Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbs granulated sugar (For the cake)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (for candied lemons)
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 lemons + zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup water
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

Let’s make the candied lemons (the centerpiece!) first. You want to make these at least 20 hours before baking to allow the slices to properly set.

• Thinly slice your 2 lemons into 12 slices.
• Add a few cups of water and your granulated sugar into a pot. Once boiling, add your lemons and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. The longer you wait, the sweeter your lemon slices will be! Be sure to not boil them for too long, the sugar could start to burn rather quickly! Cover and allow to sit for at least 20 hours.
• Once you’re ready to make your batter, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Mix your dry and wet ingredients together in a separate bowl and slowly incorporate them together.
• Generously grease your cupcake pan and add one candied lemon slice to the bottom of each vessel.
• Add one ice cream scoop of batter (or carefully eyeball) into the cupcake pans. The lemon cakes will rise quite a bit, so be sure to not fill up the cups more than halfway with batter.
• Let your lemon cakes bake for 20 minutes and allow to completely cool once completed. You can stick a toothpick in one of the cakes to see if they are ready; if the toothpick comes out clean, you are all set!
• After your desserts are cool, diligently remove from the pan and serve with powdered sugar.