Perfect Filled Lemon Cupcakes
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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.
Wow, I do not even know where to begin these are amazing!! 11/10 recommend. Instead of vanilla extract, I put lemon extract ( I love a potent lemon flavor) and added more lemon zest. The cupcakes were nice, moist, and delish. I do have one questions and that is, how long do these last in the fridge?
So glad you enjoyed them! I love the idea of using lemon extract and extra zest. They should last 3-4 days in the fridge!
I don’t know what I did wrong, followed the recipe to the letter and they all sank 🙁
Anybody have any ideas where I went wrong?
Hi Barbara – sorry to hear that, I know how disappointing that feels! A couple of ideas – over-beating the batter can cause cupcakes to sink, because it whips extra air into the batter, which then collapses while they bake. Sometimes opening the oven door early in the baking process can cause a sinking effect, as well, especially if the door is opened before the cupcakes have a chance to set.
Thanks for the recipe! I made 13 large sized and 6 mini cupcakes in this batch, they were so beautifully light and delicious! I always thought lemon curd was tough to make but it isn’t at all!
The family finished all the cakes, curd, frosting, and all the plates were licked clean.
This is a keeper!
These look amazing! I’m looking to make a batch of these for my daughter’s 2nd birthday (in addition to a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting), so I am hoping for some make ahead tips. Can I make the cupcakes a couple of days ahead of time? Can the frosting also be made ahead of time? (I have enough time to assemble the cupcakes on the day of.) Thank you in advance! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Hi Joy, absolutely! You’re totally fine to bake the cupcakes 1 or 2 days ahead of time, and make the frosting ahead, as well. Store the cupcakes in any airtight container, and the frosting in the fridge. Fill/frost the cupcakes on the day of or the night before. In fact I follow that exact schedule all the time when bringing cupcakes to a party or into the office! Leave yourself a couple extra minutes for the frosting to warm up after it comes out of the fridge, and give it a quick whip in the mixer or with a spatula and some elbow grease to bring it back to the perfect consistency.
Good luck and enjoy! Happy birthday to your sweet little lady! Lemon cupcakes and a chocolate cake with strawberry frosting sound absolutely amazing – anyone would want to be at that party! 🙂
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I used part coconut sugar in the curd so it turned out dark and I added cocoa to the frosting because I like contrasting flavors, and the boyfriend quite liked it 🙂
These are absolutely deeevine-according to over 20 guests. Followed the recipe and the suggestion to beat the egg whites. I doubled the recipe, it made 96 mini cupcakes-and 2 regular size. Baked 11-13 minutes. I cored with my grapefruit knife, easy. The leftovers froze beautifully, fresh from the freezer they are ready to eat, they’re not hard-plus you won’t want to wait for them to defrost.
Monica, it looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!
Monica, what a gorgeous cupcakes! Your directions make this seem like such an easy approach, too. I would love to make this soon!
Thank you so much, Alyssa, I really appreciate that!
While I do not usually leave comments, I have to leave one here. This recipe is AMAZING. My grandfather requests lemon sweets for his birthday each year and I wanted to try something different. The flavor of most lemon desserts comes out very artificial, bit these definitely did not. The lemon in the cake was fresh but not too strong, the frosting is a perfect choice to mix with the flavor of the curd. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Kira, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely feedback! I am overjoyed that you loved these and especially if they were part of your grandfather’s birthday celebration, that is so sweet! Thank you and take care!
I could literally eat the computer screen right now – these look SO delicious!
Thank you so much, Anne! I admit I often feel that way about my computer and phone, haha – an occupational hazard of food blogging, maybe? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I beat the egg whites separately, until soft peaks formed and folded them in last. Moist, fluffy, and just what I was going for! Thanks!
Terrific – so glad to hear you enjoyed them! And that’s a great idea about the egg whites – I may try that next time myself!
I just made these and they were a hit with both the young and old. Yummy!
Hooray, that’s wonderful to hear, Mary! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this feedback!
Oh they look so beautiful! I have a soft spot for cupcakes and would love one of these right now 🙂
Thank you so much, Thanh! I definitely share your cupcake affinity. 🙂
Lemon and poppyseed are two of my favorite things! Yum!
They are such a classic combo – great individually, even better together! Thank you, Jenni!
Squeal! I’m dying over these! I’ve never made lemon curd, but that needs to change. Great recipe!
Thanks so much, Andrea – it’s so much easier than I used to think, and SO delicious in/on cupcakes and pretty much anything else!
I am so glad you left a link to homemade lemon curd. We love it and I was wanting to make a special recipe. Italians have an affinity to lemon and these cupcakes would certainly fit the bill.
Thank you so much, Marisa! The homemade lemon curd truly is my favorite part, as well. 🙂
These are getting me in the mood for spring! They look so light and fresh!
Totally agreed – I think nearly everyone in the northern hemisphere is in the mood to make it spring-like in our kitchens, at least, until the actual weather report starts to cooperate more consistently! 🙂
In the process of prepping ingredients to make these. As I’m scrolling through comments I see quite a few mention “whipping egg whites”, but no where in the recipe does it call for egg whites. Is it two large eggs? Or two large egg whites?
Hi Meg – the recipe calls for two large eggs. A few commenters have whipped the whites of those two eggs separately, then added the whipped whites to the batter along with the yolks, for extra lift!
Sounds delicious! Can I make them ahead of time?
This sounds great! Can they be made the day before serving?
Hi Ashlee – definitely! You might want to keep them in the fridge overnight, owing to the cream cheese frosting, and then let them sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Ooooh – lemon curd is SO good – it looks perfect in these cupcakes!!
Thank you! It really put them over the top. 🙂
Oh, I love any and every lemon treat this time of the year! …and that filling in the cupcakes? Be still my heart!
Oh, that lemon center! Great spring time treat!
These look amazing! I love lemon cupcakes and just pinned these to make soon, can’t wait!
Thanks, Emily! I’d love to hear how they turn out for you!
You would definitely be the hero if you brought these. Loving that lemon filling! Yumm.
Thanks, Stephanie! Yes – walking in with a plate of these tends to make one pretty popular. 😉
The problem with lemon curd is that I’ll eat it before I ever make the cupcakes. Literally. By the spoonful. I’m not lying. These are gorgeous — and I love that poppyseed frosting!
Haha, I hear you there – sounds like it’s time for a triple batch in both of our households! 😉 And thank you! The poppy seeds are such an easy add and give the finished product such a festive look, I think.