Lemon Buttercream Frosting

I’m trying to build out the frosting section on Sally’s Baking Addiction with some of my basic frosting faves and a few fun ones like creamy strawberry frosting and rainbow chip frosting (holy heck, that one!). My latest success is lemon buttercream frosting. This is a tricky one to master because lemon juice + zest can produce a curdled-looking buttercream, quite the opposite of anyone’s agenda. Have you ever tasted curdled fros… I can’t even finish that question. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.

(Note: I used Wilton 8B for today’s frosting!)

To overcome that curdled situation, you have to make sure you have enough confectioners’ sugar to battle the additional liquid. And, most notably, you want to stick to fresh lemon instead of artificial lemon flavoring. Lemon extract is wonderful and all, but it doesn’t even compare to fresh lemons in both the aroma and flavor categories.

But here’s the common dilemma! Adding extra confectioners’ sugar is an easy solution and all, but you can add *too* much. Overly sweet and artificial frosting follows, which is everything you were hoping against.

We want REAL lemon flavor. And:

• Tangy + creamy, sweet but not overly so.
• Easy to pipe, fresh, and silky.
• NOT curdled.

Tall orders when it comes to lemon buttercream, but I cracked that code. The secret is in the balance of confectioners’ sugar to liquid. With the precise recipe below, you’ll enter lemon frosting nirvana where you have the texture and consistency of vanilla buttercream, with fresh lemon flavor.

Besides adding enough confectioners’ sugar, my secret is the ratio of lemon juice to heavy cream. I used to skip the heavy cream completely and only use lemon juice as the liquid. Hence the curdling situation. Cream ensures a CREAMY and THICK (hey, who woulda thunk?) consistency. I don’t suggest subbing it out!

The pictured cupcakes are my lemon cupcakes. If lemon is your soul sista, this frosting and the lemon cupcakes are a combo you’ve gotta try. But it’s equally as delicious on white chocolate strawberry cupcakes, lemon blueberry cupcakes, and even vanilla cupcakes, or as an alternative filling and frosting for a 6 inch citrus cake or lemon cake.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 78 reviews

• Author: Sally
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 2.5 cups
• Category: Frosting
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Save Recipe Recipe Saved

---

Description

Lemon buttercream frosting is tangy, sweet, and creamy. It tastes delicious on everything and is so easy to make!

---

Ingredients

• 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• pinch salt, to taste

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy—about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream, and zest with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Taste and add salt as needed. Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick.
2. Cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing or refrigerating, thaw in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. You may need to add a little milk or heavy cream if it’s still too stiff.

---

Notes

1. Special Tools (affiliate links): Citrus Juicer | Zester | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
2. Quantity: This recipe is enough to frost 12-16 cupcakes or one 9×13 quarter sheet cake.