posted by Nancy on October 11, 2022 (updated 3/13/24)// 95 Comments
Classic Buttercream Frosting flavored with fresh lemons makes this Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting one of those go-to homemade frostings that will always be a hit with your friends and family.
When life gives you lemons, make this delicious Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting. Bright, fresh, creamy, and lemony. This is a traditional homemade lemon frosting that everyone will love. In fact, this is one of our new favorites … and we will definitely be frosting a variety of spring and summer cupcakes with this yummy frosting and easy-to-make frosting.
How to Make
Step 1: You will need a 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a heaping tablespoon of lemon zest to make our Lemon Butter Cream Frosting. (For us, that was one large lemon.)
Step 2:Add the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the mixer. The butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has been out of the refrigerator for approximately 30-60 minutes.
Step 3:Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.)The lemon juice needs to be completely mixed in with the butter. At the beginning of this creaming process, the lemon juice and butter will not mix easily but keep mixing, it will come together. This is an important part of the process, you want the lemon and butter flavors to meld together. Scrap the mixture down from the sides of the bowl before the next step.
Step 4:Add 5 cups of Powdered Sugar to the mixing bowl. We normally do not sift the powdered sugar and instead rely on the mixer to do that work for us.
Step 5:Two Sisters Tip – cover the mixer with a towel during this part of the mixing process to keep the powdered sugar from flying out of the mixer.
Step 6:Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.
Step 7: The fresh lemon will give the frosting a slight yellow color. If you want the frosting to look a bit more lemon-y … add a tiny drop of yellow food coloring as we have done here and mix until combined.
Step 8:This is the fun part of the frosting-making process where you get to taste your icing. You are tasting to determine taste (does it need more lemon zest?) and consistency (is it too thin?)Because of the added lemon juice, the consistency might be on the thin side. If that is the case, the first thing you should do before using the frosting is put it in the refrigerator for an hour or so, that will help the butter firm up and the lemon flavor to develop.Please note that the flavor from the fresh lemon will continue to develop over time. For optimal flavor, we suggest that you refrigerate the frosting for at least a couple of hours (or even overnight) before serving it.
How to Serve
How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough lemon icing to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cakeora two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag as we have done here, you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.
Expert Tips and FAQ’s
Can I use bottled Lemon Juice or Lemon Extract?
Of course but we highly recommend using Fresh lemons for this recipe. We think that the combination of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest offers the best lemon flavor. If all you have is bottled lemon juice you can substitute that for the 1/4 cup of lemon juice. If you want to use lemon extract, we suggest you use ourThe Best Buttercream Frosting recipeand add the lemon extract to the butter during the creaming process instead of the vanilla.
Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?
Normally we would say that buttercream frosting does not need to be refrigerated but because of the addition of lemon juice, we store this frosting in the refrigerator. Not only for freshness’ sake but to keep the frosting a good consistency.
How do I store any leftover frosting?
Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 mon
What should I do if my frosting turned out too thin?
Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.
IIf you are looking for dessert ideas, don’t miss these yummy recipes that would taste great frosted with our Lemon Frosting: Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes, Lemon Cookies, Lemon Mini Cakes, Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars.
Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love
- The Best Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- The Best Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting
- The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- The Best Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Did you Make This Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
And don’t forget to follow us on Tiktok, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram!
Print
The Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Yield2 1/2 cups
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Classic Buttercream Frosting flavored with fresh lemons makes this Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting one of those go-to homemade frostings that will always be a hit with your friends and family.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter, softened (we used Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
- 1 heaping tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar
- Yellow Food Coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Zest a large lemon. You will need a 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a heaping tablespoon of lemon zest.
- Add the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the mixer. The butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has been out of the refrigerator for approximately 30-60 minutes.
- Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.)The lemon juice needs to be completely mixed in with the butter. At the beginning of this creaming process, the lemon juice and butter will not mix easily but keep mixing, it will come together. This is an important part of the process, you want the lemon and butter flavors to meld together.
- Scrap the mixture down from the sides of the bowl before the next step.
- Add five cups of Powdered Sugar to the butter/lemon mixture. We normally do not sift the powdered sugar and instead rely on the mixer to do that work for us.
- Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.
- The fresh lemon will give the frosting a slight yellow color. If you want the frosting to look a bit more lemon-y … add a tiny drop of yellow food coloring as we have done here and mix until combined.
- Taste your frosting. You are tasting to determine taste (does it need more lemon zest?) and consistency (is it too thin or too thick?)Because of the added lemon juice, the consistency might be on the thin side. The first thing you should do before using the frosting is put it in the refrigerator for an hour or so, that will help the butter firm up and the lemon flavor to develop.Please note that the flavor from the fresh lemon will continue to develop over time. For optimal flavor, we suggest that you refrigerate the frosting for at least a couple of hours (or even overnight) before serving it.
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
P.S. Let's stay in touch!If you liked our The Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting post,follow us on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!
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written by Nancy on October 11, 2022
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