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!
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.
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
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.
Scoop batter into muffin pans. I use a small cookie scoop that holds a tablespoon- it works perfectly!
Bake at 325° for about 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks. Cool completely before glazing.
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!
MORE BITE SIZED TREATS:
- Mini Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Cups
- Mint Oreo Truffles
- Heart Shaped Brownie Bites
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes with Chocolate Mousse
- Bite Sized Cherry Cheesecake Cups
MORE TASTY LEMON TREATS:
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Pink Lemonade Pie
- Lemon Crumb Ice Cream
- Butter Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Pound Cake
Recipe for Mini Lemon Drop Cakes
Mini Lemon Cakes with Lemon Glaze
Buttery bite sized lemon cakes drenched in mouthwatering lemon glaze.
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
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with non-stick spray; 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.
- Scoop batter into muffin pans. Bake at 325° for about 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks.
- 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
- 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:
48Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 63Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 57mgCarbohydrates: 10gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 0g
Made these with yogurt instead of the sour cream since that’s what I had in my pantry. First they were not done in 12 minutes. Not sure if that’s because I have a convention oven. But even after doubling bake time they still came out with a wet looking spongy consistency. But they were brown on top. So I assumed completely baked. Lastly they have a unbaked flour taste. Seems like something is not quite right. Might be from using yogurt instead of sour cream..
I wouldn’t think that substituting yogurt would have that effect, but it’s entirely possible.
Made this last night for Easter 2021 dessert. These were SO moist they were falling apart & didn’t come
out of Pan easily even when sprayed with Bakers Joy. They were completely cooked since slightly brown around edges & I’ve made a similar recipe b4 but not this one & no problem. Maybe next time I’ll use less sour cream.
When using the baking spray of choice be sure to shake the can ,especially the ones that contain flour and grease. This helps with the release issues. Also when spraying tons, please do so over the sink. That way you aren’t spraying onto the kitchen floor causing a slippery surface. Hope this is helpful
I was so optimistic about these and followed the recipe exactly and they wouldn’t come out of the pan with lots of butter spray and were very more wet than a dry cake as well. I wish I read the reviews first. A lot of work to make from scratch and had to throw all of them away with nothing to bring to a friends dinner.
Sorry they didn’t turn out. If they were still wet, it sounds like they just needed additional baking time. That would have also helped them release from the pan. Did you use Baker’s Joy like I suggested? Regular cooking spray doesn’t work for this recipe.
Thank you so much. These arw delicious little lemon gems and so easy AND quick to make.
The best lemon cake I have ever made
Yay, happy to hear it!
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?
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!
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.
I would like to make these for Mother’s Day Do you use All-purpose Flour Thank you
Yep, all purpose flour. 🙂
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?
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.
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.
I am so happy to hear they were a hit! Hope your mom had a fantastic birthday party! 🙂
These cakes are adorable! Perfect for a party!
What a fun and tasty recipe! So flavorful and easy too! Delish!
These are like little rays of sunshine! So moist and delicious!