Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners, because nobody wants a sticky situation later. Measure ¼ cup of sugar in the raw into a small bowl and set it aside—this will be the sparkle on top.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer if you're feeling old-school), beat the eggs and ¾ cup of white sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Stir in half the lemon zest and the half-and-half, giving it a little extra love for flavor.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it's melted, toss in the remaining lemon zest. Let the zest steep in the hot butter for 5 minutes off the heat—this step is fancy but worth it. Strain out the zest (bye, zest!) and set the butter aside.

While the egg mixture is whipping, slowly drizzle in the melted butter. You’re making an emulsion here, so pour like you’re fancy—slow and steady.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture while stirring. Be patient—the batter will get thick enough to double as a gym workout.

Spoon the thick batter into your prepared cupcake liners, filling each one halfway. Don’t overdo it—these little guys like to rise and shine.

Sprinkle a pinch of that reserved sugar in the raw on top of each cupcake for a crunchy, caramelized crown.

Place the cupcake pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean (or mostly clean—let’s be real, who waits for it to be perfect?).

Let the Magdalenas cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Now, try not to eat one straight out of the oven—unless you’re okay with a burnt tongue (we’ve all been there).