Sour lemon cakes recipe

Ingredients

• 2 sticks plus 1½ tablespoons (245 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
• 1¾ cups (175 g) cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup (61 g) full-fat plain yogurt
• ½ cup Olive Oil Lemon Curd
• 1 tablespoon dark rum, whiskey, or brandy (optional)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• ¾ cup (94 g) confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup Olive Oil Lemon Curd
• 3 teaspoons whole milk
• Candied lemon zest and edible flowers for decoration (optional)

Make the Cakes
1. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin or lemon-shaped individual cake pan.
2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light colored and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the yogurt, lemon curd, rum, if using, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix until incorporated.
4. Incorporate the flour mixture into the batter in three additions, mixing on low speed after each addition, just until no dry bits of flour remain. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups (a scant ¼ cup in each cup) and lightly rap the pan on the counter to dislodge any air pockets in the batter.
5. Bake the cakes until a cake tester inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
6. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 30 minutes. Set a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Turn the cakes out onto the wire rack. Allow the cakes to cool completely before glazing.
Make the Lemon Butter Glaze
7. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon curd and mix to combine. Add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time to thin the glaze to the consistency of runny honey.
8. Spoon the glaze over each cake and, if desired, top with candied lemon zest, edible flowers, or both! The cakes keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.