Lemon drizzle cupcakes that are easy to make and absolutely jam-packed with flavour.
As with the vanilla cupcakes they are based on, these lemon drizzle cupcakes are very simple to make. They use an all-in-one sponge so its simply a case of measuring out the ingredients, chucking them all into a big bowl and mixing them up. The simplicity of this recipe also means it’s perfect if you want to bake them with kids (and my kids absolutely love eating them too!).
What! No icing?
As you’ve probably all realised, I’m a big fan of adding a pretty swirl of buttercream onto my cupcakes. However, on these lemon drizzle cupcakes it’s just a waste.
It may mean that they’re not the most beautiful of cakes, but it’s definitely a case of substance over style. The syrup drizzled over the top of the cakes ensures they’re perfectly moist and bursting with lemon flavour. It also gives the top a little bit of a crunch which adds a lovely extra texture to the soft cake.
If you’d like to add a little decoration I have a couple of ideas that’ll work really well…
- Make a simple icing by mixing 1 tsp of cold water or lemon juice with 40g of icing sugar. You can then drizzle this over the top. I like to use a fork to do this as I did for my Spicy Chai Tea and Cranberry Iced Loaf.
- Add a couple of edible flowers to the top of each cake. Purple ones, such as pansies, would look fantastic against the yellow of the cake.
Want to make these cupcakes as a larger cake?
If you fancy making a full-sized lemon drizzle cake then take a look at my lemon drizzle loaf cake recipe. It’s a slightly different recipe to these cupcakes (I’ve explained all about why in the post), but it gives the same delicious result – a fluffy, moist lemon sponge with the zing of lemon drizzle.
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Easy Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 110 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 medium eggs
- 110 g soft margarine or butter
- 110 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp milk
For the drizzle
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 60 g caster sugar
Extras
- 8 cupcake cases
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan. Line a muffin tin with 8 cupcakes cases.
- Finely grate the zest of one lemon. Set the lemon aside to use the juice later for the drizzle.
- Put all of the cake ingredients into a large bowl (grated lemon zest, 110g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 medium eggs, 110g soft margarine, 110g caster sugar, 1 tsp milk). Beat on a low speed (either using an electric mixer or by hand) until all of the ingredients are fully combined.
- Divide the mixture equally between the eight cupcake cases.
- Bake your cakes for 18-20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. While the cakes are in the oven prepare the lemon drizzle by simply mixing together the juice of your lemon with the caster sugar (60g). Once your cakes are cooked remove them from the oven and immediately pour over the drizzle. I find it easiest to brush the drizzle onto the cakes with a pastry brush, going over each cake twice so it has a really good coating. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool fully.
- Enjoy!
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
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Lorraine says
I loved them! They turned out perfect. I very carefully measured out all the ingredients. I actually used zest from an extra large lemon probably equivalent to zest of two lemons.
Olivia says
They raised but ended with a whole in the middle as if I had open the oven (which I didnt) there is something wrong with this recipe that doesnt work
Charlotte Oates says
It sounds as though there was too much raising agent in the recipe. Did you use measuring spoons designed for baking and level them off?
JJC says
Really light fluffy cakes. I have also made them with an orange instead of lemon and it worked really well. Thank you!
Helen Leighfield says
I never thought I’d ever make such yummy light cakes ! Was so impressed with these, couldn’t stop eating them and just about to bake some more !
Anne Lillie says
Hi
Can you freeze the lemon cupcakes ?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes the cupcakes can be frozen.
Vivian says
Same here. First time failure, and i make a lot of there (not with this recipe) i think something is wrong with the baking powder and self raising flour. Mine went up as a souffle and totally collapsed even after extending baking time (on 170) they were not nice and the zest was too much.. And the temperature is to low i think. Save you ingredients and time, do not make these ones.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that the cupcakes didn’t work for you. From what you’ve described it sounds as thought there was too much baking powder in the mixture, this would cause them to rise and then fall. The baking powder needs to be measured using measuring teaspoons and should be level. Standard teaspoons used to make tea are generally larger.
As for the zest, I love my lemon cakes to be really lemony, but I guess everyone’s tastes differ.
Jen says
These were amazing!!!!! I doubled the recipe but made 14 biggish ones, and added some lemon juice to the mix. They were so light and fluffy, gave me big warm lemony hugs!!
Pat says
Me too. Really light and lemony. Will use again.
Harriet says
This is my go to recipe! I use it without the lemon and add a splash of vanilla extract for plain cupcakes too! Thank you!
Linda says
Hi, it says juice of one lemon however, lemons range so much in the amount of juice. Please give a measurement eg. grams, mls, tablespoon etc
Charlotte Oates says
About 30ml (2 tbsp)
NJI says
Idk what I did but these did not turn out good at all
They were somehow greasy and eggy? And just sort of bloobed all over my oven
I might try again? Will update if i do
Chloe says
Mine were exactly the same! Very greasy and didn’t rise well at all! Not sure what I did know
Jan Moore says
Really lovely delicious cakes and so easy to make I shall double the ingredients next time to make more.
Maureen says
Absolutely gorgeous. So easy to make, love the recipes when everything goes in all together Excellent
Dorinela Cili says
Oh my gosh these cupcakes are so nice. I had so many compliments from my family. They loved them Thank you and I am so happy I found this recipe.
Patsy says
The best I’ve tried.Everyone loves them
Janet Sidney says
Lovely, easy, light, lemony, delicious lemon drizzle cupcakes. I think these will be a family favourite.
Mandy says
I have tried lots of other recipes for lemon cupcakes and this is by far the best. They are super tasty light and moist. Will never make them another way again. I also use the same recipe it used gluten free flour for my brother and they turned out just as amazing.