Citrus Cupcakes With Citrus Buttercream Frosting Recipe makes three different cupcakes – lemon, orange, and lime. These cupcakes are tender and the buttercream frosting is creamy and bursting with citrus flavor.
You’ll have a hard time picking a favorite citrus cupcake. All three flavors are amazing! The best part of all is how easy these cupcakes are to make. It all begins with a cake mix, but you can’t tell it’s a cake mix at all.
If you like cupcakes as much as I do, make sure to visit my best cupcake recipes.
Citrus is a Favorite at my House
I’ve never met a citrus flavor I didn’t like, but I have to admit that lime is my favorite. I remember when I had limeade for the very first time.
I was a little girl and was spending the weekend with my aunt. We were visiting my aunt’s friend who had just moved into town from another country. As soon as we arrived, she offered us a glass of freshly squeezed limeade. I fell in love with limes right there in her kitchen. I’ve been in love ever since.
Ingredients You’ll Need (Full Printable Recipe Down Below!)
- Yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix)
- Mott’s® Natural Applesauce (in place of 1/2 cup oil)
- Large eggs
- Water
- 1/2 Tablespoon EACH fresh orange juice and orange zest
- 1/2 Tablespoon EACH fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
- 1/2 Tablespoon EACH fresh lime juice and lime zest
For the frosting, you’ll need:
- softened butter
- Orange, lemon, and lime zest
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh lemon, fresh lime, and fresh orange juice
- Red, Green and Yellow Liquid food coloring, if desired (1-2 drops for each flavor)
Mott’s Natural Applesauce in Place of Oil
To give my citrus cupcakes even more flavor and to reduce calories and fat, I use Mott’s® Natural Applesauce in place of the oil. Did you know that 1/2 cup of Mott’s® Natural Applesauce has only 50 calories and ½ cup of vegetable oil has 960 calories? It’s applesauce for the win!
Preparation Steps For Citrus Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Frosting
Combine cake mix, 3 eggs, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup Mott’s® Natural Applesauce. Blend for two minutes.
Divide the batter evenly into three bowls.
In one bowl, stir in the orange juice and zest.
To the second bowl, add the lemon zest and juice.
To the third bowl, add the lime zest and juice. Pour batter into cupcake liners. You’ll have eight of each citrus flavor.
Make 3 Batches of Frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling, make three batches of frosting.
Add one drop of green food coloring to the lime frosting, three drops of yellow food coloring to the lemon frosting, and one drop of red/two drops of yellow to the orange frosting.
Frost The Cupcakes & Enjoy
Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost and enjoy.
Helpful Hint: I use three different colored cupcake liners to keep up with the different flavors.
These Citrus Cupcakes are Delicious!
When my daughter bit into a lime cupcake, she declared it the best she’d ever eaten and couldn’t believe that I started with a boxed cake mix.
What Does the Family Think?
There’s a reason this recipe has all 5-star reviews!
My future son-in-law said the buttercream frosting tasted like sherbet and he loves sherbet. When he said that, the rest of the family said, “That’s it! It tastes like sherbet.” Next time, I’ll have to double the batch since I have a large family.
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Citrus Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Frosting
Citrus Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting include lemon, lime, and orange cupcakes. The buttercream frosting is light and creamy and these cupcakes are delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix)
- 1/2 cup Mott's® Natural Applesauce (in place of 1/2 cup oil)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 Tablespoon EACH fresh orange juice and orange zest
- 1/2 Tablespoon EACH fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
- 1/2 Tablespoon EACH fresh lime juice and lime zest
- Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, softened and divided
- 1 Tablespoon of orange, lemon and lime zest
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons each of fresh lemon, fresh lime, and fresh orange juice
- Red, Green and Yellow Liquid food coloring, if desired (1-2 drops for each flavor)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Mix cake mix as directed on the back of the box, replacing 1/2 cup Mott's® Natural Applesauce for the 1/2 cup oil. (My cake mix calls for 3 eggs, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup vegetable oil. I replace the oil with applesauce). Use the number of eggs and water that your cake mix calls for.
- After mixing, divide evenly among 3 bowls.
- Add 1/2 Tablespoon orange juice and 1/2 tablespoon orange zest to one bowl, lemon juice and zest to the second bowl and lime juice and zest to the third bowl.
- Mix and pour into lined cupcake tins (8 of each flavor). Bake according to cupcake directions on the cake mix box.
- Cool completely.
- Frosting:
- Combine 1/3 cup butter and 1 Tablespoon orange zest until creamy. Add 2 cups powdered sugar alternately with 3 Tablespoons orange juice. Beat until smooth. Add 1 drop red food coloring and 2 drops yellow (if desired) and beat for 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat with the 2 remaining flavors adding the lemon juice, zest and 3 drops yellow food coloring for the lemon cupcakes. For the lime cupcakes, add the lime zest, juice and 1 drop of green food coloring.
- Frost cupcakes and enjoy.
What’s your favorite citrus flavor?
PS – My family voted these citrus cupcakes the best! I think I won Mom of the Year.
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20 comments
This looks light and refreshing as well as a sweet treat! I love the combination that you shared in the recipe and the incorporation of applesauce!
So if I send you my address can you mail me some?
I wish technology was advanced enough that I could reach through the screen and grab a lemon one.
Those are my favourite!
These sound like delicious cupcakes, perfect for a sweet treat. I love that you used applesauce in the,. That always makes them so moist.
These look divine!! They look much healthier than normal cupcakes too, which is a huge plus. I love your photos, by the way. Totally gorgeous!
These look amazing and that frosting would be really good right now. I need to make my first batch of spring cupcakes.
I love to bake with apple sauce!! I have never made citrus cupcakes before they sound perfect for spring time!
These cupcakes look delicious! I use a lot of applesauce in my baking because of Rory’s special dietary needs. It is a great substitute, works great, and tastes wonderful. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Beautiful recipes and so colorful! I love applesauce and cupcakes 🙂
These look and sound delicious. I’m book marking this recipe to try on the weekend. I’m betting my family would love these.
These would go perfectly with a picnic! I can’t wait to try them out, they look simple and fresh and a tiiiiiny bit dainty 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I absolutely love butter cream frosting. The thought of adding a citrus flavor to it sounds irresistible. Thank you for another great recipe!
I will have to try substituting applesauce in my cupcakes. I have heard of people doing this and heard that they come out super moist. It’s time to give it a try now that I’m trying to eat healthier.
I want to try the lemon! Looks so good!
Wow, these look and sound fabulous. The perfect spring dessert, might have to make these for Easter! Thanks for sharing!
These sound like wonderful cupcakes! I love citrus flavor. I have used applesauce a few times in cake mixes.
This looks super yummy! I love the healthy spin on sweet treat!
Wow, these look and sound so delicious! I haven’t used applesauce in my cake recipes before, it sounds like such a great way to make them super moist.
These cupcakes look delicious and I would like to try this recipe!! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness! Citrus is my favorite flavor and I will be trying these, I learn something new everyday – I will be leaving oil out and replacing it with applesauce!
Wow, love that these are made with applesauce! Delcious flavors!
Cathy