Lemon is one of my favorite flavors. It’s bright and sunshiny and says, “Be happy.” It also tastes delicious in this luscious Lemon Buttercream Frosting.
Once you’ve mastered lemon, be sure to try our other icing variations, like Orange Buttercream Frosting or Chocolate Frosting Without Powdered Sugar.
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Want to add a little sunshine into your life? Then buttercream is your friend. Lemon buttercream, to be more specific. It’s light and tart and sweet and makes you pucker into a smile.
We’ve got four birthdays and three special occasions coming up in the next 7 weeks and already there’s one request for several batches of this Lemon Buttercream Frosting. It’s that good.
What ingredients do you need to make lemon buttercream frosting?
- Unsalted butter – Be sure to use unsalted butter. Different brands of salted butter use varying amounts of salt, so it can be hard to control.
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar.
- Lemon zest – Using the zest makes this frosting extra special and extra lemony. I used the zest of one lemon, but you can use more if you want to add a bit more lemon flavor. When zesting lemons, make sure to not use the white layer underneath called the pith, which is bitter.
- Lemon juice – To add a bit of liquid, and extra lemon flavor I used fresh lemon juice. To make it easier to juice the lemons, give them a roll on the counter to help release the juice. Or you can try microwave the whole lemon for about 15 seconds before cutting it in half and juicing it.
It’s also just enough to frost these lemon cupcakes with a spatula. If you want to pipe the frosting as pictured make a double batch of the lemon buttercream.
Also, be sure to lick the spoon!
Can you freeze buttercream frosting?
You can keep the frosting covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You may need to just rewhip the frosting back to a spreadable consistency.
And yes you can freeze the buttercream frosting for up to 3 months. Just allow the buttercream to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then rewhip before using.
Looking for other frostings? Try this Easy Chocolate Buttercream or this standard Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
- Kitchenaid mixer – I finally fell in love with mine.
- rubber spatula – can’t live without these!
- microplane zester – a wonder. I’ve had mine for 15 years!
- cupcake decorating set – only wish I had bought this sooner – not hard at all!
More Lemon Desserts
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Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 -2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and lemon zest. Beat until the mixture starts to be a bit crumbly.
- Add the lemon juice until you have a smooth texture. Beat until well combined and fluffy. Adjust with more sugar or juice, depending on what consistency you’re looking for.
Notes
Nutrition
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Eden
Delicious! Light and sweet, but has a very lovely lemon flavor. Perfect for deserts!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the input. Glad you enjoyed it.
Katie C.
Eek, this is killing! I just rejoined weight watchers. I could eat a cupcake but not a whole batch which is what might happen with that frosting!
Jessica Fisher
Sorry! Hang on. You’ll feel so good when you hit your goals!