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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Phil says
Very easy to bake, I’m on my second batch now. They turned out lovely and light as well. Took a couple to work and have now passed on the recipe.
Annelie Taylor says
Made these cupcakes & they are my husband’s favourite. Needless to say, lemons are now a staple in my home (just in case a certain person has his craving). Super easy to make. My boys can make them on their own too!
Lynn says
This is the best lemon drizzle recipe I have come across. Perfect ratio of lemon syrup to the cake. Went down very well with everyone
Carol McCullough says
Carol
Hi I tried this recipe and flavour was beautiful, but my cup cakes were so crumbly and felt apart?
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that. It may be that your eggs were a little on the small size (within medium and large there’s quite a range of sizes) which can lead to a sponge being more crumbly. If you decide to give them another try, perhaps switch to using large eggs and see if that helps.
Ernie says
Great recipe so easy to follow dose exactly what it says on the tin?
Sal says
Really simple to make and absolutely delicious! Thank you
Sue says
Fabulous and easy recipe ! Light and fluffy every time makes 10 cupcakes
Sonia Menezes says
Excellent easy to follow recipe. Lovely lemony buns
Suzanne says
I absolutely love this recipe – now my go to lemon drizzle recipe, which I have shared with different people. So moist and refreshing – keep for several days too after baking. Easy to follow and make, and so delicious!!
Kate says
Amazing and so easy to make!!
Lel says
Mine and my families favourite lemon drizzle recipe. Deliciously lemony and so soft and moist.
Karen says
These muffins turned out lovely. Very moist and superbly lemony! Very simple to make also.
Will definitely save this recipe to use again, thank you 🙂
TANJA LILJEQVIST says
Made them as mini cup cakes and poked them with the the little food spear so to make holes for the icing to leak down into the cakes. I made the icing with icing sugar and lemon juice and not caster sugar.
Just ate the last ones and they are still moist after 4 days in the tin. So yummy.
Nicole says
I have made this many times and keep coming back to it. So easy, so yummy.
Deb says
Fabulous recipe and great for me as a beginner. It has been a big hit with the family, so easy with great results. Thanks Charlotte
Jules99 says
Fantastic recipe. Always turn out brilliant. Thank you Charlotte for sharing!
Carol Turley says
Really tasty and is a beautifully light sponge.
Abigail says
I made these twice. Being my first attempt in years of baking I was delighted at how easy this recipe was. My mixture made 10. However they are sunken in the middle. I don’t know why as I followed the recipe exactly. I’m disappointed.
Charlotte Oates says
It’s possible there was too much baking powder added to the recipe. This will cause them to rise too much during baking and then sink. You need to use measuring teaspoons rather than one you’d use to make a cup of tea (as it’s easy to add too much with the tea making ones) and also ensure that the teaspoon is level not heaped.
Mother of Cats says
Saw this recipe weeks ago and only just now made them. Very easy to follow recipe (mine made 10 large cupcakes) and my youngest daughter had just eaten the first one, verdict yum yum, these are so soft and delicious!!!
Lara says
Would this work the same if I mixed raspberries in with it?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it but they should be OK. I would recommend coating your raspberries with a little flour before adding the to the cake mixture. This helps to ensure that they don’t sink to the bottom.