Mini Lemon Cakes With Lavender Glaze (Printable)
Delightfully moist mini lemon cakes topped with aromatic lavender glaze for elegant entertaining.
# What You’ll Need:
→ For the Mini Lemon Cakes
01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/4 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/4 tsp salt
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
09 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
10 - 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
11 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
→ For the Lavender Glaze
12 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 2–3 tbsp milk
14 - 1 1/2 tsp dried culinary lavender, finely crushed
15 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
16 - Purple food coloring (optional)
→ For Garnish
17 - Additional dried lavender buds
18 - Lemon zest strips (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup mini bundt or muffin pan thoroughly.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
05 - Add fresh lemon juice to the butter mixture and mix until evenly distributed.
06 - Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined—avoid overmixing to maintain tenderness.
07 - Divide batter evenly among the prepared mini cake molds, filling each about three-quarters full.
08 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake emerges clean.
09 - Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
10 - In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, crushed lavender, and lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Adjust consistency with additional milk if needed. Add purple food coloring if desired.
11 - Spoon glaze generously over each completely cooled mini cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
12 - Sprinkle additional dried lavender buds and lemon zest strips over the glazed cakes while the glaze is still slightly tacky.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The combination of bright lemon and soothing lavender creates a sophisticated flavor profile that feels fancy but comes together easily
- These mini cakes are perfectly portioned for sharing and look stunning on any dessert table without requiring professional decorating skills
02 -
- Culinary lavender is essential since decorative lavender can be bitter and completely ruin your beautiful creation
- Overmixing the batter creates tough, rubbery cakes, so treat the flour gently and stop as soon as combined
03 -
- Zest your lemons before juicing them, it is much harder to zest a squeezed lemon
- Use a cookie scoop to divide batter evenly among the molds for uniform cakes that bake at the same rate