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From Scratch Mini Lemon Drop Cakes

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Mini Lemon Drop Cakes – these bite sized lemon treats are covered with a delicious lemon glaze, and they practically melt in your mouth!

There’s just something about miniature foods that makes them better than regular treats. Who can resist popping a mini cupcake or cookie in their mouth? Not me! These mini lemon cakes are easy to make, and fun to serve!

mini lemon cakes on a tray

 

I love lemon baked goods, and these tasty little lemon drops were no exception. The cakes are soft and buttery, and they are drenched in a tasty lemon glaze. Every bite is lemon perfection!

My friend Jessica at Butter with a Side of Bread posted a recipe for lemon glazed mini cupcakes on her site. Her recipe started with a cake mix and made over six dozen.

I wanted to make them for a bridal shower, but I didn’t need that many! I decided to come up with a version made from scratch. Everyone at the shower raved over them, and they disappeared in a hurry.

 

plate of mini lemon drop cakes

Sour cream makes these lemon cakes extra moist, and they are buttery and soft with a hint of lemon. An irresistible tangy lemon glaze gives them even more lemon flavor, and adds a sweet crunchy coating. If you love lemon, you’ve got to try this recipe!

How to Make Mini Lemon Drop Cakes

(To skip my tips and see the full recipe card, scroll to the bottom of the post.)

Ingredients:

  • all purpose flour
  • granulated sugar
  • salt
  • baking soda
  • butter
  • water
  • sour cream
  • egg
  • lemon zest and lemon juice
  • powdered sugar
  • milk
 
Grease and flour mini muffin cups, or spray them with Baker’s Joy; set aside. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add water and bring to a boil. 

Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients and beat with a hand beater till barely blended. Beat in the sour cream, egg, zest, and lemon juice till smooth.

batter for mini lemon cakes

Scoop batter into muffin pans. I use a small cookie scoop that holds a tablespoon- it works perfectly!

using cookie scoop for scooping batter into mini muffin pans

Bake at 325° for about 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks. Cool completely before glazing.

how to add glaze to lemon cakes

 

How to make Lemon Glaze

Ingredients needed:

  • powdered sugar
  • lemon zest
  • lemon juice
  • butter
  • milk

Whisk all glaze ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Heat for about 10 seconds in the microwave till glaze is very thin.

Pro Tips:

-Use non-stick muffin tins, and use Baker’s Joy. If you don’t have Baker’s Joy, you can grease the muffin cups with shortening and dust them with flour.

-Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest make a huge difference in the flavor of these mini cakes. Lemon zest is essential for the lemon flavor, so don’t omit it.

-For easier clean-up, place waxed paper under the cooling racks before you add the glaze. The excess glaze will drip onto the waxed paper instead of onto the countertop.

These mini lemon cakes are seriously addicting, so if you’re feeding a large crowd, you may want to double the recipe. People just can’t seem to resist them!

 

stack of mini lemon cakes on a plate

MORE BITE SIZED TREATS:

MORE TASTY LEMON TREATS:

mini lemon drop cakes recipe collage

Recipe for Mini Lemon Drop Cakes

Yield: 4 dozen

Mini Lemon Cakes with Lemon Glaze

Mini Lemon Cakes with Lemon Glaze

Buttery bite sized lemon cakes drenched in mouthwatering lemon glaze.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Lemon Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp melted butter
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with non-stick spray; set aside. 
  2. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl; set aside.
  3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add water and bring to a boil. 
  4. Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients and beat with a hand beater till barely blended. Beat in the sour cream, egg, zest, and lemon juice till smooth.
  5. Scoop batter into muffin pans. Bake at 325° for about 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks.
  6. Cool completely before glazing. Dip lemon drops bottom side down into the glaze. Let excess glass drip off into the bowl, then invert lemon drops top side down onto cooling racks. (Place waxed paper underneath the cooling racks for easier clean up.) Let sit till glaze hardens.

Glaze

  1. Whisk all glaze ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Heat for about 10 seconds in the microwave till glaze is very thin.

Notes

I recommend using Baker's Joy cooking spray. It contains flour, and it is the best for making sure baked goods don't stick to the pan!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

48

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 63Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 57mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 0g
© Kara
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert: Cakes and Cupcakes
See all my CAKES AND CUPCAKES. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Brenda

    I made these and all of them stuck to the pans. I did exactly what it said to do, but all I got was a big mess. I tried everything. Anyone have any tips?

    Reply

    • Nilda

      I made these a second time and I had the same issue as you! First time I made them I he may be 2 or 3 that stuck but this time. 🤦‍♀️. Disappointed because they are so good!

      Reply

    • Kara Cook

      Danggit, that is frustrating! In addition to using Baker’s Joy cooking spray, sometimes I’ve had good luck placing pans directly on a wet dish towel when I remove them from the oven. The steam seems to help muffins and cakes release a little better.

      Reply

  4. Caitlin

    I want to make these for a bake sale at work this week! Do they freeze well so I can make them ahead? Glaze them the day before maybe?

    Reply

    • Kara Cook

      So sorry I didn’t see your question. I’m not sure how well they would freeze, but it’s worth a try. You would definitely want to freeze them before glazing, and then glaze them after they have thawed.

      Reply

  5. Connie

    I just made these for the first time for a family gathering to celebrate my mom’s birthday. They were a big hit! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

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