Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling
Easy lemon cupcakes filled with fresh strawberries and topped with a lemon strawberry buttercream. These are fruity, delicious and perfect for summer!
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 441kcal
Equipment
- Cupcake pan and liners
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Food Processor
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Piping bag and tip pictured: large star tip
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1⅔ cups (208.33 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg white room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (177.44 ml) Lifeway whole milk kefir room temperature
Strawberry Filling
- 1 heaping cup strawberries washed and dried
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
Strawberry Lemon Frosting
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon strawberry filling
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar sifted if clumpy
Instructions
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and fill a cupcake pan with liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl using a mixer on medium speed, cream together the softened butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg white and vanilla extract and mix for another 1-2 minutes.
- On low speed, alternately mix the dry ingredients and kefir into the wet ingredients just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners (about ⅔-3/4 full) and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean (about 16-20 minutes). Let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Strawberry Filling
- Pulse the strawberries and sugar in a food processor for 1-2 rapid bursts. Or, finely chop the strawberries and mix them well with the sugar.
Lemon Strawberry Buttercream
- In a medium bowl, mix together the softened butter, lemon zest, strawberry filling and powdered sugar until smooth.
Cupcake Assembly
- Cut the center out of each completely cooled cupcake (about ⅔ deep; save the cut-out tops without the fluffy insides).Spoon strawberry filling inside but leave a tiny space to put the cupcake top (without the insides) back in place.Pipe frosting on the cupcakes and enjoy!
Notes
Kefir: This recipe is sponsored by my favorite kefir brand, Lifeway. Their organic whole milk plain or lemon kefir is best in this recipe.
Strawberries: Fresh berries work best in this recipe.
Storage: Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Unfilled and unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in the freezer and then brought to room temperature, filled, frosted and served.
Nutrition: The provided nutrition information is an estimate, accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg
