Easy Lemon Cupcakes
Taste the lemon zest in the delicious and Easy Lemon Cupcakes. Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice can make all the difference. Yet, they’re easy to make using a boxed cake mix and a box of lemon gelatin, plus a couple tweaks to make you think Grandma made them.

Cake mixes taste great and they save a lot of time, but they can be tweaked just a bit to make them taste more like homemade. We’ll go over that.
Plus, it’s hard to get that tart lemon flavor we all love without customizing any recipe.
So, let’s get started.

Making Easy Lemon Cupcakes
Start by lining two muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners and preheat your oven to 350°.
Next, in a large bowl, mix together the ingredients on the cake mix box, but with a few exceptions.
First, make your boxed cake mix taste more homemade by swapping out the water for milk. Use any milk you have (e.g. whole milk, almond milk, buttermilk, etc.).
Second, when making a White cake (or cupcakes) they usually give you two options with the eggs.
I used a Pillsbury Moist Supreme White cake mix, which calls for either egg whites or whole eggs. I went with the egg white version to keep the color as white as possible.
In other words, using whole eggs will make the batter a slight yellow, which is fine, but not if you’re going for a specific color. So, I used four egg whites instead of three whole eggs.
The last exception is to leave the actual dry cake mix as the last ingredient to mix in.

So, to break it down, mix the milk, oil, and egg whites together. The next ingredients to mix in are the lemon zest and the lemon gelatin.
Once that’s well combined, add the dry cake mix and mix together just until combined. More specifically, don’t over mix or you’ll end up with hockey pucks.
Divide the batter up into the 24 cups and bake per box directions. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, they’re done.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack while you whip up the frosting.

Making Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Beat the butter, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. A quick note; use clear vanilla extract if you’re going for a true white color. I added a few drops of yellow food coloring to mine.
Ok then, with beaters on LOW, gradually add the powdered sugar alternating with the cream and lemon juice.
Once combined, increase speed to MEDIUM for 2 – 3 minutes for a light and fluffy frosting. Spread or pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes.
As I mentioned in the Notes section on the recipe card, you can add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the frosting, but only if you’re going to spread it on. It adds a delicious tart flavor you only get from lemon zest, but that same zest can also clog up a piping tip.
Additionally, I sprinkled on yellow sanding sugar on some of the cupcakes, and tiny white balls on others. I like how soft and pretty they turned out, especially when the light hits that sanding sugar; reminds me of little crystals.
Are you a lemon lover?
Just enter “lemon” in the search bar at the top of this screen and you’ll get a bunch of recipes that are lemon flavored. Have fun!
If you tried and love this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment below. Thank you so much.
Easy Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 15.25 oz. box White cake mix (like Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups milk (such as whole, almond, or buttermilk) instead of water per box directions
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 Tbsp. fresh grated lemon peel (from 1 lemon)
- 3 oz. box lemon gelatin (such as Jell-O brand)
Frosting:
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 3 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Cupcakes:
- In large bowl, mix together the egg whites, milk, oil, (per box instructions) and lemon zest. Stir in gelatin until well mixed. Stir in dry cake mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Divide batter amongst 24 cups and bake per box instructions. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting:
- Beat the butter, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. With beaters on LOW, gradually add the powdered sugar alternating with the cream and lemon juice. Once combined, increase speed to MEDIUM for 2 – 3 minutes for a light and fluffy frosting. Spread or pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Easy Lemon Cupcakes
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