Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting

 

I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for ages, like literally a year. My sister Jacqueline had tasted one and said I had to make them. I'm a huge fan of poppy seed bread (dangerously so) and so I was only too happy to bake them. There was only one problem...............trying to find poppy seeds!

I tried everywheerree. They didn't want to be found.

So when I spotted on my daily dose of bloglovin' that a fellow baker/blogger, Hazel from cupcakery had found them. I couldn't have been happier. I purchased a 1kg bag so be prepared to be bombarded with poppy seed recipes :)

These cupcakes are zesty lemony goodness. They are honestly the nicest lemon cupcakes I've ever tasted. The poppy seeds add lovely little dots of crunch. They are light and perfectly lemony. I went with a vanilla buttercream to balance the zesty cake. It was moist,lemony with a little crunch,they are delicious!

Recipe for Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Makes 12

Ingredients

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

• 175g butter, softened
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 60ml full fat milk, room temperature
• zest of 2 lemons
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• 225g unsalted butter,softened
• 400g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp full fat milk, room temperature

Instructions

Lemon and Poppy seed Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
   
2. In large bowl, beat butter until completely softened. Add caster sugar and beat until light and fluffy. This may take a few minutes. Gradually add eggs and beat until well combined. Add milk,lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well.
3. Gently fold in flour and poppy seeds until mixture is well combined.
4. Bake in oven for 12-15mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Try and avoid temptation (which nearly killed me!) and leave cool on wire rack.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1. In a large bowl, beat butter until extremely softened and almost fluffy.
2. Add icing sugar and slowly beat working up to full speed. If you go full speed straight away you will end up with an icing sugar cloud and it goes everywhere......been there!
3. Add milk and vanilla extract and beat mixture until light and fluffy.
4. Pipe or just dollop on cooled cupcakes.....mmmm!

These cupcakes are honestly so good........I'm baking them again this weekend!

Happy Thursday :)

Shirley x