Mini lemon cakes recipe

These easy mini lemon cakes take around 30 minutes from start to finish and are under 250 calories per cake. 

What’s better than a lemon drizzle cake? Mini lemon cakes of course! These little loaf cakes are perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, or bake sales. The un-iced cakes can be frozen if you don’t think you’ll eat them all and the glaze can be made without gin if baked for children or teetotalers. 

Ingredients

120g unsalted butter, room temperature

170g caster sugar

2 medium free-range eggs

60ml milk

1tsp baking powder

170g plain flour

Zest of two lemons

For the drizzle:

• 100g icing sugar
• Juice of half a lemon (more if not using gin)
• 10ml of gin (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Grease 12 mini loaf tins or a suitable mould.
2. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and whisk until pale and fluffy.
3. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and add the milk, lightly loosen with a fork.
4. Add the eggs a bit at a time to the creamed butter mixture and mix well after each addition.
5. Sift the baking powder and flour into the bowl then fold in with the lemon zest.
6. Divide the cake batter evenly between your tins and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until fully baked.
7. Once cooked, let the cakes rest for 5 minutes in the tins or mould before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Make sure you stand them the right way up.
8. Place a sheet or baking paper under the rack before you glaze the cakes to make the clean up easier.
9. Make the glaze by sifting the icing sugar into a small bowl. Then mix in the lemon juice and gin to taste. Stir until smooth then drizzle over the cakes and leave to set at room temperature.
10. Recipe courtesy of Madalene Bonivi-Hamel from www.britishlarder.co.uk

Watch how to make mini lemon cakes

Top tips for making mini lemon cakes 

Do not refrigerate as the sugar is hygroscopic and will remain runny as it continues extracting moisture from the fridge. If you’d prefer to make one large cake, this recipe can be baked in a 1lb loaf tin. It will take around an hour to cook in the larger tin.

For more tips and tricks when it comes to making the best mini lemon cakes, continue reading below. 

For this recipe you’ll either need individual mini loaf tins or a silicone mould. This one from The Great British Bake Off only has 8 moulds but it’s dishwasher safe and the silicone will make it easy to remove the cakes. Consider buying two. Alternatively, some shops also sell mini loaf cake cases.

The Great British Bake Off Mini Loaf Tin - <a href="https://amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Bake-Mini-Loaf/dp/B0BTJ887TV/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2MTZR0CSOZY8G&keywords=12%2Bmould%2Bmini%2Bloaf%2Btray&qid=1689696312&sprefix=12%2Bmould%2Bmini%2Bloaf%2Btray%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-7&th=1&tag=hawk-future-21&ascsubtag=hawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View at Amazon

Designed in the signature duck egg blue palette that you see in the GBBO tent, you’ll feel like you’re on the show using this silicone mould. It’s heat resistant up to 240C and can be washed in the dishwasher for a stress-free clean up. 

If you're looking for another cute mini bake our lemon cupcakes are an obvious and delicious choice. Alternatively, if you’re in the mood for something bigger our lemon pound cake looks impressive and has a rich flavour thanks to the addition of cream cheese in the batter. Another option is our lemon cake with olive oil which stays outrageously moist for a good few days after baking.