• Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with butter and flour, and line the bottom with parchment paper. (See recipe notes.) Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
  
  
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter, vegetable oil, sugar and pudding mix until light and smooth. Cream in the sour cream. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure each is well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. The batter should be thick and pillowy soft.
• Mix in half of the flour mixture on low speed, followed by the buttermilk and then the remaining flour. Mix until just incorporated. The batter will still be thick and soft.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top lightly springs back when you touch it. (I actually recommend testing it in several places.) Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping it out onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely.

Assembling the Cake Pops

• Make the frosting while the cake is cooling. Cream the butter, Crisco, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and fluffy.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Once the cake is cool, use your hands and break it into crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Mix in 4-5 teaspoons of frosting with your hands until the crumbs begin to hold shape.
• Use a medium-sized cookie dough scoop to form cake balls that are slightly larger than 1 inch. Use your hands to tighten and smooth each one. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. You should end up with 40-45 cake balls.
• Chill the cake balls in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Decorating the Cake Pops

• Once the cake pops have been in the fridge for an hour, melt one bag of white chocolate wafers in a heat-proof measuring cup in the microwave. (Don't use a measuring cup with a wide mouth.) Follow the melting instructions on the bag. Let the melted chocolate rest for 5 minutes.
• While the chocolate is cooling slightly, prepare any decorations you're using. Put the sanding sugar and/or sprinkles in small bowls for easy access and get out the food coloring.
• If you're using food coloring, put in a few drops once the chocolate has cooled for 5 minutes.
• Only take a couple of cake balls out of the fridge at a time. Use your hands to tighten and smooth them a little more. Then dip the end of a cake pop stick in the white chocolate, and stick it about 2/3 into the cake ball. Dip the cake pop straight down into the white chocolate and immediately back up. (See recipe notes.) Don't swirl it around. Tap the stick gently on the side of the measuring cup to remove any excess chocolate. Do this for about 20 seconds before adding any sanding sugar or sprinkles. Place the cake pop back in the fridge on the baking sheet, stick end up.
• Continue until you've used up the first batch of chocolate. Each bag should be enough for 14-16 cake pops. Repeat this process with the remaining two bags.
• Once the cake pops are set, they're ready to serve. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. (I often store leftovers in a ziplock bag in the freezer.) Enjoy!