Add the sugar and egg to a large bowl and mix using a fork or balloon whisk. Add in the butter and vanilla extract, stir, and then add in the yogurt and stir to combine. Next combine the flour and baking soda and add into the mixture along with the lemon zest. Stir everything together using a wooden spoon.
Grease a 12 hole muffin tin and fill the holes almost to the top with the cake mixture (cake cases are optional, but you’ll find that the muffins will be lighter in appearance if you use muffin cases). You should get 10-11 muffins from this recipe. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 13-15 minutes until risen and browned. Once cooked, take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling further on a cooling rack.
Whilst the cupcakes are in the oven, make the sugared lemons. Place the water and sugar into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes – until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon slices and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. Place the 2 tbsp sugar in a small bowl, then drain the lemon slices and dredge in the sugar. Place them in a single layer on plate to dry.
When the muffins are cool, make the lemon drizzle by using a balloon whisk or fork to mix the confectioner’s sugar with 1 tbsp of lemon juice. You’re looking for a drizzle that holds it’s shape for a 4-5 seconds after you lift the whisk. Add more of the lemon juice if required until you reach the correct consistency.
Drizzle the icing over the muffins, then top each muffin with a wedge of lemon and serve.
Notes
The lemon wedges will start to turn sticky after a few hours, so it’s best to serve the muffins right away, or alternatively you can leave off the lemon wedges, and re-dust them in more sugar right before serving the muffins.