Perfect Filled Lemon Cupcakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Bright, fresh, and bursting with flavor, these tender Lemon Cupcakes are filled with tangy lemon curd then topped with luscious cream cheese poppyseed frosting. Perfect for spring holidays, parties, or any time you want a sunny treat that’s equal parts elegant and fun!
These lemon cupcakes are the stuff of citrus dessert dreams — light, moist, and full of bold lemon flavor. Each cupcake hides a surprise center of lemon curd that adds a creamy, tangy pop with every bite. And the frosting is a silky cream cheese blend flecked with poppyseeds for a little extra texture and charm.
I made these for the first time many years ago for an Easter dessert when living in Belgium with my young family. Belgium is a lovely country, but not exactly known for sunny weather, even as the weather turns to spring. We decided to add the sunshine to the dinner table, instead!
Years later, we still love these for a special treat. They strike a beautiful balance between tart and sweet, creamy and fluffy, playful and polished. Whether you’re baking for a baby shower, a brunch, or just a sunny weekend treat, these cupcakes are bound to steal the show — and they’re just as fun to make as they are to eat.
Pro Tip
This makes a relatively small batch of 12 cupcakes. If you are baking for a large crowd, take note and plan to double the recipe! You may only need a 1.5x batch of frosting, depending on how generously you plan to frost each cake.
Ingredient Notes
Perfect Pairing Ideas
These cupcakes are ideal for spring holidays, garden parties, or afternoon tea. Pair them with iced herbal tea, sparkling lemonade, or a glass of bubbly for a light and festive dessert spread. You can even dress them up with a lemon slice, edible flower, or sprinkle of zest on top for extra flair.
Ready to bake?
Gather your lemons and fire up the mixer — these filled lemon cupcakes with poppyseed cream cheese frosting are a ray of sunshine in edible form!
Perfect Filled Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- zest and juice of two medium lemons
For Filling and Frosting:
- 1/2 cup lemon curd homemade or store-bought
- 8 ounces cream cheese chilled
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Bake the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 12-count muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, 2-3 minutes.1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated white sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again on medium-high speed until mixture is well-combined.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture in three batches, beating on low speed after each addition. Mix in the milk, lemon zest, and juice, and beat again on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.1/2 cup whole milk , zest and juice of two medium lemons
- Divide batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Fill the cupcakes. Using a small paring knife, cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake, making a well about 1.5 inches deep. Spoon a small amount of lemon curd into the well. If you like, slice the smooth top edge off of each cone you removed and place it in the hole over the lemon curd filling, so the top of the cupcake still has a smooth surface of cake with the curd underneath. (This is definitely not necessary, but is pretty quick and easy and can make the cupcakes slightly easier to frost.)1/2 cup lemon curd
- Frost the cupcakes. Using a handheld or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.8 ounces cream cheese, 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add powdered sugar and mix on low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat 3-4 minutes, until mixture is smooth and light.2 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- Add the vanilla and poppy seeds, and beat again 1-2 minutes. Frost cupcakes as desired, serve, and enjoy.3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract , 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Notes
- Regular vanilla extract may certainly be used in the frosting, but oddly enough, clear imitation vanilla works even better with cream cheese frosting, both to keep it bright white and to help the frosting hold its shape.
- This makes enough frosting to decorate at least 1 dozen cupcakes. Depending on how generously you frost your batch, you may have extra.
- Store cupcakes tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let them rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, if possible, prior to serving.
- Recipe inspiration: Cake adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction; filling adapted from Williams-Sonoma; frosting adapted from Annie’s Eats
Nutrition Estimate
This post was originally published on April 3, 2017, and has been updated as of July 23, 2025 with more structured information about the ingredients, variations, and step-by-step instructions.
Related Recipes
If you enjoy these cupcakes, you may also like my extra chocolatey Guinness cupcakes, these champagne-filled beauties, Paloma cupcakes, or our all-time favorite chocolate buttermilk recipe with chocolate frosting.
What about high altitude? What modifications should be made to the recipe and temperature of the oven?
Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to test these cupcakes at high altitude but this page is a high quality resource to give you a baseline. In general increase the temperature and reduce the bake time! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
You put down recipe for lemon filling for cupcakes. You did not post the instructions.
Lots of people prefer to buy lemon curd store bought to save time, but I do like this homemade lemon curd best of all. Enjoy!
These came out amazing! So amazing, my Son wants me to make it into a cake for his birthday. Is there a way to convert the recipe for 2 8″ rounds?
So very happy to hear that!! Yes – if you double the recipe and bake the batter as 2 8″ round cakes, I would expect them to take somewhere around 30 minutes, maybe up to 35, at 350 degrees F. If you are assembling as a layer cake and want to keep the lemon curd element, you could pipe a barrier of frosting around the perimeter, then fill the interior with lemon curd before topping with the upper layer and frosting the whole thing as desired. Enjoy and happiest of birthdays to your son!
Can I make these ahead of time (Friday morning for a party on Saturday evening) or will the cupcakes get soggy? Should they kept in the fridge? Thank you for the great recipes and the awesome baking tips!
That should be fine but yes I would keep them in the fridge until roughly an hour before serving. Enjoy!
How do you store these after filling and frosting?
I usually do my best to store them in the fridge if overnight, but for a few hours I will leave them out on the counter. If you do store in the fridge, I find the taste and texture best after they return nearer to room temperature!
Hi, there is no instructions for the filling. just the ingredients. What are the instructions please?
Hi Kia, if you would like to make your own for the filling, you can find a homemade lemon curd recipe here.
Does this cream cheese frosting pipe nicely through the 2D tip? I tried a cream cheese frosting once before but I felt the frosting didn’t hold up well when piped.
Hi Jade, I more often use a 1M tip but this should also work nicely with a 2D. For cream cheese frosting that holds up well, keep it chilled and use clear imitation vanilla extract if possible – it seems to help the frosting hold its shape, in my experience.
I want to make these lemon cupcakes but without the curd or frosting. They are for a bridal shower next month so I want to make them now and freeze them, then frost them the day before the shower. Do these freeze well in foil cupcake liners without comprimising quality and taste? I don’t want to end up with soggy or stale cupcakes. Thanks.
Yes, the cupcakes should freeze well as long as they are not filled or frosted. Enjoy!
I am a lemon lover. These cupcakes look like the perfect treat. I would love them for my birthday!!
Absolutely delicious!!
Very easy to follow. Will be sharing this recipe around.
Thank you!
I made this recipe with the tiniest change : I added poppy seeds to the cupcake batter and omitted them in the cream cheese frosting.
This was my first time ever making cupcakes and they were beautiful ! Everyone enjoyed them, and the surprise filling of homemade lemon curd inside was a big hit!
I made these for my birthday, everyone stuck a candle in it and blew from a safe distance at the same time, for a fun 2020-appropriate twist on birthday cake. And by some magic, even though it was 30°C with 70% humidity, the cream cheese frosting somehow did not make a huge mess. Thank you for a great fool proof recipe for a cupcake newbie like me !