Lemon Bites – Lemon Blossoms made with a Cake Mix
Lemon Bites are delicious bite-sized lemon cupcakes topped off with homemade lemon glaze. Many times referred to as Lemon Blossoms, these mini lemon cupcakes are delicious bite-sized treats made with a lemon cake mix and vanilla pudding mix! A mini muffin pan, donut pan, or even a mini bundt cake pan is used to bake these amazing mini lemon cakes. The easy lemon glaze soaks into the mini cupcakes, donuts, or mini bundts and is a simple, incredibly delicious lemon cake mix recipe!
This recipe is very similar to Paula Deen’s lemon blossoms, but of course, I can’t help using a cake mix and changing up an already good recipe. I love using cake mixes to make easy dessert recipes. These mini lemon cupcakes taste just like a lemon drop bite.
Ingredients for Lemon Blossoms
To make these amazing lemon bites, you will just need a few ingredients.
- Lemon Cake Mix – A Lemon cake mix is what makes this recipe so so easy. If you can’t find one, a butter cake mix with lemon zest or substitute the vanilla pudding for lemon.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix – With the lemon cake mix, you will want to use a vanilla pudding. But if you can’t find a lemon cake mix, use lemon pudding with the white or butter cake mix.
- Eggs – Whole large eggs set out to room temperature.
- Butter – The real butter deal. You will be melting the butter so no need to get it up to room temperature.
- Milk – 2% milk is what I used in the recipe but any kind can work.
- Powdered Sugar – Confectioners sugar to make that amazing lemon glaze for the top of the lemon bites.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed is what I recommend but the bottled lemon juice can work too.
How to Make Lemon Drop Bites
Making these simple lemon blossoms starts by mixing the lemon cake mix and vanilla pudding together in a large bowl. Then add the eggs and melted butter to the mixture. Beat the liquids and dry ingredients together. The batter will be fairly thick.
Spray with cooking spray a mini cupcake pan, donut pan, or mini bundt cake pan to make these lemon bites. My go-to for this recipe is the mini cupcake pan. I also love the silicone mini cupcake pans. However, the silicon pans to be more shallow than the metal mini cupcakes pans. Let me tell you, do not fill the cupcake tins. They will grow as they bake. Half to three-quarters full will be plenty of fill.
Bake the mini cupcakes for 12 minutes at 350°. My oven doesn’t bake evenly so I turn the pan halfway through baking.
While the mini lemon drop cupcakes are baking, make the lemon glaze. Make the glaze by mixing the milk, lemon juice, and powdered sugar.
The lemon bites will be sponge or springy to the touch when they are done. Let cool for several minutes and remove from the pan.
Then dip the tops of the mini cupcakes in the lemon glaze. Set the lemon blossoms on a cooling rack or plate.
Let the lemon bites cool and the glaze harden.
Variations to the Lemon Mini Muffins
If you are loving these lemon mini muffins and want to try other flavor combinations, here are some ideas for cake mix muffin bites.
- Apple Cider Donut Muffins – Use a spice cake mix or yellow cake mix with apple cider for the apple cider donut mini muffins. Get the exact apple cider donut recipe.
- Birthday Cake Muffins – Use a white cake mix and vanilla pudding and add sprinkles to make Birthday cake mini muffins.
- Banana Nut Muffins – Use a yellow cake mix and banana pudding or mashed bananas and chopped walnuts for the bite-sized banana muffins.
Other Cake Mix Recipes to Try:
I love the easiness baking with a cake mix provides. A yellow cake mix is the perfect base for so many great recipes. Here are some of my favorite cake mix recipes.
Lemon Bites
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix
- 1 box vanilla instant pudding
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Mix the cake mix and pudding mix together. Then add the melted butter and eggs.
- Beat for at least 1 minute. Batter will be thick.
- Spray mini cupcake pan with cooking spray. Fill the muffin tins half full with batter.
- Bake for 12-minutes. Turn halfway through if the oven bakes unevenly.
- Prepare the lemon glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice together. Add more milk if the glaze is too thick. Add more powdered sugar if too runny.
- When the bites are bakes, let cool for five minutes. Then remove from the pan by running a knife around the tin and then dip into the lemon glaze.
- Let cool and then enjoy.
Nutrition
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The lemon cupcakes look delish. , but I’m not suppose to eat a lot of carbs.
Well, one little cupcake may be your carbs for the whole day then!
What size of instant vanilla pudding small or large
Small sized package.
I have been making these lemon blossoms for years. I donโt use milk in the glaze only use oil, powdered sugar, lots of lemon zest and almost a cup of lemon juice. I also dunk the entire little cupcake in the glaze then drain on a rack They freeze extremely well if you have any left over. They make 5 dozen if you are only filling the pans half full. Over filling will create a top that comes off when they are dunked. People go crazy over these little guys. Try strawberry blossoms with strawberry cake mix and vanilla pudding. Put crushed strawberries in the glaze along with the lemon and lemon zest. Really tasty.
What do you use for your glaze?? Thanks! Can’t wait to try these!
lemon juice, powdered sugar and a little milk -https://www.beyerbeware.net/lemon-bites-lemon-blossoms-made-with-a-cake-mix/#recipe
what size vanilla pudding mix 4oz or 6oz
the 4 ounce
if you use a cake mix with the pudding already in do you use the small van pudding
I would.
Could you use lemon pudding?
you sure can!
When making I would use jumbo muffin linersโฆ can you tell me approx baking timeโฆIโm sure it would be more than double the time fir mini muffinsโฆThank you
If you are making twice as large muffins, I would double the time.
I use the lemon pudding not vanilla so much better with lemon pudding
Iโm looking forward to trying these asap! The pudding? Instant or cook kind? Thank you
Instant!
can you use mini cupcake liner?
Absolutely.
What size pudding for the Lemon Bites?
Oh sorry, I just read all the comments and got my answer!๐
Can you make these as regular size muffins?
You sure can. They will just need to bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Likely double the time.
I’ve made this recipe at least three times….always excellent….I also use less milk and more lemon juice just because we like it really lemony!!!! Highly recommend this recipe!!!
Is there a way to make these eggnog blossoms with a rum glaze?
Hey Leah! Thanks for this recipe. I used a little more lemon juice because my daughter just loves lemon desserts. I made this so quickly! I also used the mini cupcake liners & dipped the tops only in the glaze. I made the glaze a little thicker, I think than yours, but only because I was only dipping the tops. Perfect lemon on-the-go treat inspiration for the holiday! Thanks again!
I am a house hold of two people over 60. Smaller meal sizes recipes ๐
Could these be frozen after baking ?
Delicious I used a cake pop pan made perfect round balls
Hi I made this before, and it was perfect..
now I want to do it for a ladies lunch next Thurs, would like to freeze..
would you suggest icing after thawed or is it ok to freeze with icing
I honestly think both would work but doing the icing after you thawed them could make them taste fresher.
Thank you for a recipe NOT using lemon ‘zest’. Ick! I don’t eat citrus peelings! These look great, seem to be simple & I WILL be making these for Superbowl this weekend!