LEMON POUND CAKE MUFFINS (SF)

 Each week when I look for a sugar-free recipe to make for the Cafe Treats for those people who are diabetic or just watching their intake of sugar, I sometimes find a recipe in a cookbook that uses all sorts of ingredients to reduce the sugar, such as no-sugar-added fruit or they use sugar substitutes of which there are a number of different sugar-substitutes on the market. Stevia is my personal favorite, but that is just one product out there. 

If a recipe calls for a cake mix other than chocolate, I will use a Zero-Sugar yellow cake mix and add flavoring or spices to make it closer to being the special cake mix the recipe calls for. It might not be exactly taste like it would if I used a lemon cake mix, for example, but it will be close enough without all of the sugar in a regular cake mix. I can also buy a Zero-Sugar Devil's Food cake mix that I will use for any kind of chocolate cake.

Otherwise, I find a recipe that doesn't call for a lot of sugar and just substitute stevia for the sugar. I also buy a brown sugar that uses stevia and even a powdered sugar that is made with stevia. These products might cost a little more than just sugar, brown sugar, or powdered sugar, but I make the choice to reduce my sugar intake.

This recipe for Lemon Pound Cake Muffins actually is made from scratch and not with a lemon cake mix. That made it easier to make it sugar-free. The recipe was meant to be made as regular sized muffins and I made mini-muffins so I had to adjust the baking time. I ended up baking the mini-muffins one minute too long so they were a little darker than I would have liked, but they still tasted good. 

One reason I think they were so good is beating the sugar and butter for 5 to 7 minutes. I beat mine half way in the middle for 6 minutes. This adds so much air to the creamed mixture so the muffins are not heavy tasting. I also set the butter out until it was softened naturally. Melted butter creates a different baked good and it is hard to soften butter just right in the microwave.

I used two different mini-muffin pans and they are not exactly the same size cup even though they are both mini-muffin pans. I used the smaller one first and used my tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out the batter for each muffin. With the second pan, I used my 1-1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop and it made a nicer mini-muffin. I wish I had made 24 mini-muffins using it, but then I would not have had 10 extra mini-muffins. Next time I make mini-muffins I will use the "larger" pan and just have maybe 24 mini-muffins.

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LEMON POUND CAKE MUFFINS (SF)

1/2       cup butter (1 stick), softened (room temperature)

1          cup sugar (or sugar substitute such as stevia)

2          large eggs, at room temperature

1/2       cup sour cream (I used low-fat sour cream)

1          teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2       teaspoon lemon extract (ok to use 1 teaspoon)

1-3/4    cups flour

1/2       teaspoon salt

1/4       teaspoon baking soda

GLAZE

2          cups powdered sugar (I used 1/2 cup powdered sugar made with stevia)

3          tablespoons lemon juice (I used about 2 tablespoons to make the desired consistency)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until

light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. (Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.)

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in the sour cream and extracts.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and

add to the creamed mixture just

until moistened (with a spoon or spatula).

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. (I used a cookie scoop to measure out batter to fill the mini-muffin pan cups.)

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes for mini muffins or 18 to 20 minutes for 12 regular sized muffins. 

Cool for 5 minutes before

removing from the pan to a wire rack. May need to use a knife to help remove the muffins.

Prepare the glaze ingredients while the muffins are baking by added the lemon juice to the powdered sugar. I used less amount of the powdered sugar than the recipe called for. I brushed the tops of the muffins with a rubber brush to ice the muffins. Store in an airtight container. May warm them up slightly in the microwave when ready to serve. 

Since I made 10 of the slightly large mini-muffins using 1-1/2 tablespoons of batter, I poured a little bit of water in the cups I didn't use so that the muffins would bake evenly.

I hope you give these muffins a try. Using the lemon juice with the powdered sugar gives a nice lemon taste when you bite into the muffin.