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 241-260

  • Binder photo Padster75

    22 August 2012

    Padster75 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Foolproof & tasty. Made these a few times now, so simple, so delicious and always gone in a flash!! Have tinkered with the icing recipe though, a healthy spoon of lemon or lime curd thrown into the mix makes for some lip smacking yumminess

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  • Binder photo SamanthaH

    24 August 2012

    SamanthaH rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    So good!

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  • Binder photo Tish

    28 August 2012

    Tish rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Tasted wonderful - a hit with everyone - nice and light

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  • Binder photo The Kitchen Maid

    28 August 2012

    The Kitchen Maid commented on this recipe

    Hi Can I make these and ice the night before the event ?? Does any one know the longest I can keep them iced in fridge without spoling them for the party? Thanks for yr help !

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  • Binder photo ItsGreatToBake

    30 August 2012

    ItsGreatToBake commented on this recipe

    I think that I will try these!

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  • Binder photo Sue

    04 September 2012

    Sue commented on this recipe

    I made these with carraway seeds because I didn't have any poppy seeds, would do this again. I also halved the amount of butter cream.

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  • Binder photo Kate88

    05 September 2012

    Kate88 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo mrsraggle

    07 September 2012

    mrsraggle rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really beautiful cakes. Baked them for a family holiday, made them on Sunday and they were still lovely and moist by Wednesday when the last of them were devoured!! Will definitely make them again, so simple but so effective.

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  • Binder photo karen

    12 September 2012

    karen rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    So easy to make and tasted delicious, didn't make enough

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  • Binder photo Jmurph

    29 September 2012

    Jmurph rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Bekz

    09 October 2012

    Bekz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Just made and ate one of these-DELICIOUS. Only problem, though not really a problem it made 24 cupcakes. so, not to waste anything used the juice from both lemons for icing, adding extra icing sugar to thicken and it covered all 24.

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  • Binder photo MrsJamtart

    11 October 2012

    MrsJamtart rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious! I used the rind of 3 small lemons (so perhaps a little more than the recipe), added a pinch of baking powder for extra lift and drizzled lemon juice icing on top as I am not a fan of buttercream. The results were fabulous, will definitely make these again!

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  • Binder photo meish

    25 October 2012

    meish rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Beautiful and scrumptious cupcakes!

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  • Binder photo taste tester

    28 October 2012

    taste tester rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Cooked these a few times now because they came out so well. Everyone has said how delicious they are. I have added more lemon zest as I really like the lemony hit.

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  • Binder photo Katharine

    29 October 2012

    Katharine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Utterly delicious!! And so simple. Best cupcake recipe i have ever made.

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  • Binder photo hjm102

    03 November 2012

    hjm102 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Nick Le B

    07 November 2012

    Nick Le B rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    My neighbours loved them, but cooking them was a disaster through a comedy of errors. Battery went when measuring the icing sugar. Used two lemons, and large eggs, will use one lemon and medium eggs as I had difficulty in firming up the topping. But will try again and make the necessary adjustments. Loved the yogurt and lemons.

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  • Binder photo Nick Le B

    07 November 2012

    Nick Le B commented on this recipe

    My neighbours loved them, but cooking them was a disaster through a comedy of errors. Battery went when measuring the icing sugar. Used two lemons, and large eggs, will use one lemon and medium eggs as I had difficulty in firming up the topping. But will try again and make the necessary adjustments. Loved the yogurt and lemons.

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  • Binder photo Spoon_Licker

    07 November 2012

    Spoon_Licker rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made these cakes so many times, you cannot go wrong with them!

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  • Binder photo Ayeishaaa

    07 November 2012

    Ayeishaaa rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this and everyone loved them! I also made a chocolate version leaving out the lemons and poppyseeds and substituting 25g of the flour for cocoa powder, they went down well :D I am 15 and have just started my own food blog t0astfordinner.blogspot.co.uk it would really help me if you looked at my blog and commented or told people you know about it. Thanks x

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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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