Triple Lemon Cupcakes

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‘Sunshine on my CUPCAKE makes me happy!’ This Triple Lemon Cupcake recipe will make you happy too. Bursting with lemon flavor, these are what lemon lovers dreams are made of. 

Bite into lemony, wonderfully light and delicious vanilla cupcakes with lemon whipped cream in the middle and luscious lemon curd and lemon cream cheese frosting on top!  Check out Top 15 Luscious Lemon and Berry Desserts and 30 Mother’s Day Desserts for Mom!

Triple Lemon filled Cupcakes recipe cream cheese frosting

When I think lemon desserts, I can’t help think of my Mom!  She dearly loves lemon custard, lemon pudding, lemon cake…pretty much anything lemon! 

So, from my mom to yours, I dedicate Triple Lemon Cupcake Delights to all the Mommies on “Mothers’ Day” because we are worth it!  Yay!!! 

The majority of countries that celebrate Mother’s Day. On this day, it is common for Mothers to be celebrated with presents and special attention from their families, friends and loved ones.  But it wasn’t always this way… Check it out on —–> Mothers’ Day History.

Triple Lemon filled Cupcakes recipe cream cheese frosting

What are Triple Lemon Cupcakes?

So to celebrate, I made super easy lemon cupcakes, starting with a white cake mix and baked some cupcakes! Next I just took a scoop and took some cake out of the middles of the cupcakes and filled them with some easy lemon whipped cream.

For the tops, we piped some easy lemon cream cheese buttercream borders or dams as they call it, on top of the cupcakes to hold in the lemon curd on top.

Place them in the fridge until ready to serve and then lose your mind when you take a huge bite of yumminess!

Triple Lemon filled Cupcakes recipe cream cheese frosting

What’s the Difference Between Lemon Pudding and Lemon Curd

For those of you that don’t know what Lemon Curd is, here is the description via Lemon Pudding:

  • Lemon pie filling contains a lot of water and is thickened with cornstarch and has quite a different texture and mouth feel than lemon curd
  • Lemon curd is made with eggs, butter, sugar and lemons only and is more of a thick custard filling. Ok, ya got me, ‘custard’…yum!

Homemade Lemon Curd (Microwave) Triple Lemon filled Cupcakes recipe cream cheese frosting

Ingredients You Need

Lemon Cupcake Recipe

  • 1 Vanilla Cake Boxed Cake Mix + ingredients needed for vanilla cake mix – prepare as instructed on box. Other options: Lemon cake mix – prepare as instructed on box.

Lemon Curd or use Store-bought Lemon Curd

  • 2 Lemons. large
  • 3 ½ tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • ⅔ cup Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Egg Yolk

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting or use Store-bought lemon or cream cheese frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • ⅓ cup butter softened
  • 4-5 cups confectioners sugar, add more if needed. Frosting needs to hold up to hold the curd in
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice juice of one lemon
  • Optional Yellow food coloring, 3-4 drops

Lemon Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups whipped topping like Cool Whip
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon curd
  • lemon zest, optional

Triple Lemon filled Cupcakes recipe cream cheese frosting

How to Make Triple Lemon Cupcakes 

  1. Prepare cupcakes as directed on cake box baking in cupcake liners or cupcake tins in oven and let cool.

Lemon Curd or use Store-bought Lemon Curd

  1. While cupcakes are baking, prepare lemon curd or skip the steps for making lemon curd if you use premade or have it on hand.
  2. Zest 2 lemons into a large bowl .
  3. After zesting, juice both lemons and remove or strain seeds, add unsalted butter, and sugar.
  4. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Take it out and whisk, make sure butter and sugar is dissolved and allow to cool a couple of minutes.
  5. In another small bowl, whisk 3 eggs and egg yolk together very well.
  6. Pour beaten eggs through sieve, whisking into the butter mixture as your pour.
  7. Once combined, put mixture into microwave for 30 seconds on high, stir and micro another 30 seconds, stir again and place in micro for 1 minute.
  8. Take out of micro and whisk well and let sit.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting or use Store-bought lemon or cream cheese frosting

  1. If using store-bought frosting, omit the frosting steps. In medium-large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until well combined with mixer. Beat in cup of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
  2. Beat in rest of powdered sugar until frosting is pipeable consistency. Stir in some yellow food coloring, if you want a lemony look.

Lemon Whipped Cream

  1. Add some lemon curd to whipped topping and mix together.

How to Assemble the Lemon Cupcakes

  1. After the cupcakes are cooled, take a knife and cut a ½” circle in the middle of the cupcakes, {cut it like a cone, so tip of knife goes toward center instead of straight down} and take the core out of the cupcakes.
  2. Pipe lemon whipped cream into each cupcake.
  3. Place frosting in pastry bag with medium star tip and pipe a dam or border around the top of the cupcakes. Make sure frosting is stable enough to hold lemon curd inside. If it’s too loose, it will fall off the sides of the cupcakes.
  4. Spoon lemon curd into the center of each cupcake. Garnish if desired with fruit or lemon wedge.

summer treat

Make these Triple Lemon Cupcakes Simpler

We have shortcuts to make these easy, beautiful cupcakes a definite hit for your party fun!  We’re already using a boxed cake mix, but…

  • If you have prepared lemon curd instead of making it, this definitely makes this easy!!
  • Use prepared lemon frosting or cream cheese frosting and add some lemon juice to it.  Super easy, right?

Lemon Cupcake Baking Tips

  • Measure your flour correctly! Fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
  • Room temperature ingredients are always the best when baking cupcakes.
  • You could substitute the lemon cream filling with lemon pudding if you want.

summer treat

Store cupcakes in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container so they cupcakes don’t dry out.

Cupcakes with lemon curd and buttercream frosting hold their shape best when refrigerated. They can hold up at room temperature for a couple of hours, but any longer than that and the filling and frosting might start to diminish down.

summer treat

 

What do you think moms want most from Mothers’ Day?  {I know I always request this as well and it doesn’t surprise me in the least!}  These Triple Lemon Cupcake Delights!}

Here’s the recipe, Enjoy and have a Great and Happy Mothers’ Day!!

More Mother’s Day Ideas!

Triple Lemon Cupcakes

Triple Lemon Cupcake Delights

Kim Lange
'Sunshine on my CUPCAKE makes me happy!' These Triple Lemon Cupcake delights will make you happy too. Bursting with lemon flavor, these are what lemon lovers dreams are made of.  Bite into lemony, wonderfully light and delicious vanilla cupcakes with lemon whipped cream in the middle and luscious lemon curd and lemon cream cheese frosting on top!   
No ratings yet
Prep Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 24 Servings
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box + ingredients needed vanilla cake mix - prepare as instructed on box. Other options: Lemon cake mix - prepare as instructed on box.

Lemon Curd or use Store-bought Lemon Curd

  • 2 Lemons large
  • 3 ½ tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • cup Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Egg Yolk

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting or use Store-bought lemon or cream cheese frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • cup butter softened
  • 4-5 cups confectioners sugar add more if needed. Frosting needs to hold up to hold the curd in
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice juice of one lemon
  • Optional Yellow food coloring 3-4 drops

Lemon Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups whipped topping like Cool Whip
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon curd

Instructions
 

  • Prepare cupcakes as directed on cake box and let cool.

Lemon Curd or use Store-bought Lemon Curd

  • While cupcakes are baking, prepare lemon curd or skip the steps for making lemon curd if you use premade or have it on hand.
  • Zest 2 lemons into a large bowl .
  • After zesting, juice both lemons and remove or strain seeds, add unsalted butter, and sugar.
  • Microwave on high 2 minutes. Take it out and whisk, make sure butter and sugar is dissolved and allow to cool a couple of minutes.
  • In another small bowl, whisk 3 eggs and egg yolk together very well.
  • Pour beaten eggs through sieve, whisking into the butter mixture as your pour.
  • Once combined, put mixture into microwave for 30 seconds on high, stir and micro another 30 seconds, stir again and place in micro for 1 minute.
  • Take out of micro and whisk well and let sit.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting or use Store-bought lemon or cream cheese frosting

  • If using store-bought frosting, omit the frosting steps. In medium-large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until well combined with mixer. Beat in cup of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
  • Beat in rest of powdered sugar until frosting is pipeable consistency. Stir in some yellow food coloring, if you want a lemony look.

Lemon Whipped Cream

  • Add some lemon curd to whipped topping and mix together.

Assembly

  • After the cupcakes are cooled, take a knife and cut a 1/2" circle in the middle of the cupcakes, {cut it like a cone, so tip of knife goes toward center instead of straight down} and take the core out of the cupcakes.
  • Pipe lemon whipped cream into each cupcake.
  • Place frosting in pastry bag with medium star tip and pipe a dam or border around the top of the cupcakes. Make sure frosting is stable enough to hold lemon curd inside. If it's too loose, it will fall off the sides of the cupcakes.
  • Spoon lemon curd into the center of each cupcake. Garnish if desired with fruit or lemon wedge.

Notes

If you want to make these Triple Lemon Cupcakes super simple, use these tips.
  • If you have prepared lemon curd instead of making it, this definitely makes this easy!!
  • Use prepared lemon frosting or cream cheese frosting and add some lemon juice to it.  Super easy, right?
Keyword cupcakes, lemon, lemon cream cheese frosting, vanilla, whipped cream
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