Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes are fluffy, made with poppy seeds in the batter, filled with Lemon Curd, topped with Cream Cheese Frosting and poppy seeds.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cupcake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 18

Total Time 38

Servings cupcakes

Calories 250kcal

Author Camila Hurst

To make the Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line 12 cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the oil and mix until incorporated. Next, add the granulated sugar and beat for another 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until combined before adding the next. Add the milk and the lemon juice, and mix to combine. Next, add the lemon zest and poppy seeds and mix briefly.
Lastly, add the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way. Bake for about 18 minutes. Start checking the cupcakes at the 15-minute mark, and keep baking and checking as necessary.
To see if the cupcakes are ready, gently press with your finger on top of the cupcakes, and if they spring right back, they are done baking. Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.

To make the Lemon Curd, in a bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat for another minute, until creamy.
Next, add the eggs, one at a time, and mix, making sure the first egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the lemon juice, zest and salt and mix on low speed until combined. The mixture might look separated and that’s okay. Pour it into a small saucepan and place it over medium-low heat.
Make sure you don’t let the curd come to a boil at any point, and don’t stop stirring at any point either, because that will lead to the eggs curdling, and the curd will taste like scrambled eggs.
Heat the curd slowly until a candy thermometer reads 170ºF (76ºC). If you don’t have a thermometer, the curd should be thick and coat the back of a spoon. Once you achieve a nice thick curd, remove it to a bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The curd will set and get very thick as it cools.

To make the Cream Cheese Frosting, place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Cream on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, until very fluffy and light in color, scraping the bowl once or twice during the process.
Next, add the sifted powdered sugar to the bowl with the cream cheese and butter. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 more minute. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

To assemble the cupcakes, remove the center of each cupcake with a spoon. Next, spoon some Lemon Curd into the middle of each cupcake.
Place the Cream Cheese Frosting in a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of choice.
Pipe a tall ring around the edge of the cupcakes, leaving a hole in the middle. Spoon some more curd into the middle of the frosting ring, and sprinkle with some poppy seeds to decorate.

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 250kcal