If you love lemon, you will love these cupcakes. Lemon cake filled with lemon curd and then topped with lemon buttercream. Wow.

My good friend Leah and I got together and decided to collaborate on this wonderful lemon treat for our friend/co-worker's birthday. We immediately decided on cupcakes, of course. Leah made the lemon curd and I made the cupcakes and the buttercream. The lemon curd was made the day before and when Leah handed me the jar of curd, I immediately sampled it. It was tart and very delicious. It complemented the sweetness of the buttercream so well. It all went together so beautifully that this may be the best collaboration we've done so far. And the lemon buttercream is definitely going to be my go-to lemon buttercream for now on.

** Thanks to Leah for letting me use the photos from her phone**

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
from Cooking with Paula Deen 
July/August 2001 issue

1 C. butter, softened
2 C. sugar
4 eggs, large at room temperature
1 T. lemon zest
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C. cake flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. buttermilk at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350. 

In a medium sized bowl, mix together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and then set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Add the sugar gradually and beat for around 5 minutes until it's all incorporated and nice and fluffy. One at a time, add the eggs and beat until the yellow disappears after each addition. Then, add the zest, juice and vanilla and beat until blended. 

Take the dry ingredients and gradually add to the butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until blended after each addition. 


Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and then scoop mixture into liners using large spoon or ice cream scoop. Fill liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Once removed from oven, let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then take cupcakes out of pan and let them cool on wire rack. Make sure cupcakes are cooled completely before frosting with lemon buttercream. Of course, cupcakes are best the day they are made, but you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

 For the Lemon Curd recipe, visit Leah at So How's It Taste?

Lemon Buttercream
1 C. butter, softened
2 T. lemon zest
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
2 T. milk
5 C. powdered sugar
Yellow food coloring (optional)


In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy. Add zest, juice and milk and continue beating until it's well blended. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until it's light and fluffy. Beat in the desired amount yellow food coloring if using.