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Lemon Bar Cupcakes

March 22, 2015 by thedomesticrebel | 49 Comments

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lemon bar cupcakes arranged with lemon slices on wood standI love lemon desserts. They’re easily one of my favorites in anything – cakes, cookies, bars, you name it. And lemon totally reminds me of springtime, but without the allergies, sinus infections, pollen everywhere, and random days of hot weather that spring usually brings.

All that I can do without.

And one of the first things I baked when I first started baking was lemon bars. Well… my version of lemon bars. It was simply lemon cake mix, baked into a bar recipe, and studded with white chocolate chips. They were so simple but so delicious, and to this day they’re still one of my family’s favorite recipes.

aerial view of a lemon bar cupcake on a wood boardThese Lemon Bar Cupcakes get their name because they have lemon bar filling inside the cupcake and in the luscious frosting. They’re sweet, tart, and bursting with lemon flavor from that irresistible lemon bar filling, and they have just the right hint of crunch and sparkle from the yellow sugar sprinkled on top.

Springtime in a cupcake – with no traces of allergies? Sign me up!

closeup photo of a lemon bar cupcake on a wood stand

Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes

Lemon Bar Cupcakes

These Lemon Bar Cupcakes get their name from the lemon bar filling in the cupcake and in the frosting! Luscious, light, and bursting with flavor, these cupcakes epitomize springtime!
Prep Time25 minutes mins
Cook Time18 minutes mins
Total Time43 minutes mins
Course: Cakes/Cupcakes
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Servings: 18
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

  • 1 box lemon cake mix plus ingredients on back of box
  • 1 small box lemon pudding mix just the dry mix - I used sugar free, but you can use any kind
  • 1 can Duncan Hines Lemon Pie Filling
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • About 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • Yellow sanding sugar for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350* degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with about 18 paper liners. Set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the cake mix according to package directions on back of box. Stir in the lemon dry pudding mix to incorporate.
  • Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full with the batter. Bake for approx. 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool the cupcakes completely.
  • Using a small paring knife or a cupcake corer, core the cupcakes and discard centers, being careful not to puncture through the cupcake's bottom. You only want to core about halfway through the cupcake. Fill with some of the lemon pie filling.
  • Now, to make your frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup of the lemon pie filling until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy. You may not need all of the powdered sugar. If frosting becomes too thick, add in a little more lemon pie filling.
  • Spoon the frosting into a piping bag attached with a large open-star tip. Begin piping the frosting onto the cupcakes, taking care to cover the lemon filling in the center. Sprinkle immediately with the yellow sanding sugar. Serve immediately, or store cupcakes airtight at room temperature for up to a day, or airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.

aerial view of lemon bar cupcakes arranged on wooden stand with lemon wedges

lemon bar cupcake with bite missing on wooden boardYou guys – I cannot emphasize enough at how marvelous these cupcakes are! So light and fluffy, with that creamy lemon bar frosting and the gooey lemon bar filling. These are the ultimate springtime lemon cupcakes for a lemon dessert lover!

lemon bar cupcakes collageHope you have a sweet Sunday!

xo, Hayley

 

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Comments

  1. Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says

    March 22, 2015 at 6:11 am

    Gahhh I love these sososoosososo much! All the lemon everything but lemon bar filling INSIDE the cupcakes?! Sign me up.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 22, 2015 at 9:04 am

      Heck yeah, honey! You’re officially signed up. Come on down to California and I’ll bake these for your sweet face!!!

      Reply
  2. Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says

    March 22, 2015 at 8:24 am

    These cupcakes look great for spring! I love lemon desserts!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 22, 2015 at 9:03 am

      Thanks so much, Jen! I do love lemon desserts in the springtime, too!

      Reply
  3. June Burns says

    March 22, 2015 at 8:41 am

    Mmm those look fabulous! A very springy flavor indeed 🙂

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 22, 2015 at 9:02 am

      Thanks June! I love me some lemon 😀

      Reply
  4. Lisa | Sweet 2 Eat Baking says

    March 22, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    I love anything lemon, and these cupcakes look and sound amazing!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 22, 2015 at 2:51 pm

      Thank you Lisa! I’m having a major lemon crush right now 😀

      Reply
  5. Lisa | Sweet 2 Eat Baking says

    March 22, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    Ugh, all my comments are going to spam… le sigh.

    Reply
  6. Tina says

    March 23, 2015 at 6:07 am

    They’re so pretty! Perfect for Easter.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 23, 2015 at 9:27 am

      Thank you so much, Tina! These would be perfect for Easter 🙂

      Reply
  7. Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking and More says

    March 23, 2015 at 8:48 am

    Pinned and drooled over!! Girl, these are magnificent!!! I LOVE anything lemon!!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 23, 2015 at 9:30 am

      Thanks so much, Lynne! xoxo.

      Reply
  8. Zainab says

    March 23, 2015 at 9:49 am

    5 stars
    You seriously make cupcakes that make my heart full of happiness! I love everything about these!! Like really!!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 23, 2015 at 9:53 am

      Thanks Zainab! <3

      Reply
  9. Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says

    March 25, 2015 at 9:18 am

    What a great spring time recipe!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 25, 2015 at 9:44 am

      Thank you Laura!

      Reply
  10. Camille Beckstrand says

    March 26, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    These look AMAZING!!!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 27, 2015 at 7:35 am

      Thanks so much, Camille!! 🙂

      Reply
  11. SBOBET says

    April 8, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    Thank for sharing.
    Looks really yummy

    Reply
  12. Debbie says

    April 17, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    These look delicious, sadly we do not have canned Lemon pie filling in Canada 🙁

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      April 18, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Debbie – feel free to use lemon curd, either prepared or homemade 🙂 Enjoy! xoxo!

      Reply
  13. Sandra says

    April 18, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    does anyone have a recipe for this but not using a box cake mix?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      April 19, 2015 at 8:15 am

      Sandra, feel free to search a site like AllRecipes.com for a scratch-made lemon cake. Then proceed as normal! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Judy Schindler says

    April 18, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    HHaving trouble signing up

    Reply
  15. lisa says

    April 26, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Anyone know what the filling equivalent would be in the UK? The cake mix is not a problem as I can make that

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      April 26, 2015 at 5:30 pm

      Lisa – do you have lemon curd? If so, use that – this is essentially the same thing.

      Reply
  16. Catherine Walker says

    March 24, 2016 at 12:33 pm

    Do you use regular cooking lemon pudding mix or the instant ?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      March 24, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Instant! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Cathy says

    August 2, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    Thank you for posting this! They are by far the best lemon cupcakes!!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      August 2, 2016 at 8:35 pm

      So glad you love them, Cathy!

      Reply
  18. Laura says

    November 12, 2016 at 7:33 am

    What if the pudding is already in the cake mix?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 12, 2016 at 9:50 am

      Hi Laura, if there’s pudding in the cake mix you can omit the pudding from the recipe. However, I’ve added pudding to cake mix containing pudding and it works just the same 🙂

      Reply
  19. Dawn (Dee) says

    May 2, 2017 at 6:52 pm

    Pure perfection. Can’t wait to have a reason to make them again. A huge hit. And fun to make!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      May 3, 2017 at 7:50 am

      Hi Dawn! Woohoo! So glad you loved them!

      Reply
  20. Dawn says

    May 12, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    These look yummy!! But would they hold up at room temperature for about 4 hours? I have an open house I would like to use them at!

    Reply
  21. Donna Flynn says

    August 3, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    I have tried this recipe twice. The cupcakes come out of the oven looking like souffles and very shortly afterwards they have shrunk down and in to mini cupcake size. Why? I ask? Did any one else have this problem? and, what can you do to keep them from shrinking?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      August 3, 2017 at 6:08 pm

      Hi Donna! I am sorry this recipe is giving you troubles. Some suggestions: when too much air is incorporated into the cake batter (as is the case with accidentally over-mixing the batter), this will cause the cupcakes to deflate and shrink once removed from the oven. Also, make sure you fill your cupcake tins 3/4 full, which still gives the cupcakes space to expand and rise. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  22. ufabet says

    December 19, 2017 at 3:26 am

    5 stars
    This cake definitely has a “wow” factor. It looks fantastic!

    Reply
  23. Rachel says

    March 12, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    5 stars
    Very delicious! I made a homemade lemon curd for the filling because I couldn’t find canned lemon pie filling. That wasn’t too hard to do and it all turned out amazing! The yellow sanding sugar really sets these off. Family and friends loved them!

    Reply
  24. Ann says

    July 10, 2018 at 6:02 pm

    5 stars
    Theses are delicious. I think I put too much filling in the cupcake, so you might want to watch your portion. The frosting is delicious. I made these for a birthday party and they were a hit!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      July 12, 2018 at 8:38 am

      So glad you enjoyed them, Ann!

      Reply
  25. Pamela Damm says

    July 21, 2018 at 10:12 am

    4 stars
    Just took the cupcakes out of the oven. Am going to refrigerate them after frosting. Taking them to a picnic tomorrow, so will refrigerate them until then. My concern is the sugaring will it dissolve if refrigerated
    Thank you!

    Reply
  26. Adrienne says

    June 24, 2019 at 10:46 am

    Are these regular size or mini cupcakes

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 24, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      Regular size!

      Reply
  27. Michelle says

    March 19, 2021 at 5:34 am

    Going try making these this weekend

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. NewsCheek » 25 Lemony Desserts You Need To Make This Spring says:
    April 15, 2015 at 6:42 pm

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  3. Key Lime Pie Cupcakes | The Domestic Rebel says:
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About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 31-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

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