This homemade Lemon Buttercream Frosting tastes fantastic and couldn’t be simpler to make! It pipes beautifully, and tastes amazing with so many different flavors of cakes and cupcakes! You’re just going to want to dive in with a spoon, it is highly addictive!
(In the above photo, our Doctored Lemon Cake Mix Recipe is filled and frosted with this delicious homemade Lemon Buttercream Frosting! We crumb coated the cake and then followed up with alternating rows of buttercream shells and squiggles for a fun, whimsical look! We used star tip 21.)
How to Make Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
The process is actually really simple! If you are familiar with American Buttercream Frosting recipes, this falls into that category, and it also develops a slight crust which is an added bonus if you are a fan of the Viva Paper Towel Method of smoothing!
- First, in the bowl of your mixer, beat your slightly softened butter until smooth. Then, add your lemon extract and zest. The zest gives a nice flavor boost, as so much of the lemon flavor is concentrated in the skin. Just be careful not to go into the white part of the peeling known as the pith, as it is bitter.
- Add half of your milk and half of your powdered sugar and mix at medium speed until combined. (We prefer to use whole milk to up the creaminess and flavor. If you use skim milk, the crust that develops will be just slightly more than if you use a milk that contains more fat.)
- Next, add the remaining powdered sugar and gradually add the milk. You’ll be tempted to stop mixing as soon as the lemon buttercream looks “right” but for best results, let it continue mixing for 3-5 minutes. The consistency will improve as it mixes and will transform into a creamy, luscious buttercream. Slowing down the mixing for the last minute or two will decrease air bubbles.
That’s all there is to it!
What cakes will this Lemon Buttercream taste best with?
- As someone who LOVES all things lemon, I would spread this frosting on just about anything! However, there are a few favorite flavor combinations that you should keep in mind, whether you are spreading this onto cakes and cupcakes, using as a cake filling, or injecting into cupcakes!
- Lemon Cake from Scratch– One of our most popular recipes!
- Lemon Cake from a Doctored Cake Mix (this easy recipe is always a crowd pleaser!)
- Strawberry Cake– This will give you an instant Strawberry Lemonade cake!
- Strawberry Cake from a Doctored Mix- Another favorite and SO easy!
- Lemon Blueberry Cake– We frosted this delicious cake in Blueberry Buttercream, but Lemon Buttercream is a great option too!
- Vanilla Buttermillk Cake– Because everything is good with Vanilla Cake!
- Coconut Cake– I just love the coconut and lemon combination!
- Pink Lemonade Cake– Oh so good! You’ll love this lemony recipe with the perfect amount of tartness!
If you are in search of more lemony goodness, we highly recommend this amazing Lemon Curd Recipe! We often use this as a filling in our lemon or coconut cakes, and then use Lemon Buttercream Frosting or Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting to decorate the outside of the cake. SO good!
We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we have! Don’t forget to check out our full collection of tried and true cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section! If you are interested in learning more about cake decorating, we’d love for you to hop over to our Join Page for information about becoming a member of My Cake School!
And finally, we have a great collection of free cake decorating video tutorials in our Free Tutorials Section! Make sure to use the scroll bar in the Free Tutorials section to locate specific categories of tutorials as well as our Free Videos!
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter slightly softened
- 2 teaspoons (8g) lemon extract
- Zest of 1 lemon (we prefer to use a microplane but a fine grater works too)
- 7 1/2 cups (863g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) milk or more to reach the consistency you like
- *Yellow Coloring Gel is Optional (we used a touch of Americolor Lemon Yellow)
Directions
- In the bowl of your mixer beat the butter until smooth, blend in the lemon extract and zest.
- Add 1/2 of the powdered sugar and 1/2 of the milk and mix at medium speed until combined.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and gradually add the milk. You can also add a touch of lemon yellow coloring gel at this point if you would like more color. Mix at medium speed 3 to 5 minutes scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. At the end of mixing, slow down the mixer to very low speed for a minute or two, this will help to eliminate air pockets in the buttercream.
- Yield: 6 cups - enough to fill and frost a 3 layer 8 inch cake
- Can be frozen in an air tight container for at least 3 months. Thaw on countertop and remix
- If your buttercream is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If the consistency is to thick, add a bit more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Lemon Buttercream (**Find our printable version above)
3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter slightly softened
2 teaspoons (8g) lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon – we use a microplane but a fine grater will work also
7 1/2 cups (863g) powdered sugar
1/4 cup (60g) milk or more to reach the consistency you like
*Yellow Coloring Gel Optional (we used a touch of Americolor Lemon Yellow)
In the bowl of your mixer beat the butter until smooth, blend in the lemon extract and zest.
Add 1/2 of the powdered sugar and 1/2 of the milk and mix at medium speed until combined.
Add remaining powdered sugar and gradually add the milk. You can also add a touch of lemon yellow coloring gel at this point if you would like more color. Mix at medium speed 3 to 5 minutes scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. At the end of mixing, slow down the mixer to very low speed for a minute or two, this will help to eliminate air pockets in the buttercream.
Yield: 6 cups – enough to fill and frost a 3 layer 8 inch cake
Can be frozen in an air tight container for at least 3 months. Thaw on countertop and remix
If your buttercream is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If the consistency is to thick, add a bit more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Yummy! What’s not to love about Lemon :-)
Sometime give my French Buttercream a try. When I made the desserts for a local restaurant, one of the most popular was my Lemon Cake with 3 fillings – 2 Raspberry and 1 Lemon Curd – and frosted with my Lemon French Buttercream. It’s soft and fluffy, and not ickky sweet – with only 2 c. of 10X. I couldn’t keep it in the cooler.
French Buttercream Frosting
This is the best buttercream I’ve ever made, and I’ve been making cakes and frostings for more than 50 years. Try it at least once, and then decide for yourself!
I came across this French Buttercream Frosting recipe more than 40 years ago, in a cookbook published by Grandma Rose, the owner of a Jewish deli in New York City. The title of her book is: Grandma Rose’s Sinfully Delicious Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Cheese Cakes, Cake Rolls, & Pastries – by Rose Naftalin. It was published in 1975.
I’ve won Blue Ribbons, Gold Medals, and Best of Show Trophies at Culinary Salons, with this recipe. If I don’t want a chocolate frosting, I leave out the cocoa, and use any flavor extract or oil to make it. I use it often for signature desserts that I make for area restaurants and resorts, (I live in The Thousand Islands, New York, where the Thousand Island Salad Dressing was created).
{99% of my clients order my signature Mock Whip Frostings, over any buttercream. Most of the cakes on my website are frosted and decorated with a Mock Whip Frosting, an entirely different frosting made with water and a flavor, champagne, kirsch, framboise, or any wine, brandy, liquor, or liqueur. It’s soft, fluffy, fragrant, not ickky sweet, and holds up in hot tents up to 115 degrees, so far. It’s stabilized with Agar Agar, which doesn’t melt until it reaches 136 degrees.}
Try this recipe just once, and you’ll be hooked.
Here’s the original recipe for: French Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
My shorthand: c. = cup; t. = teaspoon; T. = tablespoon; # = pound; 1 egg = 1 large egg (most recipes are based on this)
Ingredients:
1 c. (½ #) salted butter (no margarine please, I only use Land O Lakes or Kerrygold)
½ c. vegetable shortening (I use Sweetex, a hi-ratio specialty shortening, but Crisco will work)
2 t. light corn syrup
½ c. sifted cocoa
2 c. powdered sugar (I use Domino 10X over any generic 6X brand)
1 t. vanilla (use pure for best flavor, i.e. Virginia Dare, McCormicks)
*2 eggs (I now only use 2 egg whites – pasteurize yourself or purchase)
(Notes in ( ) are my own comments, not Rose’s.)
*Over the years I have stopped using the whole eggs, and now only use 2 egg whites. (I also add Agar Agar if it’s hot out – 1 t. in warm weather, and 2 t. in hot weather, to stabilize.)
There is much controversy over the use of raw eggs. Many chefs, i.e. Iron Chefs Michael Symon and Mario Bitalli, use them raw. Martha Stewart and The Pioneer Woman use them raw to paint colors on baked cookies. If you know your vendor, and that they transport, process, and maintain eggs in a safe environment, many chefs do use raw eggs. I’m sure that Grandma Rose would have been put out of business if her customers had gotten sick. (From what I understand, the most vulnerable are the very young, and the elderly.) Use your own judgment here, and do what is right for you.
(If you are opposed to using raw eggs, you can pasteurize your own, or buy them already pasteurized at a retail store, like WalMart.) I might try using meringue powder one of these times, in place of the egg whites, but not today, or tomorrow, probably.
This is how I make it – Rose just dumped everything in the mixing bowl together.
Procedure:
-Cream butter, shortening, and corn syrup until very light and fluffy.
-*If you are making a Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, add the cocoa with the first 3 ingredients. Scrape the mixing bowl very well, to get the cocoa fully incorporated, without streaks on the inside of the bowl. If you don’t, you will have dark streaks when you frost your cake.
-Add the sugar and extract, and whip for a couple of minutes. I often make this frosting ahead, even the night before, and cover up the bowl with saran wrap. Do not add the egg whites until you are ready to use the frosting.
-Add the egg whites, and whip for only 1 minute – the entire consistency will change. (If you don’t want to use the egg whites at all, just leave them out. The frosting will still be yummy. The eggs don’t change the flavor at all, they just help stabilize it.)
-Frost and decorate cakes, cupcakes, etc.
-Keep dessert refrigerated until transport, display, or serving time.
If this frosting will be served in a hot environment, I add 2 t. Agar Agar Powder (with the sugar) to help stabilize it.
This recipe is very versatile, and can be made in any flavor. I make an Orange Buttercream Frosting (which is delicious on a chocolate cake) by using a pure orange extract and fresh orange zest. It’s optional to add some food color to make a flavor more obvious, such as yellow for lemon, pink for strawberry, etc. Use any extract, or oil, to flavor the frosting. My most popular flavors are French Vanilla, Peanut Butter, and Caramel (from LorAnn’s Oils).
If it’s especially hot out, I add Agar Agar with the sugar, to help stabilize it.
Thanks so much, Bunny, we will have to give it a try.
New baker here. Made your lemon cake, and it turned out great; only my 2nd cake from scratch. Paired it with this lemon frosting, and found the 2 t of lemon extract to be overpowering. Had an alcohol smell. I squeezed a lemon into it, and it helped, but still has a slight alcohol taste. Any suggestions on what this happened? Bad extract? Thanks!
Hi Steve, I am sorry that happened. Yes, lemon extract can go bad. As the extract ages the lemon flavor becomes less and less, leaving only the alcohol. Smell your bottle, I think there will be a strong smell of alcohol. There is usually an expiration date on the bottles. You are a new baker, don’t be discouraged. Thank you for giving the a recipe a try, I am happy you liked the cake.
BeBe; yes the extract smelled bad. Thanks for the reply.
If you can’t find lemon extract is there a good substitute?
Hi V, If you don’t have lemon extract, zest an additional lemon ( you will be zesting 2 lemons, total). You won’t have the depth of flavor that extract gives, but it will taste like lemon. Using a microplane is best for zesting, being careful not to microplane into the white
How do you make lemon simple syrup?
Hi Deborah, To make a lemon simple syrup, use equal amounts of water and sugar, adjusting the amounts as you like.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice, do a taste test add a little lemon extract if you feel in needs a deeper lemon flavor
Bring the water and sugar to a boil, sugar will dissolve rather quickly. Once this happens take off the heat. Add the lemon extract. If you would like a thicker syrup, reduce the heat a bit and cook a little longer. Note that it will also thicken a bit as it cools.