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 4.0g, carbohydrate 66.0g, fat 30.0 g, saturated fat 18.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 51.0g, salt 0.75 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 61-80

  • Binder photo bewsy84

    22 November 2010

    bewsy84 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Quite easily the best cupcakes I have ever made! The icing in particular was lovely and fresh. These went down a storm at my work!

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  • Binder photo Sophie

    09 December 2010

    Sophie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really easy to make and they looked absolutly beautiful. Made them for my mum's friends 50th birthday and everyone loved them

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  • Binder photo CatSearle

    16 December 2010

    CatSearle rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these gluten free. Just change the flour to gluten free plain flour and add two heaped teaspoons of baking powder and one level teaspoon of xantham gum. They were so good that you couldn't even tell they didn't have gluten in them!

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  • Binder photo VeggieSara

    16 December 2010

    VeggieSara rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    overall a very very tasty cupcake but beware if you have an overly efficient electric oven might I suggest that you cook these at 150 degrees. I found that at the 160 degrees suggested my cupcakes were minutes away from being deep golden brown (burnt!) after only 20 minutes. Taste wise, I would have liked there to be a bit more zing from the lemon-so next time I might put some more zest in the cakes and maybe add some zest in the icing.

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  • Binder photo Beth

    09 January 2011

    Beth rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I found it only made 10 but then the mixture did rise more that I thought it would. Sponge nice and light.

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  • Binder photo lindas recipes

    22 January 2011

    lindas recipes commented on this recipe

    just made these, and they are lovely yum yum

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  • Binder photo clare

    30 January 2011

    clare commented on this recipe

    These cupcakes were great!! Everyone loved them! I used lemon flavoured yoghurt instead of natural because my partner loves lemon.Will definately make again.

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  • Binder photo clare

    30 January 2011

    clare rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    oops! forgot to rate :)

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  • Binder photo ND

    07 February 2011

    ND rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I didn't make as much of the buttercream icing as the recipe suggested but still had plenty. The cakes were easy to make. I wasn't sure about the yoghurt but it worked really well. Went down a treat!

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  • Binder photo Laura

    09 February 2011

    Laura commented on this recipe

    The recipe states that the poppyseeds should be toasted? Do you buy them toasted? If not how do you toast them?

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  • Binder photo LRademaker

    13 February 2011

    LRademaker rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    foolproof. Really good!

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  • Binder photo dervlie

    16 February 2011

    dervlie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Albertine

    21 February 2011

    Albertine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These.... were..... awesome. My 6 year old son saw the picture of these cakes and wanted to make these, otherwise I would have used my usual fairy cake recipe. Won't be going back to it, though.

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  • Binder photo Albertine

    21 February 2011

    Albertine commented on this recipe

    oh, and I didn't bother toasting the poppy seeds (too lazy). I used Greek yogurt instead of plain, and the zest of one orange and one lemon. Also just normal caster sugar! Perhaps I should go shopping for the ingredients first next time, then it might taste even better!

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  • Binder photo Albertine

    21 February 2011

    Albertine commented on this recipe

    oh, and I didn't bother toasting the poppy seeds (too lazy). I used Greek yogurt instead of plain, and the zest of one orange and one lemon. Also just normal caster sugar! Perhaps I should go shopping for the ingredients first next time, then it might taste even better!

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  • Binder photo Jodi

    23 February 2011

    Jodi rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    See my review of this recipe on my blog http://thebakerwithin.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-lemon.html

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  • Binder photo Lizznaylor

    25 February 2011

    Lizznaylor rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I made these today - the cakes came out beautifully. The sponge was lovely and light and very tasty and lemony. However I would warn anyone making them to be careful about the amount of lemon juice in the icing. I used the juice of one lemon but the icing was too runny and just ran off the edges of the cakes. They don't look brilliant, but they taste amazing!!

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  • Binder photo spacemanspiff

    05 March 2011

    spacemanspiff rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious and moist. Will definitely make again! I saved half the batter and used it 3 days later and the cakes still rose nicely.

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  • Binder photo angieadi

    05 March 2011

    angieadi commented on this recipe

    Very easy, and tasted lovely, but there was so so much icing, ran out of room on the cupcakes and eating straight from the bowl, even through some of the icing away. A bit buttery, but will definitely make again.

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  • Binder photo messyjessie86

    12 March 2011

    messyjessie86 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These are my favourite cupcakes ever they are soooo delicous! Not really a fan of buttercream in general, but the lemon just 'lifts' it that little bit so the cakes aren't too heavy. I made the effort with the piping bag and they looked a treat as well for my sister's birthday. 6 stars:)

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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 4.0g, carbohydrate 66.0g, fat 30.0 g, saturated fat 18.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 51.0g, salt 0.75 g

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