This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Mini lemon cupcakes with Italian buttercream and lemon curd sound amazing right about now huh! If you are a lemon lover, these will be right up your alley! The lemon cupcakes are lightly sweetened with a gentle hint of lemon, the lemon curd is tangy and citrussy and the Italian frosting is ever so silky!
Hello everyone!
I wanted to take a second and tell you how much I love lemon desserts! I have been wanting to share my mom’s famous lemon tart but still haven’t gotten the chance to take a beautiful photo before it ends up being all gone!
But for today, I managed to make these delicious lemon cupcakes from scratch. Yes! You heard that right. Every layer of these cupcake is made from scratch. But before I intimidate you, know that you can tweak it based on your skill level and how much time you really have on hand.
When I made these I had all weekend so I was able to made a homemade lemon curd from scratch as well as my silky Italian meringue buttercream with vanilla beans. But if you don’t have the time or the energy there are ways to get gorgeous summer desserts without all the work!
What’s so special about this simple mini lemon cupcake recipe!?
When I say I am obsessed with these, it’s definitely an understatement! These mini lemon cupcakes:
- Are soft
- Have the perfect amount of lemon curd
- Are topped with a luscious vanilla bean Italian meringue buttercream!
Tools to make this lemon cupcake recipe
- Hand or stand mixer
- Small pot
- Mini cupcake tin
- Whisk or hand blender
Table of Contents
- What’s so special about this simple mini lemon cupcake recipe!?
- Tools to make this lemon cupcake recipe
- Ingredients for the best mini lemon cupcakes, lemon curd, and buttercream!
- How to best decorate these mini lemon curd cupcakes?
- The best topping for lemon cupcakes is lemon curd!
- My mini lemon cupcake recipe is the best mini cupcake recipe ever!
- If you’re not satisfied with these mini cupcakes only, try this triple layered perfect white cake with lemon curd filling and Italian meringue buttercream frosting!
- Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Italian Buttercream and Lemon Curd
- Mini lemon cupcakes with lemon curd and Italian buttercream Recipe
- If you enjoyed this Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Italian Buttercream and Lemon Curd recipe make sure to pin it for later!
Ingredients for the best mini lemon cupcakes, lemon curd, and buttercream!
This mini lemon cupcake recipe has multiple levels. If you want to cut some of the work you can get store bought lemon curd but it won’t taste as good or you can make or purchase a vanilla frosting.
I strongly believe that you should make this recipe the way you want to. I share with you the technique and it is up to you to see what you want to add or remove to make YOUR perfect little cupcakes. So take these steps and run wild with them!
For the cupcakes
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Slt
- Granulated sugar
- Egg white
- Vegetable oil
- Milk
- Lemon zest
- Water
For the lemon curd
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Granulated sugar
- Yolks
- Butter
For the Italian meringue buttercream
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Egg whites
- Salt
- Butter
- Vanilla beans
How to best decorate these mini lemon curd cupcakes?
When it comes to decorating you rmini lemon curd cupcakes you can really do anything.
I opted for a simple decoration that consists of piping the Italian meringue buttercream around the cupcake while still leaving some room in the center to add in the lemon curd.
I would have liked to add some lemon curd to the center of the lemon cupcakes but since these are already so tiny and don’t have as much cake in them I opted to just top them with the lemon curd!
If you try a different decoration, make sure to tag me on social media or send me an email to show me your creations!
The best topping for lemon cupcakes is lemon curd!
I absolutely stand behind this statement. I guess another perfect topping would be the Vanilla bean Italian meringue buttercream as well but The two together makes these little summer dessert bites magical.
They are bright and colorful visually but trust me you’ll experience the same brightness in your mouth the second you take a bite of these cute little cupcakes.
My mini lemon cupcake recipe is the best mini cupcake recipe ever!
I have had a lot of cupcakes in my life and these are pretty up there if I can say so myself.
They have three layers of goodness… The first one being a moist vanilla lemon cupcake, then we top it with a silky smooth Italian vanilla bean meringue buttercream then comes the bright and tangy lemon curd to give this whole cupcake the balance it needs.
So now, you know. When you make these cupcakes you are not only getting the best cupcakes in the world but you are also getting the cutest little bites that can be served on easter or during any fancy holiday or get together!
If you’re not satisfied with these mini cupcakes only, try this triple layered perfect white cake with lemon curd filling and Italian meringue buttercream frosting!
IF YOU MADE SOMETHING FROM LIFESTYLEOFAFOODIE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL YOUR CREATIONS AND KNOW HOW EVERYTHING TURNED OUT! SO DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, AND FACEBOOK.
Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Italian Buttercream and Lemon Curd
Mini lemon cupcakes with lemon curd and Italian buttercream
Equipment
Ingredients
For the mini cupcakes
- 1/2 cup +2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp water
For the lemon curd
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp butter
For the Italian meringue buttercream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 1 stick butter
- 1 tsp vanilla beans
Instructions
For the cupcake
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F and lining 14 mini cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder and the salt together and set aside.1/2 cup +2 tbsp all purpose flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a medium bowl, mix the granulated sugar, egg white, and oil together until incorporated, then add in the milk, lemon zest, and water. Add in the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined.1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 egg white, 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1/4 cup milk, 2 tsp lemon zest, 3 tbsp water
- Divide the batter evenly between 14 cupcake liners and bake for 9 minutes.
- For the lemon curd- As the cupcakes are baking, we will make the lemon curd.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and egg yolks over medium-low heat. Once the mixture starts to thicken remove it from the heat.( the time will depend on the temperature of your ingredients)1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tsp lemon zest, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 egg yolks
- Add in the cubed butter and quickly whisk it in. (I usually use a hand blender to make my life easier.)2 tbsp butter
- Place the lemon curd in a shallow bowl and cover it with plastic wrap making sure it touches the curd. This will keep it from forming a film on top. Let the curd cool completely in the fridge to thicken.
For the Italian meringue buttercream
- While the cupcakes are cooling, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and the water to a boil. Let the mixture boil for about 4-5 minutes or until the bubbles slow down a little.1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water
- When the sugar water is almost done cooking, start beating the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer.2 egg whites, pinch of salt
- When the hot sugar syrup is done cooking, pour it very slowly on the side of the stand mixer in a gently stream. Beat for another 5-7 minutes of until the mixing bowl doesn't feel hot to the touch anymore.
- When the mixing bowl doesn't feel hot anymore, slowly add in the cubed room temperature butter while continuously whipping up the meringue.1 stick butter
- Don't worry if the meringue gets a little soupy. Continue whipping the meringue at high speed until it thickens and becomes perfectly creamy. Add in the vanilla beans and mix everything one last time.1 tsp vanilla beans
Putting it all together
- Using your favorite piping tip, pipe the Italian meringue buttercream around the outside of the cupcake and fill up the center with the lemon curd using either a piping bag or a ziplock bag.
Notes
- Make sure to let your Italian meringue buttercream get to room temperature before whipping it again to use it.
Extra Notes to Add
- Do not overmix after adding the flour, this helps keep the cupcakes light and tender.
- The cupcakes are mini, so check for doneness at 8 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- For the lemon curd, using room temperature butter will help it blend in more smoothly after cooking.
- You can assemble the cupcakes the day you serve them, but keep them refrigerated once filled with lemon curd.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you enjoyed this Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Italian Buttercream and Lemon Curd recipe make sure to pin it for later!
Worked very well, thank you!!
You’re welcome!
You’re welcome! 🙂
How many regular sized cupcakes would this recipe make?
That’s a good question but I’ve never tried so I’m not sure. If you do please let me know 🙂
Making this recipe but there is a step missing with the dry ingredients. It doesn’t state when to add that in and if alternating with wet
Hi Paul! Thanks for catching that! The dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) should be whisked together in Step 2, then added to the wet mixture in Step 3 all at once. No alternating with the wet ingredients here, just mix until combined. I’ll update the recipe to make that clearer.