Lemon & poppyseed cupcakes

Lemon & poppyseed cupcakes

These zesty cupcakes look so gorgeous you won't want to eat them, but once you start you won't be able to stop

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 12

Easily doubled

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 40 mins

Cook time

Cook 22 mins

Plus cooling
Freezable

Can be frozen un-iced

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake or muffin cases. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds together in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs into the yogurt, then tip this into the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Mix together with a wooden spoon or whisk until lump-free, then divide between the cases. Bake for 20-22 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean - the cakes will be quite pale on top still. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, then carefully lift onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  2. To ice, beat the softened butter until really soft in a large bowl, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and lemon juice. Stir in enough food colouring for a pale lemon colour, then spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.
  3. Ice one cake at a time, holding the piping bag almost upright with the nozzle about 1cm from the surface of the cake. Pipe one spiral of icing around the edge, then pause to break the flow before moving the nozzle towards the centre slightly and piping a second, smaller spiral that continues until there are no gaps in the centre. Slightly 'dot' the nozzle into the icing as you stop squeezing to finish neatly. Repeat to cover all the cakes, then top with sugar decorations or scatter with sprinkles.

Per serving

529 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 66g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 1g, sugar 51g, salt 0.75 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 101-120

  • Binder photo tinyclanger

    21 April 2011

    tinyclanger rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    delicious cupcakes and very easy to make!

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  • Binder photo BlondeBaker

    22 April 2011

    BlondeBaker rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These turned out beautifully and were yummy! I used little chicks and mini eggs to decorate for easter and they looked so cute!

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  • Binder photo Gayle_Adam

    25 April 2011

    Gayle_Adam rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great recipe. Cupcakes kept well for 4 days. Used zest from a very large lemon - perfect!

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  • Binder photo Maddy

    27 April 2011

    Maddy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely gorgeous. Made these for work and they went down a storm. I used Greek Yoghurt, didn't toast the poppy seeds and didn't ice them (halved the calories). The best looking muffins I've made! I will defintiely be making them again!!!

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  • Binder photo gemmaford

    27 April 2011

    gemmaford rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Amazing cakes i have been putting lemon curd in the middle of them taste even more fab.

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  • Binder photo Janet M

    28 April 2011

    Janet M rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fabulous! Replaced lemon with Rose Water and made them pink! And so easy to make!

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  • Binder photo gillianimation

    01 May 2011

    gillianimation commented on this recipe

    Very nice recipe, but you could half the buttercream icing recipe. It made far too much for mine!

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  • Binder photo Helen

    03 May 2011

    Helen commented on this recipe

    Very lemony although adding the juice of one lemon made the icing too runny!maybe my lemon was bigger than the recipe. Only one of my children would eat them so not a complete hit

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  • Binder photo Abaddon

    03 May 2011

    Abaddon rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Sooo easy! Sooo delic!

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  • Binder photo scarymary4u

    05 May 2011

    scarymary4u rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These cupcakes are devine! My man prefers cream cheese frosting to butter cream, so I made a lemon one to put on half the cakes, and used this recipe's butter cream for the rest. Even I find butter cream a bit to much at times, but this one is well balanced with the lemon. Light, tasty cakes which were polished off very quickly, easy to make, and I may just keep this as my main cupcake recipe now and just adapt it to suit different flavours.

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  • Binder photo spacemanspiff

    07 May 2011

    spacemanspiff commented on this recipe

    delicious cupcake, so light and moist, I only baked mine for 18 mins and they were perfect, have made them about 4 times now. Kept well for a few days. Everyone loved them.

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  • Binder photo spacemanspiff

    07 May 2011

    spacemanspiff commented on this recipe

    delicious cupcake, so light and moist, I only baked mine for 18 mins and they were perfect, have made them about 4 times now. Kept well for a few days. Everyone loved them.

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  • Binder photo yamuk

    11 May 2011

    yamuk rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo cherie stachura

    11 May 2011

    cherie stachura commented on this recipe

    Has anyone made one large cupcake for a special occassion and if so how did it turn out?

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  • Binder photo willow81

    12 May 2011

    willow81 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Nom nom nom. That is all.

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  • Binder photo Keavy

    15 May 2011

    Keavy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I make these a lot but add the juice of the lemons as well as the zest to make it really taste of lemon. I just added a small amount of flour if it's too runny. Great recipe!

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  • Binder photo KazzaC

    15 May 2011

    KazzaC rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these for a friend's birthday. They were really easy and very light. Everyone loved them. Have just made my second batch a week later at my boyfriend's request as he liked them so much! I agree with the comments on the icing - I halved the quantities the second time. This was plenty and I have a sweet tooth. Also, didn't have poppy seeds but they are still yummy without. Would recommend.

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  • Binder photo yndlovu

    17 May 2011

    yndlovu rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    very simple and absolutely Delish

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  • Binder photo healthyvegitarian

    20 May 2011

    healthyvegitarian rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Very light, but quite dry. Not quite as much of a lemon flavor as I would have liked. And added extra lemon.

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  • Binder photo Little_Lauren

    28 May 2011

    Little_Lauren commented on this recipe

    Where can you buy poppy seeds?! Tesco didn't seem to sell them...and they sell most things!

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 12

Easily doubled

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 40 mins

Cook time

Cook 22 mins

Plus cooling
Freezable

Can be frozen un-iced

Ingredients

  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 175g golden caster sugar
  • zest 2 lemons
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds , toasted
  • 3 eggs
  • 100g natural yogurt
  • 175g butter , melted and cooled a little

FOR THE ICING

  • 225g butter , softened
  • 400g icing sugar , sifted
  • juice 1 lemon
  • few drops yellow food colouring
  • icing flowers or yellow sprinkles, to decorate
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Per serving

529 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 66g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 1g, sugar 51g, salt 0.75 g

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