Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
Lemon desserts have always been a favorite of mine, and these Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes are no exception!
Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes Are The Perfect Dessert
- They’re full of flavor! – I love the light zest of fresh lemon flavor. Lemon really brightens up the flavor profile of any baked good, and this Bundt cake recipe lets lemon take center stage.
- These little cakes are moist and rich! – This lemon cake recipe uses all sorts of moisture-boosting tricks of the kitchen. Using sour cream and buttermilk are going to reward you with decadent cakes.
- Mini Bundt cakes provide the perfect portion sizes! – There are all sorts of ways to use mini desserts. They look adorable on any dessert table, and are oftentimes easier to serve than cake slices. Want to add an extra special touch? Wrap them up in cellophane, add a touch of ribbon, and you have perfect little cakes for gifts. At the end of this post, I’ll share more on this idea.
Ingredients Needed for Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes
Behold – the full list of ingredients you’ll need to make these delicious single serving lemon cakes!
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Along with these ingredients, you’ll also need some form of mini Bundt cake pans.
They make mini silicone Bundt pans, metal pans like this that make several mini Bundt cakes together on one tray,
but you’ve got to see these adorable mini Bundt cake pans by Nordic Ware (Made in the USA):
For The Lemon Cake
- 3 1/4 Cup of Flour – I like to use all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you have cake flour on hand, you can use that as well.
- 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon of Salt – If you use salted butter, you can omit this ingredient.
- 1 Cup of Butter – Make sure you let your butter soften so that it easily creams with the sugar. If you forget to set the butter out ahead of time, simply fill a glass cup with boiling water, allow the glass to heat, then dump out the water and turn the cup over the top of your butter. This allows you to quickly soften your butter without running the risk of melting it.
- 1 1/2 Cup of Sugar – White granulated sugar works just fine, but feel free to swap for any solid specialty sugar of your choice. Muscovado sugar, turbinado sugar, and agave sugar should all work well.
- Zest from 3 Lemons
- 6 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice – Keep your lemons from the zest! Those three lemons will provide all the fresh lemon juice you need for both the cake batter and the frosting.
- 1/2 Cup of Sour Cream – Sour cream is the secret ingredient for seriously moist cake! You can swap out equal amounts of plain Greek yogurt and achieve a similar effect, by the way.
- 4 Large Eggs – Eggs will incorporate more evenly into your cake batter if they are room temperature. Set them out along with your butter.
- 1 Cup of Buttermilk – You can purchase buttermilk at most grocery stores. However, that’s not your only option! Since you also need butter for this recipe, why not shake up your own cream and make both the butter and the buttermilk needed!? You can also take about 1 additional tablespoon of that lemon juice you have sitting in those three lemons, add it to regular milk, and allow it sit for 10 minutes.
Quick Tip: You can absolutely just use a premade box of cake mix – I’ve done this many times!
For The Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 Ounces of Cream Cheese – Allow it to get to room temperature.
- 1/2 Cup of Butter – This needs to soften as well. Choose salted butter for this. If all you have on hand is unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt in separately.
- 4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice – So, let’s see, that’s potentially 8 tablespoons of lemon juice from 3 lemons? If that seems like a stretch, heat your lemons first. Microwaving a lemon for 10 seconds will pretty nearly double the amount of juice they yield.
How to Make this Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe
These mini desserts look fancy, but they really aren’t any harder to put together than a regular cake or tray of cookies!
Here’s how to do it:
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then use cooking spray to prepare your mini Bundt pans.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy. Slowly add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream until they reach smooth consistency. Then, add the eggs, one at a time.
- Time to combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Start by adding half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk, using an electric mixer to combine them thoroughly. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk. Be sure to pause now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour the cake batter into each mini Bundt cake pan, until they are 3/4 of the way filled.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops are slightly golden and an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly from the thickest part of the cake.
- Move the mini cakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, use a mixer to combine the cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Use a knife or a piping bag to spread the lemon icing on top of the cakes. Finally, garnish as desired with extra lemon zest, lemon peel twists, or lemon slices placed on top of each cake.
Flavor Change-Ups To Try!
Take a good recipe, swap out some flavors, and Voila!
You have a whole new dessert without having to remake the wheel!
Here are a few to try:
- Did you see my note up there about using boxed cake mix? You can use that to try out flavors such as cinnamon strudel or blueberry. You don’t have to trade out the entire cake recipe for the box mix. Simply swap out the dry ingredients for the cake mix, and follow the rest of my recipe as written.
- Instead of a lemon frosting, you could try topping your mini cakes with a layer of glaze. One of the box mixes I use sometimes includes a glaze. You can see this in the photos featured at the end of this post.
- Lemon pairs beautifully with most berries, so try adding a bit of blackberry or blueberry flavor to the glaze. Simply blend up a handful of berries and add it to the frosting recipe. It adds a depth of flavor without stealing the limelight from the lemon.
Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes are the perfect dessert. With a few added touches, they can even become a thoughtful gift idea!
Equipment
- Mini Bundt Cake Pans
Ingredients
For The Lemon Cake
- 3 1/4 Cup Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Butter
- 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
- Zest from 3 Lemons
- 6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then use cooking spray to prepare your mini Bundt pans.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy. Slowly add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream until they reach smooth consistency. Then, add the eggs, one at a time.
- Time to combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Start by adding half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk, using an electric mixer to combine them thoroughly. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk. Be sure to pause now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour the cake batter into each mini Bundt cake pan, until they are 3/4 of the way filled.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops are slightly golden and an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly from the thickest part of the cake.
- Move the mini cakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, use a mixer to combine the cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Use a knife or a piping bag to spread the lemon icing on top of the cakes. Finally, garnish as desired with extra lemon zest, lemon peel twists, or lemon slices placed on top of each cake.
Want more details on turning these cakes into gifts?
Take a peek at how I gift wrapped a recent batch of Bundt cakes.
This particular round of cakes was made with a boxed cake mix. See? Either way works!
Bundt Cake Gift Supplies Available Here:
- 3-Cup Mini Bundt Cake Pans
- 6″ Round Cake Boards
- Roll of Cellophane Wrap
- Striped Ribbon – I am wild about the quality of this ribbon!
Want to try our favorite full-size Bundt cake recipe?
This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake is delicious!
