Raspberry Lemon Bakery Style Muffins (small batch)

Fluffy and tall muffins packed with raspberries, lemon zest and juice. They are crusty on the top and tender inside, not to mention the batter makes 6 perfect muffins.

I think muffins get a bad rep. They are looked at as dry, dense, heavy and only something you would buy from a bakery because they look pretty. These muffins are here to change your mind. My bakery style blueberry muffins are so good and honestly a winner but these raspberry lemon muffins are perfect for summer. They are fresh, zesty and fruity not to mention the batter makes 6 large muffins that don’t leave you with too many leftovers. You could make them into smaller muffins but they are best in this bakery style. Also if you are making them smaller you would need to bake them for 2-3 minutes lesser. So let us get to it.

What are muffins?

Muffins are individual baked treats. They can be savory or sweet. They are considered to be quick cakes as they are made quickly and fuss free. It doesn’t take much time to make the dough/batter to prepare. They are not as tender as a sponge cake and not as dense as a quick bread, they are fluffy and soft though.

What is the difference between muffins and cupcakes?

Muffins are quick cakes and baked in an all in one method (everything is added tint the bowl and whisked) also, it could be all wet ingredients whisked and then all dry ingredients whisked with it. Either way it is a quick cake recipe, muffins don’t have any frosting or glaze – most often than not. Cupcakes always have frosting and they are more tender in texture.

What are bakery style muffins?

Bakery style muffins are those that are tall and huge. They are the ones you see on a bakery display shelf which look so inviting. Most often than not, when baking muffins they have a dome on the top, bakery style muffins have a larger dome on top making them look bigger in size. They are bigger in size in fact.

What ingredients are needed to make these small batch Raspberry Lemon Bakery Style Muffins?

To make these muffins we need wet and dry ingredients. For the wet ingredients we need eggs, lemon juice, melted butter, milk, yogurt and vanilla. For the dry ingredients we need castor sugar, all purpose flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking, soda, lemon zest and salt. I have use a little granulated sugar on the top but also used fresh raspberries to make this muffin batter.

What substitutes can you use to make these small batch Raspberry Lemon Bakery Style Muffins?

To keep this muffin recipe eggless you can use 2 flaxseed eggs (1 flaxseed egg is 1 tbsp flaxseed powder mixed with 2 tbsp water, stir until it mixed and set it aside to form a gel like consistency), use as needed in the recipe. For the milk, yogurt and butter you can use a dairy free option to keep these vegan. I have tried this recipe with gluten free flour mix, cup for cup measure and it works perfectly, Bobs Red Mill to be precise. You can add pistachios, white chocolate chips or any other nuts or chocolate you like into these muffins.

What equipment is needed to make these small batch Raspberry Lemon Bakery Style Muffins?

To make these muffins we need a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine the wet ingredients. Once we add the dry ingredients and fresh raspberries I like to go in with a rubber spatula and mix it up. The batter is portioned using an ice cream scoop or a 1/2 cup measure. For the muffin liners, you could use store bought but I like to use baking paper cut into squares, push them into the cavity of the muffin tray and allow them to come up on the sides. The muffins are baked in the oven.

How to make these small batch Raspberry Lemon Bakery Style Muffins?

Start by preheating the oven to 220℃, line a muffins/cupcake tray with paper cases or just use square sheets of baking paper and push them into the cavity of the tray. We need the cases to be larger in size to ensure it holds the batter while baking. In a large bowl add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub together until the sugar smells like lemons, around 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla and whisk until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, castor sugar, raspberries, lemon juice and using a rubber spatula stir together until combined. Do not over mix. Scoop 1/2 cup worth of batter into the lined muffin tray, alternating each mould, this helps them rise while baking. If you don’t have a large enough tray, bake the batter in batches. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.

If you want tall muffins that look like bakery style muffins then this is what you need to do: Bake for 5 minutes at 220℃, turn the oven down to 180℃ and bake for 20 mins until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the tray and let them cool on a wire rack.

Storing these small batch Raspberry Lemon Bakery Style Muffins?

The leftover muffins can be stored in air tight containers or zip lock bags in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks. When ready to eat them, let it come to room temperature and warm them in the microwave for 20 seconds. I prefer the muffins warm when eating.

Looking for more muffin recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this small batch raspberry lemon muffins recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.