Little Lemon Drops are absolutely amazing and everyone will love you for making and sharing them! I took these to a barbecue and they were devoured in about 5 minutes….long before the meat even started cooking!  Everyone was exclaiming about how amazing they were and I was thrilled because this recipe is so easy and it makes about 75 little cupcakes so it’s perfect for large gatherings.  Although, my husband ate about a dozen himself before we even left the house so 75 of them doesn’t actually go as far as you’d think!

Lemon Cake Mix recipe

This recipe for Little Lemon Drops actually starts with a lemon cake mix! You add a few basic ingredients to the cake mix: a box of vanilla pudding, eggs, sour cream or yogurt and milk. That’s it! Bake the mini cupcakes, then I like to dunk them in my lemon glaze upside down. The lemon glaze absorbs into the mini cupcakes better when they’re inverted! This is a simple but delicious recipe that everyone goes crazy over.

Little Lemon Cake Bites recipe ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these Little Lemon Cake Bites:

–1 box lemon cake mix

–1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

–4 large eggs

–1 1/4 cups sour cream or yogurt

–1/2 cup milk

How to make Little Lemon Drop Mini Cupcake recipe

To make our Glazed Lemon Mini Cupcakes, you’ll first preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Coat mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  This recipe makes 75 mini cupcakes so I ended up baking 3 batches in my mini cupcake pan that holds 24 cupcakes.

Beat the ingredients for the mini lemon cupcakes in a large bowl with an electric mixer for several minutes until blended and smooth.

Fill each muffin hole about 1/2 way full.  I used a small cookie scoop and it worked perfectly! Bake each pan for about 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for about 2 minutes and then turn the muffin pan over on a wire rack so that all the muffins are upside down.

Cool completely and once all the batter is cooked, you can make the glaze.

Ingredients for Lemon Mini Cupcake Glaze 

To make the easy Lemon glaze, you’ll need:

–3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

–2 tsp grated lemon zest (I just used the zest from one lemon)

–2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

–1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I got exactly this amount from squeezing one large lemon)

–1/4 cup hot water

How to make Lemon Drop Mini Cupcake Glaze

To make the easy lemon glaze that you’ll dip each mini cupcake into, you first want to place wire cooling racks over waxed paper. This will minimize clean up a ton!

Beat the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Dip each mini cupcake into the glaze upside down. The bottom side of cupcakes are softer and actually absorb the glaze so much better. Set the cupcakes on a separate cooling rack, keeping them inverted. So the cupcake bottoms are now the tops!

Let the lemon drop cupcakes cool for 10-15 minutes, until the glaze is set.  Make sure to eat a few before placing them out for others or you’ll never get to try one!  Enjoy!

Can you freeze Lemon Drop Mini Cupcakes?

I recommend you freeze the mini cupcakes baked, but not dipped in the glaze. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or freezer bags for up to  3 months in the freezer. Once you’re ready to serve them, let them thaw on the countertop, then proceed with the instructions for making the glaze and dipping the cupcakes.

What to do with leftover lemon zest or lemon juice

Having lemon zest or lemon juice leftover is a fantastic problem to have! You can refrigerate both for up to a month, or freeze them for up to 6 months. Usually what I do is place them in an airtight container in the fridge, then after a week, if I still haven’t used them, I transfer them to the freezer. These are my favorite airtight containers to use- I love all the varying sizes they come in, and foods last so much longer in them!

If you love these Little Lemon Drops, take a look at some of these other refreshing recipes:

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