Mini Lemon Cakes (Print)
Delicate, moist mini cakes with fresh lemon flavor and sweet glaze. Perfect for teatime or special occasions.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/4 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/4 tsp salt
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
09 - Zest of 2 lemons
10 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
11 - 1/3 cup whole milk
→ Glaze
12 - 1 cup powdered sugar
13 - 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 12-cup mini bundt pan or standard muffin tin with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly blended. Set aside.
03 - Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract and fresh lemon zest.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour ingredients. Mix in lemon juice until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
07 - Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack. Let cool completely before glazing.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice, adding juice gradually until a thick but pourable consistency is achieved. Drizzle glaze over cooled cakes and allow to set before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The texture is impossibly moist while staying light enough to eat two without guilt
- Fresh lemon makes them taste brighter than anything from a bakery case
- They're ready in under an hour but look like you spent all afternoon
02 -
- Overmixing once the flour hits the bowl makes these tough and dense, stop as soon as you see no dry streaks
- Room temperature ingredients combine more easily, creating that bakery tender texture we're after
03 -
- Zest your lemons before juicing them, it's nearly impossible once the fruit is squeezed
- These are at their absolute best about an hour after glazing, once the sugar has set but before the glaze fully hardens