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    Home / Breakfast

    Lemon Muffins

    May 20, 2023 by Fadela This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review

    How to make this delicious lemon muffins recipe with a lemon flavored glaze. These muffins have a light and fluffy texture and are perfect for breakfast or your daytime cravings.

    Lemon muffins on a plate this recipe

    If you love all sweet and lemony desserts then you must try this soft and moist lemon muffins recipe served with a lemon flavored icing.

    These lemon muffins have everything you'd want from them, a soft and flavorful texture with a slight tartness that makes all lemon lovers fall in love.

    I have a similar recipe that I love, lemon poppy seed muffins, which are as delicious and moist as this muffin recipe. They are easy to make at home and perfect for a good coffee.

    >> See all the muffin recipes on the blog

    Lemon muffin cut in 2

    Why we love this recipe

    This recipe is so easy to make and with only one bowl. Much better in taste and composition than the ones you can buy in the store.

    They have a rich buttery texture and are made with buttermilk and sour cream which balances the acidity in these muffins and gives them that moist texture.

    Made with real fresh lemon juice in combination to lemon zest, not chemical lemon extract, which add a wonderful lemon flavor to these lemon muffins.

    They are also served with a lemon flavored icing that adds a crunchy crumb to the top of the muffins and a delicious sweetness to balance the tartness.

    Make lemon muffin recipe with a streusel topping like in my Blueberry Streusel Muffins recipe and you have a perfect breakfast to go.

    Lemon muffins on a plate

    Ingredients and substitutions

    Here is an overview of the ingredients needed and possible substitutions to make these lemon muffins at home, scroll down the page to see the quantities in the recipe card.

    • Butter: Use soft, unsalted butter, melted butter and cooled.
    • Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
    • Sugar: White granulated sugar not flavored sugar to keep the lemon flavor.
    • Eggs: large eggs at room temperature.
    • Vanilla and salt: Pure, liquid vanilla extract
    • Buttermilk: You can replace it with whole milk or plain yogurt.
    • Sour cream: The acidity of the sour cream brings a very soft texture. You can use only buttermilk or replace it with greek yogurt.
    • Baking powder: A combination of baking powder and baking soda that you can replace with 1 packet of baking powder.
    • Lemon: Use fresh organic yellow lemon if possible for the juice and the zest, you can replace the lemon zest by a lemon extract.

    Find the quantities and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

    Lemon muffin with sugar icing

    How to make lemon muffins recipe

    Cream butter and sugar

    • Begin by placing the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, then mix and set aside.
    • Place the softened butter, cut into pieces, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl whisk of your stand mixer or in a large bowl.
    • Whisk together with an hand mixer, at medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until you have a smooth and creamy butter.
    • Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again with a mixer to incorporate them.

    Tip: Use an electric mixer or a stand mixer at the beginning of this recipe to mix the ingredients together.

    Bowl with ingredients
    Bowl with ingredients

    Add dry ingredients

    • Add the buttermilk, sour cream and lemon juice and mix again with a mixer until well blended.
    • Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula just until the ingredients are incorporated and the cake batter is smooth but a little lumpy.

    Tip: The muffin batter is always a little thick and crumbly, which is normal. Be careful not to over mix after adding the dry ingredients.

    Large bowl with lemon muffin ingredients
    Large bowl with dry ingredients

    Baking

    1. Preheat the oven to 428°F / 220°C and prepare a muffin tins with muffin cups.
    2. Pour muffin batter into the paper cups, filling them completely.
    3. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 392°F / 200°C and continue baking for about 15 to 18 minutes until the muffins are puffed and golden brown on top. (The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs)
    4. Let muffins cool slightly before removing from the muffin pan and then let them cool completely on a wire rack.

    Tip: Add lemon curd to your lemon muffins for extra flavor like in my lemon curd cupcakes recipe

    Large bowl with cake batter
    Cupcake mold with muffin batter

    Make the Lemon glaze

    1. Place powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice in a small bowl.
    2. With a fork, beat the mixture until you have a smooth, white glaze.
    3. Decorate the top of each muffin with the sugar glaze and let dry a little before eating.

    Tip: If your icing seems too liquid then add a little powdered sugar and if it seems too thick then add small amounts of liquid.

    Muffins after baking in its pan

    Store and freeze instructions

    At room temperature

    They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for about 1 week.

    How to Freeze ?

    You can also store them for up to 3 months in the freezer. Place your cakes in a storage box or bags and keep them in the freezer.

    Let them come back to temperature or use the defrost function of your microwave.

    Muffins on a plate

    More lemon recipes

    • Lemon cream pie
    • Lemon Meringue Tartlets
    • Lemon sour cream pound cake
    • Lemon poppy seed pound cake
    • Lemon Bundt Cake with sugar icing
    • Lemon meringue cake
    • Lemon curd tart
    Inside a lemon muffin

    More muffin recipes

    • Double chocolate banana muffins
    • Blueberry streusel muffins
    • Nutella muffins
    • Healthy banana oatmeal muffins
    • Double chocolate chip muffins
    • Bakery Style chocolate chip muffins
    • Banana bread muffins
    • Pumpkin streusel muffins

    Did you like this recipe? Don't forget to rate it and leave me a review in the comments! And to not miss any recipes follow @sweetlycakes on Instagram and tag me to share it if you make this recipe 😊!

    Print
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    Lemon muffins


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    • Author: Fadela
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 12 muffins
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    Description

    Lemon Muffins recipe with Lemon falvored sugar icing (for 12 - 14 muffins)


    Ingredients

    Lemon muffins :

    • 160 g ( 1 stick + 3 ½ tbsp) Butter - softened
    • 200 g (¾ cup) Sugar - granulated
    • 2 eggs at room temperature
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 120 ml (½ cup) Buttermilk - or whole milk
    • 120 g (½ cup) Sour cream - or Greek yogurt
    • 350 g (2 ⅓ cups) Flour - all-purpose
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 pinch of salt
    • 1 lemon zest - or lemon extract
    • 60 ml (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice

    Sugar icing :

    • 200 g ( 1 ⅓ cups) powdered sugar
    • 1 - 2 tsp lemon juice - or water

    Instructions

    Lemon Muffins:

    1. Preheat oven to 428°F / 220°C and prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.
    2. In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar with a whisk or electric mixer for 2 - 3 minutes until creamy.
    3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix again for 1 minute.
    4. Add the buttermilk, sour cream and lemon juice and mix again.
    5. Mix in the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a spatula until you have a smooth mixture with a few lumps left.
    6. Fill each case with the muffin batter using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop, making sure to fill them well.
    7. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 392°F / 200°C and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes until the muffins are puffed and golden on top.
    8. Allow muffins to cool completely.

     

    Sugar Icing:

    1. In a small bowl put the powdered sugar and lemon juice.
    2. With a fork, vigorously mix the mixture until it is smooth and runny. If the mixture seems too liquid add more powdered sugar and mix or if the mixture seems too thick add a few drops of liquid and mix again.

    Equipment

    Image of Muffin pan

    Muffin pan

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    Image of Baking cups

    Baking cups

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    Image of Stand mixer

    Stand mixer

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    Image of Hand mixer

    Hand mixer

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    Notes

    Storage: at room temperature for about 1 week and up to 3 months in the freezer.

    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Category: muffins, breakfast,
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 muffin
    • Calories: 372
    • Sugar: 33.8 g
    • Sodium: 331.8 mg
    • Fat: 13.7 g
    • Carbohydrates: 57.8 g
    • Protein: 5.2 g
    • Cholesterol: 64.3 mg

    Keywords: lemon muffins, lemon muffins recipe

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    Hello and welcome to my blog! Fully addicted to cakes, blogging, and beautiful pictures! I share with you on this blog some tips and my favorite baking recipes which I hope will help you to enjoy your loved ones!

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