Mini Lemon Cakes (Printable Version)
Delicate mini cakes featuring fresh lemon zest and juice, topped with a sweet citrus glaze.
# 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
# Directions:
01 - Preheat 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 softened butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest until incorporated.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour ingredients. Fold in lemon juice until just combined; avoid overmixing.
06 - Distribute batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 16-18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with sufficient fresh lemon juice to achieve thick, pourable consistency. Drizzle glaze over completely cooled cakes.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- These little cakes stay incredibly moist thanks to the perfect balance of butter and fresh lemon juice
- The glaze sets beautifully while staying soft underneath, making them stackable for gift giving
02 -
- Overmixing after adding the flour will make these tough and rubbery, stop as soon as you see the last streaks of flour disappear
- The cakes need to be completely cool before glazing or the icing will melt into a thin layer instead of setting up nicely
03 -
- Roll the lemons on the counter before zesting and juicing, youll get way more juice out of them
- If your bundt pan has lots of detailed crevices, use a pastry brush to get butter into every single corner