I have to say lemon is one of my favorite summer flavors! If you still haven’t tried my recipe for The Best Ever Lemon Cake you have been missing out. I use a variation on that recipe for these gorgeous little cupcakes…

…moist and dense and just like My Best Ever Lemon Cake they have a secret ingredient that makes them that way! But this time it’s not butternut squash…

Notice the shredded zucchini? That is the secret ingredient and zucchini still in season! Using grated squash is a great way to make a cake ‘melt in your mouth delicious’. But don’t worry, the cupcakes don’t taste like zucchini, in fact they are intensely lemony thanks to lemon zest and juice. No artificial colors or flavors like you find in those boxed cake mixes on the grocery shelves!

To decorate these little beauties I used a darling cupcake kit from Meri Meri which comes with 48 cupcake papers and cupcake toppers. You can browse through all of them here, or take a look at a few of my favorites… fairies, little garden, Peter Rabbit, flowers, brave knights, doggies, princesses , pirates and these truck cupcake kits! Meri Meri even makes Christmas, wedding/bridal shower and Halloween kits! And trust me there’s so many more…and each one is cuter than the next!

THE RECIPE: THE BEST EVER LEMON CUPCAKES

You will need: a microplane to zest lemons, a food processor or box grater to grate zucchini, cupcake tins, a mixer, vanilla paste (I use Neilsen Massey! Get 4oz here, or 36 oz here).

Print

The Best Ever Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

24 mins

Total Time

44 mins

 

Moist dense lemon cupcakes with a fresh lemony glaze! Be sure not to make the glaze too thin...I will over emphasize that many times below:)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy dessert recipe, party recipe, summer recipe

Servings: 20 cupcakes

Author: Linda Spiker

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup one stick soft butter
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T distilled white vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla paste
• juice of one lemon
• zest of two lemons
• 3/4 cup cultured buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• Glaze***
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• juice of 2-3 lemons
• zest of one lemon

Instructions

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 325 and place rack in lower third of oven. Place cupcake papers on cupcake tin, set aside.
2. Grate zucchini, set aside
3. Place flour baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Place butter, coconut oil and sugar in mixer and mix on medium for two minutes.
5. Add eggs one at a time and mix till well incorporated.
6. Add vinegar, vanilla paste, lemon zest and lemon juice.
7. Then alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix till well combined.
8. Add zucchini and mix for 30 seconds.
9. The batter will be very thick, spoon into cupcake papers till almost full. Bake for 22-24 minutes till cakes spring back from touch. When cool drizzle with glaze.

Glaze instructions:

1. Mix powdered sugar with lemon juice, adding only a little juice at a time. We want the glaze to be really thick, really really thick, like honey, barely pourable. Sorry to repeat myself but everyone makes it too runny the first time and it runs off the cupcakes...don't be that person! When the glaze is a nice thick consistency add lemon zest and stir. When cupcakes are cool spoon glaze onto cupcakes and swirl around till the glaze barely meets the edges. If you blow it and add too much lemon juice, just add more powdered sugar...not that I think you will blow it, I have complete confidence in you. You got this!

This cute little cupcake stand is from my favorite store Anthropologie

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