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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If there’s one thing I look forward to every 4th of July—besides the fireworks—it’s baking something a little over-the-top with my kids. This year, we went full red-white-and-blue mode with these Lemon Cupcakes. They’re bright, tangy, and loaded with citrusy goodness, all topped off with a swirl of lemon buttercream and a fun little chocolate star on top. It started as a quick afternoon project, and before I knew it, my kitchen was covered in lemon zest, sprinkles, and chocolate molds. Totally worth it.
These cupcakes became the highlight of our backyard celebration. My daughter insisted on decorating hers with extra blue stars, and my son sneakily added chocolate bars into his before I could stop him. Honestly, that’s the best part—these cupcakes are so customizable, everyone gets to make them their own. If you’re into festive baking like we are, you’ll probably love my 4th of July Bundt Cake, or maybe go big with the 4th of July 3 Layer Cake—yes, I’ve done both, and yes, they’re totally worth the effort. You might also want to try the Pinwheel Cookies for the 4th of July if you love cookie projects, or even my Red, White, and Blue Chocolate Covered Pretzels if you’re up for some chocolate fun. Feeling fancy? The July 4th Vertical Charcuterie Board is a visual treat, or go simple and sweet with Patriotic Cinnamon Twists—a total hit in our house last year.
Watch how I make this recipe
Tools That Make It Easier
You’ll need a few tools for this recipe, especially since we’re making everything from scratch—including those colorful chocolate toppers! Here’s everything I use:
- Measuring Cup
- Measuring spoons
- Glass mixing bowl
- Blending whisk
- KitchenAid mixer
- 1 Piping bags 21 inch
- 1 Piping bag tie
- 1 Jumbo piping tips 9FT
- 2 Cupcake pans
- 16 White foil cupcake liners
- Foil liners hold up way better in the baking process than paper ones do!
- 1 Dough scoop 3 tbsp
- Wilton candy melts pot
- Dual Melting Pot Insert
- Saucier Drizzle Spoon
- 1 Silicone chocolate bar mold
- 3 Star Silicone Molds
- Zester
- Spatulas
- Cake Spatula
- Disposable Vinyl Gloves
- Lemon squeezer
How much lemon juice is in one lemon?
One medium-sized lemon typically yields about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- 1 lemon = 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 lemon = 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
If you’re looking for a lemon extract alternative, you can use:
- 1 tsp of lemon extract = 2 tsp of lemon zest
For a step-by-step guide on how to extract lemon juice and zest, check out my video tutorial How to Get Perfect Lemon Zest
What You’ll Need From Your Pantry
These cupcakes are light, lemony, and just sweet enough. You’ll need:
For the cupcakes:
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs– room temperature
- ½ cup Yogurt
- ¼ cup Milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Lemon juice– from 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp lemon zest- from two lemons
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter– melted and cooled
Chocolate Cupcake Toppers:
- 1 cup Red Wilton Candy Melts
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- ½ cup Royal Blue Wilton Candy Melts
- ½ tsp coconut oil
Lemon Buttercream:
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter– room temperature
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup Lemon juice– from 2 lemons
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Before You Start: My Quick Tip
- Zest your lemons before juicing—it’s much easier that way.
- Use foil cupcake liners for clean presentation and even baking.
- Let the cupcakes cool fully before frosting to prevent melting.
- Always use gloves when removing chocolates from molds to avoid fingerprints.
- Piping is smoother if you’re in a warm room—cold frosting won’t swirl easily.
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Let’s Make It Together
Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a second bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt, milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest.
- In a third bowl, stir melted butter and sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture and whisk until combined.
- Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth.
- Line a cupcake pan with foil liners.
- Scoop batter evenly into liners using a dough scoop.
- Bake for 13–14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
While those are cooling, go ahead and get the chocolate toppers and frosting ready!
Chocolate Toppers
- Measure candy melts and coconut oil.
- Melt blue and red candy melts separately with oil until smooth.
- Pour red chocolate into bar molds, tap to release bubbles, and scrape off excess.
- Refrigerate bars for 10 minutes.
- Pour blue chocolate into star molds, tap gently, and scrape off excess.
- Chill stars for 10 minutes. Repeat to make 14 stars.
- Use gloves to remove chocolates from molds without melting them.
- Keep decorations chilled until ready to use.
Want to try more chocolate topper ideas? Check out Red, White, and Blue Chocolate Covered Pretzels or Pinwheel Cookies for the 4th of July for other decorating inspo.
Lemon Buttercream
- Measure all frosting ingredients.
- Beat room-temp butter for 5 minutes until fluffy.
- Add salt and lemon juice, beat again.
- Gradually add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time.
- Mix on high for 8 minutes until light and smooth.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a tip and tie it closed.
Assemble the Cupcakes
- Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes in tall swirls.
- Top each with one chocolate star and one mini red chocolate bar.
Keep your kitchen cool while decorating—warm rooms are best for smooth piping.
Recipe variations
- Swap lemon for lime juice and zest for a fun citrus twist.
- Add poppy seeds to the batter for lemon poppy seed cupcakes.
- Use blueberry jam as a filling before frosting for extra flavor.
- Change up the chocolate toppers using sprinkles, colored sugar, or white chocolate drizzle.
- Try cream cheese frosting instead of lemon buttercream for a richer finish.
Cut, Serve, and Store It Like a Pro
- Serve cupcakes immediately or within 4–5 hours for best presentation.
- If transporting to an event, store in a cupcake carrier to avoid smudging the buttercream.
- For neat slicing, chill cupcakes for 20 minutes first, then slice with a clean, sharp knife.
- Leftovers? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Want to freeze? Freeze unfrosted cupcakes and frosting separately. Thaw, decorate, and serve as fresh!
Storing the Cupcakes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–5 days, ideally in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
- If you prefer to extend their shelf life, keep the cupcakes in the fridge for up to a week. Just be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving so the frosting softens up nicely.
- I always stick a little label on the container with the date I baked them—it saves so much guesswork and helps avoid tossing out perfectly good cupcakes!
More 4th of July and Lemon Recipes
If you’re on a roll with lemon or July 4th baking, here are some of my favorites:
- 4th of July Charcuterie Board
- Patriotic Cinnamon Twists
- July 4th Vertical Charcuterie Board
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Cranberry Bundt Cake with Sugared Cranberries
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Filling
Or browse through my other go-to cupcake recipes:
Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
July 4th Lemon Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Piping bags 21 inch bag
- 1 Jumbo piping tips 9FT
- 1 Dough scoop 3 tbsp
Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup Yogurt
- ¼ cup Milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp lemon zest from two lemons
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
Chocolate Cupcake Toppers
- 1 cup Red Wilton Candy Melts
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- ½ cup Royal Blue Wilton Candy Melts
- ½ tsp coconut oil
Lemon Buttercream
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup Lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Making Lemon Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and measure all ingredients first.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- In another large bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter until smooth.
- Pour the egg mixture into the butter and sugar mixture and mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet batter and stir until smooth.
- Line a cupcake pan with foil liners.
- Use a dough scoop to evenly portion batter into the liners.
- Bake for 13–14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
Chocolate Cupcake Toppers
- Measure out your candy melts and coconut oil.
- Melt blue candy melts with coconut oil in one side of a candy melt pot.
- Melt red candy melts with coconut oil in the other side.
- Stir both until fully melted and smooth.
- Pour red chocolate into chocolate bar molds, tap to release air bubbles, and scrape excess.
- Chill the red bars for 10 minutes.
- Pour blue chocolate into star molds, tap and scrape excess.
- Chill blue stars for 10 minutes and repeat as needed.
- Use disposable gloves to gently pop candies from molds. Keep chocolates refrigerated until ready to decorate.
Making Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- Measure out all frosting ingredients.
- Beat room-temp butter in stand mixer for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add salt and lemon juice; mix until combined.
- Add powdered sugar gradually, ½ cup at a time.
- Mix on high for 8 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
- Transfer frosting to piping bag fitted with tip.
- Seal with a bag tie and set aside.
Notes
Nutrition
From My Kitchen to Yours
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Food Photography & Video Tips from My Studio
Here’s a peek at the tools, gear, and camera setups I use to film my recipe videos and photograph food at home. Over the years, I’ve tested dozens of different setups, and now I’m sharing what actually works for me—whether I’m filming overhead shots for YouTube or styling still photos for my blog. If you’re curious about how I create the content you see here, these posts are a great place to start.
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