Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 10 g baking powder
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 2 lemon zest
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs, room temperature, large
- 120 g plain yogurt or sour cream
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 30 ml lemon juice
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Lemon Drizzle
- 60 ml lemon juice
- 50 g granulated sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 242 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 34 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 18 g
- Sodium
- 173 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 31 mg
- Potassium
- 70 mg
- Calcium
- 78 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 6 mg
- Phosphorus
- 76 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 18 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 0 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.05 mg
- Niacin
- 0.3 mg
- Folate
- 11 mcg
- Water
- 17 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, rub the lemon zest into the 150g of sugar with your fingertips until the sugar resembles wet sand and is fragrant.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the lemon-sugar mixture and whisk well to combine.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil, 30ml lemon juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; a few lumps are fine.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, mix the 60ml lemon juice and 50g granulated sugar in a small bowl for the drizzle. Do not dissolve the sugar completely.
Remove muffins from the oven and immediately poke several holes in each muffin using a skewer or toothpick.
Spoon the lemon drizzle over the hot muffins, allowing it to soak in while the sugar crystals remain on top for crunch.
Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Chef's Notes
- Rubbing the zest into the sugar is the secret to a professional bakery flavor; it extracts essential oils that would otherwise be lost.
- Using oil instead of butter ensures the muffins stay moist for days, even when refrigerated.
- For the classic 'drizzle' crunch, use granulated sugar for the topping rather than caster or powdered sugar.
- These muffins freeze beautifully; just wrap them individually after they have completely cooled.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze without the drizzle for best results, or wrap tightly with drizzle applied.
Reheating: Microwave for 10-15 seconds to restore fluffiness.
Troubleshooting
Muffins are tough or have tunnels inside
Cause: The batter was overmixed after adding wet ingredients
Fix: Serve warm with butter to mask the texture
Prevention: Fold gently using a spatula just until flour disappears
Muffins are soggy
Cause: Left in the tin too long after drizzling
Fix: Dry out in a low oven (100°C) for 5 minutes
Prevention: Remove from tin after 10 minutes to let steam escape
Cultural Context
The 'Lemon Drizzle' is a stalwart of British baking, traditionally a loaf cake served at afternoon tea. This muffin variation adapts that beloved tart-and-sweet profile into a portable format, retaining the signature crunchy sugar topping that defines the style.
