Lemon Bombs

The source of this recipe (originally called Lemon Blossoms, which I find too immasculating) is from Food Network and is attributed to Paula Deen.  My Mother-in-law made these for one of her dinner parties and I was hooked.  The cupcakes are bite-sized, are simple to make and will be eaten before they go bad.  I brought them to a family rebellion and my uncle, Bill, was over-heard saying he would marry the person who brought them to the picnic.  He was a bit shocked to learn that it was his nephew who baked them.  (Is there no end to the immascuating!)

Makes 5 Dozen.

Time Required:

• 1 hour of cooking,
• 1 hour for cooling

Ingredients

• 18½-ounce package yellow cake mix
• 3½-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. (Filling more than half will have batter spilling above the top of the cups, which tend to break apart when turned out from the pans. ) Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a clean dish towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.