Mini Lemon Cakes (Printable View)
Delicate, moist mini cakes with fresh lemon flavor, perfect for teatime or special occasions.
# Ingredient List:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup mini bundt pan or muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract and lemon zest until incorporated.
05 - Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Mix in lemon juice until just combined; do not overmix.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
07 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to form a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle over cooled cakes.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The texture is impossibly moist while still being light as air, the kind of cake that makes you pause after every bite
- Fresh lemon does all the heavy lifting here, no artificial flavors needed, just pure sunshine in cake form
02 -
- Room temperature ingredients are the difference between tender cakes and tough ones, cold butter and eggs won't incorporate properly
- Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears, overworking the gluten makes these dense instead of airy
03 -
- Roll the lemons firmly on your counter before zesting and juicing, you'll get way more juice and the zest comes off more easily
- If you only have regular muffin tins, reduce the baking time by about 2 minutes since they cook faster than mini bundt shapes