Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

photo by:kraft

These treats are all about the citrus zing: Moist lemon cupcakes are nestled under sweet cream cheese frosting with a tangy zest.

time

prep:

10 min

total:

1 hr 34 min

servings

total:

24 servings

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What You Need

pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix

pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding

cup water

egg whites

Tbsp. oil

pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/4

cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Tbsp. lemon juice

pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar

Make It

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

BEAT first 5 ingredients in large bowl with mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.

BAKE 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

BEAT cream cheese, butter and juice with mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating on low speed after each addition until well blended. Spread onto cupcakes.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Prepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.

Special Extra

Blend 1 tsp. lemon zest into frosting before spreading onto cupcakes.

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kacee413

posted:4/24/2011

I used a gluten-free cake mix to make this recipe and it turned out great! We'll be adding this to our dessert making rotation, that is for sure! They are light and delicious!! A big hit at our party today!

mickiemotto

posted:4/22/2011

I was all set to give this recipe a poor rating, I made them today, and they all came out like hockey pucks, the batter was super stiff, but it says it will be stiff, so I figured it was o.k. It wasn't until just now that I re-read the recipe, I had forgotten to put in the cup of water! I will try it again, because it has so many good reviews.

budschic

posted:4/22/2011

LOVED LOVED LOVED these cupcakes. Def add the zest to the icing..and I added some lemon juice to the cake mix as well...measured 2T for the icing and put the rest of the juice from one lemon in cake. Don't know why so many said frosting was runny...mine was nice and creamy and a great consistency. Frosting and icing are different. YUMM!

bflammang

posted:4/7/2011

Made these for my daughter's baby shower and they were wonderful!

mdreyer01

posted:11/7/2010

love this recipe,made it into a loaf cake,was easy to slice.

tandy10

posted:11/6/2010

FABULOUS! Made these THREE times in the past week since seeing them in the magazine! Mini's for bakesale, then full size & just made as a cake! Love the angel-food lightness of the cupcake; added 1/4 cup lemon juice to cake for stronger lemon flavor & sprinkled shredded coconunt on 1/2 the cupcakes & the cake. I made DOUBLE the icing (!) so freezing the remaining half for future use. Will try the chocolate, bundt versions as others suggested. VERY VERSATILE & A DEFINITE KEEPER!

crystal9703

posted:10/12/2010

LOVE THEM!!! I will keep this recipe in my personal cookbook...Yummy!!!

thuyho

posted:9/17/2010

This recipe was super easy. I added a little extra lemon juice to the icing for a little more tartness and lemon flavor.

nicvogt

posted:9/12/2010

If you love lemon, then amazing cupcakes are for you. This recipe combines my two loves: lemon and baked goods. So wonderful! Everyone raves about these when I take them to parties. They are easy, and there's lots of lemon frosting. What's not to love?

Dianamelio

posted:9/3/2010

light & oh so good