk fruit and it did not disappoint!!!
I don’t know what I did wrong my batter curled.
Hi Alicia, were your ingredients at room temperature? Room temperature ingredients are important for preventing curdled batter.
These are delightful! Easy to follow recipe. I thought I would need to double the frosting but I had plenty!
Holy F these are amazing!!! I made them into mini cupcakes, and I’ll be using them for my wedding this summer. I used coconut cream for the milk, and Paula’s 1:1 GF flour and it worked great!
This looks amazing! My sister is hoping for a lemon-cranberry cake or cupcake recipe for her birthday! Would this work with cranberries in place of blueberries?
Yes, absolutely!
Your Lemon Blueberry Cake is our family’s all time favorite!! This is the first time I’m making the cupcake recipe. Will these freeze well? I’d like to make a few batches ahead for a large party. Thank you for your delicious recipes!
Hi Peggy Sue, yes, they freeze wonderfully! Bake and cool cupcakes completely, then place in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Once they are relatively frozen, you can remove them and then layer them between sheets of parchment paper if your container is large enough. You can individually wrap them too, if desired, but we usually don’t. Allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting. Hope this helps!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! Can I make this on Friday for a birthday party on Sunday? I’m a bit time strapped tomorrow (Saturday)x
As long as the cupcakes are stored tightly, that should be just fine!
I have been requested to make a Blueberry Lemon Cake for a one year old’s birthday party and I want to try your recipe. In fact, I am in the process of making it right now. My question is…Can I put fondant on top of your cream cheese frosting?
Hi Vickie, yes, you can use fondant over our cream cheese frosting!
Hey, what if they don’t sell a brick of cream cheese where I live?
The frosting comes out runny.. I’d there a solution?
Hi Niva, cream cheese frosting really needs block cream cheese. We would try a different recipe – our vanilla buttercream, lemon buttercream, or not-so-sweet whipped frosting would all be lovely on these cupcakes.
Thank you for the quick answer!! Where should I keep the cupcakes once they’re ready?
Would I need to make any changes to the recipe if I use the cream cheese in a tub (labeled cream cheese spread)?
Hi Jesse, Block cream cheese is needed for cream cheese frosting, cream cheese sold in a tub has a higher water content and will lead to a runny frosting.
I thought so. Thank you for the amazingly quick reply!
This recipe is amazing!! I made them for my sister’s bridal shower and everybody loved them! I also made them gluten free and just added an extra egg and everybody gluten free said they were the best gluten free item they have ever had 🙂 Love your recipes!!!
These cupcakes turned out amazing! Substituted for 1:1 GF flour (King Arthur) and they turned out fabulous! The blueberries provide the moisture that can lack with GF baking. I will say, they didn’t rise very much (usually an issue with GF baking) but the flavor and texture made up for it. Light and delicious!
Would this frosting hold up on a cake? If it will, do you recommend doubling the frosting for a 3-layer cake?
Hi Una, you can use the frosting from this recipe for lemon blueberry layer cake. Enjoy!
Whoops, forgot to assign star rating!
This recipe is so easy and delicious! The flavour is amazing. Made this morning to test it as I want to make something special for a luncheon on Thursday. These won’t last, will will make another batch for the luncheon!
Thanks, Sally, your recipes never disappoint!
This recipe was a huge hit at my Opas birthday! I myself am not a huge lemon person but these were extremely tasty and I received so many compliments such as “spectacular”, “best cupcake I’ve ever had”, and “this cupcake made my day”. I am not normally a fan of cream cheese frosting either but I could not stop eating this and raving about how light the frosting was. Will 100% be making these again. In fact I was asked at the party if I could make these for my brother in laws birthday next month
Thanks Sally!
Hello,
What would be a good icing to make besides cream cheese. I’m making some for the staff at my sons school and don’t want to burden them with filling there refrigerater with cupcakes.
You can use our regular lemon buttercream or even regular vanilla buttercream instead.
Hi. I recently started having digestive problems with eggs. Have you tried any replacements for eggs that work with cupcakes and cake recipes?
Hi LorS, we do not have much experience baking with egg substitutes, and we haven’t tested anything for cake and cupcake recipes to know what might work best. If you’re interested, here are all of our egg free baking recipes.
Could I bake this in a 13X9 pan. if so for how long?
Hi Fran, you can follow our recipe for Lemon Blueberry Cake instead. There are directions for a 9×13 cake in those recipe Notes. Enjoy!
I have made this recipe 3 times now, and every time it has come out a little dense and dry. If not for the blueberries, it would be inedible. They also don’t really brown in the 21 minutes, but they are done. I followed the directions carefully, so I’m not sure what is going wrong. I love the taste, I just want them to be lighter and fluffier. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Hi Cheryl, is the batter over mixed by chance? That’s usually the culprit for overly dense cakes/cupcakes–be sure to mix until just incorporated. Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour, too. Otherwise, the flour could be over measured and dry out the cupcakes. Here are all our best tips for baking cupcakes for further reading. Hope this helps for next time!
If I need 30 cupcakes, would it be best to double the recipe or make two separate recipes?
Hi Lani, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Hi , I made these today and they were scrumptious. I used zest of 2 lemons and put the chopped flesh in along with some frozen berries. I kept the lemon juice quantity the same, added a little extra flour for the juiciness of the berries. Your recipe was easy to follow and included great tips. I didn’t have much icing sugar so I made a glaze of icing sugar, lemon juice, stevia and cornflour. But they were so good just on their own!!
I loved this recipe, but it didn’t raise very well for me… maybe I did something different? They seem very small in size but I made them the average cupcake size, any ideas on how to get them to raise better?
Hi Gigi! A few tips for you: be sure your baking powder is fresh. We find it starts to lose its potency around 3 months after opening, even if it’s not technically expired yet. Filling the cupcake liners/cavities 2/3 way full ensures taller cupcakes without batter spilling over the sides. Finally, be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the cupcakes to bake up squat and dense. Hope this helps for next time!
I’ve made this into a 6-inch layer cake and it was so delicious. Now I’m going to make cupcakes but I’d like to make 1 recipe and a half to have about 22 cupcakes. Can I just add half of the recipe to the quantity or will it be a problem? Thank you!
By the way I also want to say that I’ve made many recipes from your website, about ten so far and they’re a hit every single time. I’m so grateful.
That should work just fine. Thank you so much for making our recipes!
Love your recipes! Where I live I can usually only find 1% buttermilk. What’s better in this case, the low fat buttermilk or whole milk?
Hi Lindsay, you can use the low fat buttermilk here. I often use that.
Question on buttermilk. My grocery store stocks “cultured low-fat buttermilk” with a green label and the also “whole cultured buttermilk blend” with a red label. Which type do you recommend to use for this recipe (and possibly all of your recipes where buttermilk is needed)? Thank you.
Hi Kathy, I find low fat buttermilk the most in my grocery stores, and that’s what I use most often. You can also use full fat if that’s what you have.
This is me and my moms favorite dessert!!! I’m ten
Hi Sally! Will this work with rhubarb? My in-laws have rhubarb and I’m really looking for recipes that I can incorporate rhubarb with it. Your recipes are my go to. I know it’s all proven and tested that’s why I can’t help not to ask. If you have rhubarb recipe on your list please point me to the right direction. Thank you!
Hi Joy! A lemon rhubarb cupcake sounds delicious! We haven’t tested it but would try chopped rhubarb in the place of the blueberries. We just have a couple recipes utilizing rhubarb at this time – strawberry rhubarb pie and strawberry rhubarb crumb bars. Let us know what you try!
I need to pipe flowers ( roses and Hydrangeas ) on the top of these. Cream cheese frosting was requested. Will this recipie hold up for piping flowers? I know if I refrigerate them the icing will be harder and hold shape but when I take them out to display at room temperature will the shape still hold?
Hi Sheila! For piping flowers, we recommend using a sturdier frosting like our vanilla buttercream or lemon buttercream. Maybe you could fill the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pipe with the buttercream? Let us know what you try!