Simple Summer Pound Cake Lemon Muffins

Lemon desserts are all the refreshing rage during spring and summer months – really, all year long. From lemon muffins to lemon pies to lemon bars to lemon cobbler to lemon cookies, people just can’t get enough lemon in their lives.

This simple pound cake lemon dessert recipe is quick and easy to make. The muffins bake up moist and full of lemon flavor, thanks to lemon extract. Never used lemon extract before? Lemon is extracted from ripe lemons and adds a pure lemon flavor to cakes, muffins, pies, frostings and other desserts.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 3/4 cups flour
large pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
powdered sugar, for dusting

Recipe Notes

Instead of dusting these lemon cupcakes with powdered sugar, you can top them with a lemon glaze. Simply stir together 2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the cupcakes after baking.

Instead of buttering the muffin cups, you could use baking liners.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon extract.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir it into the wet ingredients until must moistened. Spoon the batter into 12 buttered muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.
Bake in a preheated 400-degree F oven for about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool before dusting with powdered sugar.