Lemon Drop Cakes

These delightful 20-minute Lemon Drop Cakes are bursting with tangy citrus flavor, making them perfect for any occasion. This sweet, 2-bite cake recipe guarantees delicious results every time.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon drop cakes, Lemon Drop Cakes Recipe

Servings: cakes

Calories: 73kcal

Ingredients

For the Lemon Cakes

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon zest
½ cup whole milk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream

For the Lemon Glaze

1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

To Make The Cakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 (24 count) mini muffin tins with baker’s spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together, using a stand mixer or hand held mixer on medium speed, the unsalted butter and granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, being sure to fully combine each egg before adding the next, followed by the vanilla extract and fresh lemon zest. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are fully combined.
To a small mixing bowl whisk together the whole milk, fresh lemon juice and sour cream.
To the large mixing bowl add half the flour mixture mix, on low speed, just until the flour is incorporated.
Add the milk mixture and mix again, on low speed, just until fully incorporated.
Add the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed just until all the flour has been fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed. The batter should be thick.
Using a small cookie scoop, fill each of the prepared mini muffin cups ½-⅔ full with batter (approximately ¾ tablespoons of batter). There may be just a small amount of batter leftover. Do not overfill the mini muffin cups with any excess batter.
Bake the lemon drop cakes for 9-10 minutes or just until lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the lemon drop cakes to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack, with the bottoms of the cakes facing up, until they cool completely. While the lemon drop cakes are cooling you can make the lemon glaze.

To Make The Lemon Glaze

In a medium mixing bowl add the sifted powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, melted unsalted butter and whole milk. Whisk until smooth and a pourable consistency. You can add additional whole milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if you need to thin the glaze to your liking.
Dip the mini lemon cakes into the glaze covering the entire bottom and sides of the cakes with the lemon glaze. Allow any excess glaze to drip back into the bowl before placing the glazed lemon drop cakes back onto the cooling rack, bottom side up, to allow the glaze to set completely. Repeat until all the lemon drop cakes are glazed.
Once the lemon glaze has set, you can plate and serve the lemon drop cakes.

Notes

Allowing your ingredients to come to room temperature allows your cake batter come together without lumps, and helps your mini cupcakes bake up fluffier and more evenly.
If you need to thin out your glaze, you can add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Be sure to rinse your lemons under cool water and wipe away any residue or coatings from the outside of the lemon before zesting and squeezing.
If you only have 1 mini cupcake pan, you can bake these in batches. Just be sure to wipe any residue from the pan before adding the second batch.

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