Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze from WeeliciousPin

Several years ago a new food vendor popped up at our local farmers’ market…and our lives were forever changed. Up until that point, my kids would belt out, “pupusas!”, the moment we set foot in the market, so addicted were they to the traditional Salvadoran corn masa dish one stand sells there. However, one day this new vendor appeared with a gorgeous display of pastries galore and Kenya and Chloe’s morning tune changed mighty quick. Hand-pies, croissants, tarts, galettes and more, each one more drool worthy than the next. Pupusas soon became a distant memory.

Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze from WeeliciousPin

As the years passed we started to become friendly with the tall gentleman manning the pastry table. He always smiled sweetly whenever my kids would beg him for a taste of one of his treats — which was always. I’m not one to allow a pastry to be the first thing in her kids’ tummies at 8am, so first we would shop around, loading up on all the fruit and veggie samples to be had, then finally end up back at the pastry vendor where I would buy my little ones a treat of their choice. Kenya enjoys trying something new and seasonal each week, but Chloe always points straight at the Meyer Lemon Cakes, which are topped with the most beautiful pink icing.

Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze from WeeliciousPin

After a few months of this routine I learned that the tall gentleman actually had a name, Stan, and that his wife, Valerie, was the culinary genius behind their business. Stan and Valerie have two young children, and every Sunday I would see them all around the market, buying tomatoes, strawberries and more from other farmers. It was a special sight, knowing that their baked goods were a family affair and also included the freshest ingredients possible to be sold at their shop.

Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze from WeeliciousPin

After years of working on it, Valerie’s first cookbook, Sweet, came out a few months ago — and oh how sweet it is! The book is spectacular, filled with desserts and pastries perfect for Valentine’s Day that will have you wanting to climb through the pages to grab a bite (or more) of them. I had the hardest time trying to single out one recipe to cook for this post, but Chloe made the decision easy as soon as she saw the picture of her favorite pink icing-adorned farmers’ market Meyer Lemon Cakes. The recipe is unbelievably easy and perfect for a birthday party since it makes 24 beautiful little cakes.

Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze from WeeliciousPin

Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings: 1
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup creme fraiche
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup grated Meyer lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened pomegranate juice

Instructions 

  • Heat the oven to 350F. Coat 24 large muffin cups with nonstick baking spray or butter.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Mix the creme fraiche, eggs, lemon zest, and juice together in a small bowl with a fork or small whisk. With the mixer on medium speed, alternately add the dry and wet ingredients in batches and continue beating until the batter is smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes.
  • Using a large ice cream scoop or a large spoon, scoop approximately 1/2 cup batter into each prepared muffin cup. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes appear matte and the shiny center has disappeared; do not bake until the cakes turn golden. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing them. Cool the cakes completely on a cooling rack before glazing, about 1 hour.
  • Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and pomegranate juice and stir with a small spatula until completely smooth. Let the glaze sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before using.

To Glaze the Cakes:

  • Pour the glaze into a wide shallow bowl. One at a time, pick up each cake, rotate the cake so the top is facing down, and dip it into the glaze. Carefully move the cake in a slow, circular motion so the entire surface is coated with glaze, then shake the cake gently so any excess glaze falls back in the bowl and put on a baking sheet. Put the cakes in a cool, dry area and let stand until the glaze loses its sheen and sets, about 20 minutes.
  • The glazed cakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

Published August 4, 2022 by Catherine McCord

Categorized in , , , , , , , ,

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

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Comments

  1. […] And now for couple of yummy treats… Above: I haven’t tested this recipe yet but these Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate glaze look divine. Find the recipe over at Weelicious. […]

  2. […] Maybe you’d prefer something a little more traditional?  How about these Meyer Lemon Tea Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze from Weelicious? […]

  3. Wow, these look so delicious! And that pink icing is soooooo cute on it 🙂

  14. This recipe would give me a reason to finally buy a bag of those lovely lemons when they show up at the grocery. Yay!

  18. My favorite dessert….that is a hard one. I like cookies, brownies, sticky buns, cakes, ice cream, but I think I’m sticking with rice crispy treats.

  19. I am always looking for healthy sweet treats for my boys, can’t wait to try this!

  20. This looks awesome – like a piece of spring/summer during this cold winter!! I can’t wait to surprise my family with it this weekend

  21. I tried these and unfortunately they did not work out. It’s my fault, as I misread the butter quantity and ended up using 4 1/2 sticks (thinking the 3/4 was for cup quantity). It’s too bad because when I tasted the batter, it had such good flavour. I ended up with really greasy and dense cupcakes, not to mention they took forever to bake 🙁

  24. My favorite dessert is sweet potato scones drizzled with caramel. Thank you!

  27. I actually have been eyeing this cookbook for a month or two! I stopped by at Valerie confections recently and saw the tea cakes on the Santa Monica Farmer’s market instagram page!! How random! My favorite dessert of all time has got to be creme brûlée with fresh raspberries on top from Little Next Door in LA. Buttery, creamy amazing texture with crisp layer of burnt sugar on top! AMAZING!

  28. Even though it is hard to choose, creme brulee is definitely one of my all time favorite desserts. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love lemon sweets, so I will have to give this a try.

  29. My. Little guy loves the whole wheat pancakes we found here on your website. He likes it when we add mashed banana to them.
    I also have a oatmeal cookie recipe that I add everything I can think of to. Grated carrots, nuts, cranberry, apricot, coconut… Whatever I have available. He loves them too. Good way to get him eating other dried fruit and nuts that he wouldn’t otherwise eat!
    Thanks for your recipes, he had liked all the ones I have tried so far.

    Denise

  30. My most favorite treats are sugar cookies made from a recipe my sister shared. What makes this recipe so special is that it uses shortening for all of the fat, no butter. The cookies are wonderfully soft and tender. Yum!

  32. So excited that I found you and this recipe!!! Looks amazing!!! 🙂

  33. My very favorite dessert of all time is the chocolate orange mousse cake at Cafe Lalo in NY. I miss it terribly.

  34. I would have to say one of my favorite sweets is my mom’s cherry cobbler, a nostalgic childhood memory! In the first grade they had us give our favorite recipe for a class cookbook and how we thought it was made, the ingredients, etc. I gave my first-grade “version” of this recipe and of course the parents gave the actual recipes.

  38. This recipe looks amazing. My kids love anything lemon. I just made some peanut butter bars with chocolate on top. No cook. Made it for the second time this week. Tastes like a peanut butter cup but much better.

  47. Cheesecake hands down. Not only is it delicious but a good childhood memory too

  48. I know we are not supposed to covet but, oh, how I wish I had a farmer’s market like yours.

    My favorite dessert? Anything with chocolate. Mmmm.

    But I must say, those little lemon cakes look delish!

  50. I wish these would magically appear on my table! They look delicious. My favorite dessert is what my family likes to call Black Forest Torte. Layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and layers of a hard chocolate with nuts in between. Mmmmm!

  53. These cakes look sooooo good! Lemon cake is one of my favorites and the pink icing is adorable!

  54. Favorite dessert? My family LOVES sweets so that is hard to say! My husband’s – next to ice cream – is my Kahlua cake cupcakes. My kids? probably about anything I give them. But an all-round favorite is chocolate chip cookies!

  56. This looks delicious! I love dark chocolate brownies and angel food cake with fresh strawberries on top. Thanks for the neat giveaway!

  57. Wow – that’s tough. I love whoopie pies, sticky buns, molasses cookies, gingerbread… I could keep going.

  58. I’m sometimes intimidated by baking, but this recipe seems do-able AND well worth any and all efforts! Thank you for sharing!

  61. Pumpkin cheesecake or anything with chocolate. Or lemon. Or cherries. I clearly can’t choose just one favorite!

  69. Added to pinterest as well! Looking forward to making these sweet light tea cakes to balance out the heavy chocolate suffle i love 🙂

  77. The recipes you share have had a huge impact on my cooking for my grandbaby! I found you when she was needing baby food and now she is 18 months old and I still check you out at least once a week for new ideas and recipes! Thanks for sharing!

  78. Lemon cake is my absolute favorite! Pinning to make for my birthday!

  80. […] without cookies or cake — so you’ll need a little baking session ahead of time. These Lemon Tea Cakes from Weelicious or Sugar Cookie Hearts would be […]

  85. 3 3/4 C butter? WOW!!! That is a lot of butter….almost 2 full pounds. I was going to make this, but I just can’t do it. lol

  87. Tiramisu is my favorite “fancy” dessert. I am also content with a bowl of ice cream. 🙂

  88. Hmm, it is hard to choose just one favorite. 🙂 I usually love anything with a fall time flavor, like pumpkin bread or maple flavored recipes.

  99. I’m sorry, I had to pick three! My favorites are chocolate molten cake, apple crisp, and cheesecake 🙂 thanks for the giveaway!

  101. My favorite dessert is just about anything chocolate and peanut butter, however I love cooking just about all desserts!

  110. This recipe sounds and looks so delicious! I and going to try making it in the near future!

  112. What cute little cakes. I also like a light cake like Angle Food with sliced strawberries and sauce.

  114. Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to making them at home since I don’t always make it to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market on Sundays.

  116. Mine is really a little sweet and savory…. Apricot and pesto marscapone cheese cake. It has a pine nut and wheat craker crust, a basil pesto layer, and is topped with dried apricots and an apricot glaze (apricot brandy and apricot preserves).

  118. Hi, I LOVE cake! So many flavors; the moistness of the cake topped with sweet, creamy frosting. They are so pretty too, and are an important decorative centerpiece to my celebrations. I can’t wait to try the Meyer Lemon Tea cakes. They are adorable! Perfect petit desserts for my 3 little princesses!

  125. My favorite sweet is Buckeye Balls! So many memories from my childhood, but we called them “boobies” 😉

  126. i love anything cherry or blueberry & i love baking everything from scratch, thanks, love cookbooks

  128. Molten lava cakes! Or chocolate pudding cake…they are both super easy and SOO gooey and delicious!

  137. My favorite dessert without a doubt is cheesecake,. My husband and son love my cranberry/ lemon scones. Homebaked pastries are my weakness.

  140. Hmm….this feels a bit like asking which of my children is my favorite… 😉

    I guess I’d have to go with chocolate pies.

  143. My favorite sweet is chocolate cake. Simple & delicious. And I’ll be making these this weekend. Thanks, Catherine!

  144. These look amazing, and what a great birthday party/shower idea! My current favorite sweet (30 weeks pregnant, so constantly changing :)) is Peanut Butter Chocolate Oat Balls.

  149. It’s a toss-up between good ol’ chocolate chip cookies or double chocolate banana bread.

  151. My favorite dessert is affogato. But I love the idea of meyer lemon cake paired with pomegranate icing and I’m making this tonight for kids’ parties tomorrow! SWEET looks like a great book.

  152. I have to confess that ice cream is my very favorite, but any chocolate baked good makes a delicious accompaniment!

  156. It’s a toss up between creme brulee and warm fruit crumble with ice cream!

  157. We love anything lemon in our house! Never paired it with pomegranate, sounds delish!!

  159. Belgian chocolate. Or cupcakes. Actually, I’m not that picky when it comes to dessert. 🙂

  160. Chocolate chip cheesecake that my Mom still makes me for my birthday every year!

  170. I love bread pudding – especially the souffled bread pudding topped with whiskey sauce.

  171. Favorite dessert is blueberry crisp with vanilla bean ice-cream! And thank you so much for all of your wonderfully delicious recipes…our entire family thanks you!

  172. My family and I love peach pie. And where we live in western Colorado, we get some great peaches in the summer!

  174. I can always go for a chocolate chip cookie…but love to indulge in warm molten chocolate cakes! Also love anything lemony-can wait to try these!

  176. I love love coconut, so I’m partial to desserts that feature coconut. Lately, I can’t resist coconut cupcakes!

  177. I love baking! My favorite dessert is anything chocolate. Like chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies. I was wondering what creme friche is?

  179. Family favorite dessert is always simply ice cream. Any flavor will do! My favorite dessert is cheesecake….any flavor will do!

  180. Yum! These look perfect for valentines day! My favorite is usually chocolate mouse- but going to try these instead 🙂

  184. Shared you on Google+ too. I can’t figure out sharing on Instagram or I would do it there too.

  190. I have so many favorites…Tapioca pudding…Banana Cream Pie….Banana Bread….I have it-Baklava. 🙂

  192. This looks so yummy! I’m a sucker for pie, especially if there’s chocolate involved…

  194. Hmmm…I may just make this for my daughter’s spring birthday party. She loves anything pink! Thanks – I’d love the book!

  195. Yum! What a lovely looking little cake, I will have to try it sometime I agree with the commenter about skipping the frosting, I am not much of a frosting lover!
    . I love cookbooks, it would be great to get one!

  200. Homemade chocolate chip cookies…delish and definitely a guilty pleasure.

  210. I like all sweets, especially anything topped with vanilla buttercream! These look great though and will be perfect to make on a snow day this week!

  211. My father’s devil’s food cake adapted from The Joy of Cooking! Wasn’t pretty, but always fabulous.

  214. This looks scrumptious!!! I love chocolate chip cookies( whole wheat and home made)!

  216. The lemon tea cakes with pomegranate frosting look delicious!
    The contest is reposted on my Facebook page, Pinterest board, Twitter account and typepad blog #WeeliciousGiveaways

  218. This would be the perfect treat for my daughters upcoming birthday party!

  219. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. The classics are classics for a reason!

  220. I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing! My favorite dessert is my grandmother’s cheesecake recipe!

  226. would live to try this recipe, i would probably skip the frosting, love cake by its self. thanks for another good one. Still making the lazy bbq chicken my new favorite!!

  228. Thank you for the recipe! For me, it’s hard to beat a freshly made from scratch cinnamon roll.

  231. My favorite all time dessert has got to be chocolate chip cookies. My dad makes the best and I will continue his recipe.

  232. These look yummy and beautiful! FAvorite dessert would be flourless chocolate cake.

  234. Those look darling! And what a great story. We love farmers markets.

  235. I’m super jealous that you live near and get to frequent the market where this woman does business!! I saw this cookbook featured on Food Network and another blog I follow. Can’t wait to try!! My favorite desserts are all actually breakfasts. I love pastries so so much, so cinnamon rolls and monkey bread, I just make them super decadent and call them dessert 🙂

  237. this looks delicious! i’d love to see what other wonders the cookbook holds.

  238. I’m with Chloe, give me lemon over chocolate any day. My family all chocolate but then my birthday would roll around and every year lemon lemon lemon. Over forty and I still have never grown out of it. Recipe looks delicious can’t wait to try it. Thank you!

  239. How cute are these?? I never would have thought to cook them in a muffin pan and flip them before putting the glaze on.. What a clever idea?!

  248. My favorite dessert is cheesecake…but I haven’t met too many desserts that I don’t like!

  252. Love those lovely little cakes and the adventures you have at your farmer’s market 🙂 My favourite pastry is an eclaire xo

  253. Fresh fruit tart. I make the vanilla cookie crust using yogurt. Then it is topped with a vanilla/lemon cream cheese spread. Finally, top it with a lot of fresh berries. YUMMY!

  254. These look amazing! I have gestational diabetes right now, but look forward to making them after the baby gets here!! (as if I’ll have time) 🙂

  257. I can rarely choose one… I love sweet cheese Danishes, black and white cookies and red velvet cupcakes.

  259. White Chocolate Cheesecake, but these look AMAZING! I will have to try them this weekend!

  261. Lemon is my favorite!! Our wedding cake = lemon. When I was pregnant, I made something lemon weekly. These look delicious!

  264. ooh boy, hard to choose, but I’d have to say good old chocolate-chip cookies!

  265. I’ve pinned this giveaway on Pinterest! Such a cute little cake! I can see why Chloe adores it!

  268. Oh! These are cute cakes! and with a pink glaze to boot! Love the simple ingredients!

  273. Would love to try this recipe. I like to make this for a 2 year old girl’s birthday party!

  280. truffles….my current obsession & the reason for the sad number on my scale!!

  281. Chocolate mousse! I can never get enough and it’s so hard to find. I should just learn how to make it myself.

  282. I can’t wait to try this recipe. These cakes are perfect for Easter or a spring tea party.

  283. I have a huge sweet tooth! Choosing just one favorite is almost impossible so I would have to say anything that combines dark chocolate, peanut butter and whipped cream would win! thanks for the chance!

  289. What a great story! I am definitely making this special treat and would LOVE to win the cookbook 🙂

  292. I love desserts and pastries! buttery plain croissants and a vanilla layer cake! yellow pastries and desserts like the meyer lemon cake too 🙂

  296. My dad makes me this chocolate Hazelnut gateaux for my birthday every year. It is seriously to die for.

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