July 4th Lemon Cupcakes
Bright, tangy, and festively decorated, these July 4th Lemon Cupcakes are the perfect citrusy treat for your patriotic celebration. Made from scratch with fresh lemon juice and zest, each cupcake is topped with silky lemon buttercream and finished with homemade red and blue chocolate toppers. Whether you're hosting a backyard BBQ or packing a dessert for fireworks viewing, these cupcakes are easy to make, fun to decorate, and guaranteed to impress your guests.
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.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Pipe lemon buttercream onto cooled cupcakes in smooth swirls.
- Garnish each cupcake with one chocolate star and one red mini chocolate bar.
Notes
Storing Cupcakes
To store lemon cupcakes: transfer them to an airtight container and store for 4-5 days at room temperature. Alternatively, cover and store them in the fridge for up to 1 week. Always label the date on the outside of the container to keep up with freshness.
Nutrition
Calories: 492kcalCarbohydrates: 103gProtein: 4gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 304mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 1007IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 1mg
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