Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

These bright and sunny lemon poppy seed cupcakes are made with light and fluffy sponge, full of fresh and fragrant lemon flavour. Addition of the poppy seeds gives the cakes a fantastic crunch, and there is also a puddle of luscious lemon curd hidden inside!

You can use the Swiss meringue buttercream topping for a luxurious and heavenly treat, or try them with simple lemon icing or lemon cream cheese frosting for a quick, yet irresistible bake that everyone will love!

These lemon poppyseed cupcakes with lemon curd are with no doubt my personal favourite among all of my cupcakes recipes. They are sweet, moist and bursting with bright, zesty and fresh lemon flavour. It is a perfect bake to bring to any summer garden parties, birthdays celebrations or any special occasions.

The fresh lemon flavour is enhanced by the addition of my Homemade Lemon Curd, which is hiding in the middle of each cupcake. That, along with a crunch and a flavour of poppy seeds creates a fantastic combination which is impossible to resist!

Jump to:

• Ingredients notes
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage and freezing
• Frequently asked questions
• Top tip
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients notes

To make the basic sponge for these lemon poppy seed cupcakes you will need the following ingredients:

• Self-raising flour - This type of flour already has raising agents and salt added to it. If no self-raising flour is available, you can make your own by combining plain, all purpose flour with baking powder. For every 200g of plain flour, add 2 teaspoon of baking powder and sift them together. It is easier to make a bigger batch and store in the container in your kitchen cupboard.
• Poppy seeds - We are using dried poppy seeds, which will be soaked in water first. Soaking the seeds softens their tough outer coating, so that their unique flavouring can be easily released by baking temperatures.
• Lemons - I recommend using fresh, unwaxed lemons in this recipe. Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest is what gives the cakes that wonderful lemon flavor and fragrance.

The lemon curd filling is optional, but VERY highly recommended. I always use my easy homemade lemon curd, but feel free to use the ready-made shop bought curd.

You will also need an additional ingredients for the frosting, depending on which type of frosting you decide to use.

Instructions

These lemon and poppyseed cupcakes come together in only few simple steps:

Substitutions

• Flour - If no self-raising flour is available, use all purpose flour. Make sure to add extra baking powder to it. You can also use gluten-free flour in this recipe.
• Lemon curd - Make your own or use the shop-bought curd, if you prefer. You can also skip it from the recipe, or use your favourite jam instead.
• Butter - I always choose unsalted butter, but feel free to use salted butter if you'd like (just don't add any extra salt to the cake batter).

Variations

• Swiss meringue buttercream - This type of frosting goes wonderfully with these lemon cupcakes as it is not overly sweet. The extra smooth and incredibly creamy texture of buttercream compliments the lemon and poppy seed flavour without over powering them. If Swiss meringue buttercream is not something you want to make, try one of the following options:
• Simple lemon icing - Mix 250g of icing/ powdered sugar with 1 ½ -2 tablespoon of lemon juice until smooth. Add a teaspoon of lemon zest and spoon the icing on top of each cupcake.
• Lemon cream cheese frosting - Use the cream cheese frosting recipe from my Gingerbread Cupcakes recipe, adding an additional teaspoon of lemon zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Mascarpone cheese frosting - Mascarpone cheese is higher in fat content in comparison to the soft/ cream cheese, which is what makes it richer and creamier in texture. It is also a great carrier for the lemon flavour, as it doesn't over power it. To make mascarpone cheese frosting, mix 185g of room temperature butter with 230g of cold mascarpone using an electric mixer. Add 480g of icing sugar in 3 additions, and 2-3 tablespoon of double/ heavy cream. Mix until you have smooth buttercream (if it feels too thin, place in the fridge for 20- 30 minutes).
• Mini cupcakes or lemon and poppy seed loaf cake - Use the batter to bake a loaf cake instead of cupcakes. This recipe will yield one large or two small loafs. Or why not try making mini cupcakes instead? Simply use the mini cupcake liners instead of the regular size. Adjust baking times accordingly.
• Poppy seed muffins - You can easily turn this recipe into muffins instead of cupcakes by moderating the ingredients and adding some sour cream or yoghurt to the batter. Check out this Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe from the Domestic Gothess.
• Vegan lemon poppy seed cupcakes - Replace the butter in this recipe with a vegan spread or plant-based alternative. Use applesauce as an egg replacement (¼ cup of applesauce for every egg).

Equipment

A good, tried and tested cupcake/ muffin tin is a must here. You will get somewhere between 14-16 cupcakes from this recipe, so you will need a couple of tins or simply bake the second batch after the first one is done.

As with any cupcake recipe, I recommend a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop to portion the batter. I used a medium scoop, which is 2 tablespoons in capacity.

Depending on the type of frosting/ icing you want to use, you will require a piping bag with decorative nozzle. I used Wilton 1M tip to pipe the buttercream on top of my cakes.

Storage and freezing

Store the frosted cupcakes at room temperature in the airtight container for up to a day. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, but they will dry out with time. Bring the cupcakes to room temperature before serving.

Unfrosted cupcakes are suitable for freezing. Wrap each cupcake in a double layer of clingfilm and place them in the freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.

Swiss meringue buttercream is also suitable for freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then place it in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

You can prepare the cupcakes and buttercream ahead of time. Baked and cooled cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Swiss buttercream can also be prepared ahead and stored at room temperature for up to a day, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Why my cupcakes didn't rise?

Make sure all of the ingredients are in date, especially the baking powder and the self-raising flour. The cupcakes will not rise properly if these are passed their best. Also, overmixing the cake batter can result in cakes not rising properly and being too dense.

Why did my cupcakes sink in the middle?

If you add too much batter to the cupcake liners, the batter will rise too much and will quickly deflate and fall as a consequence. That will leave your cakes sunken in the middle. Fill each case no more than ⅔ full with the batter.

Top tip

Make sure not to overmix the cake batter. Once the dry ingredients are in, you want to quickly bring everything together. Stop mixing as soon as there are no more dry patches of flour visible.

Use a freestanding mixer to make the Swiss meringue buttercream. If the buttercream splits after adding butter to it, just keep mixing it. It will eventually come together and become smooth.

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📖 Recipe

This recipe was originally published in February 2020. It has been updated with the new photos, video, revised recipe and tips in June 2022.