It will love at first bite when your teeth sink into a Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcake. They have the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
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This recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes will soon become a fan favorite by your whole family. Whether you make these for brunch or to enjoy as dessert, they are sure to hit the spot.
For more delicious recipes starring lemon, check out this recipe with lemon collection!
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What We Love About This Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe
- 30 Minute Treat: Make this recipe in 30 minutes will 15 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of baking.
- Family Friendly: This lemon poppy seed cupcake recipe will be the most popular dish at family brunch.
- Adaptable: You can easily make this recipe gluten-free or use healthier swaps like greek yogurt for sour cream.
Ingredient Notes for the Cakes
- Flour: It is important that you use all purpose flour in this recipe as a different may impact the poppy seed muffin texture.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder will help the cupcake rise properly while baking.
- Salt: Kosher salt or finely grated sea salt will work.
- Lemon: You need 2 fresh lemons. You will need both the zest and juice.
- Sugar: This lemon poppy seed cupcake recipe calls for whit granulated cane sugar.
- Milk: You can use whatever type of milk that you have, whole, 1%, 2%, skim, or even non-dairy milk like almond or oat works too.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream will help to make these lemon and poppyseed muffins to be moist. Greek yogurt will work too.
- Butter: You will need melted unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Eggs: For this recipe, you will need 4 large eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste will both work for this recipe.
- Poppy Seeds: You will about 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds. You can use extra for garish.
- Powdered Sugar: For lemon glaze to top off the lemon poppyseed muffins, you will need powdered sugar.
Equipment Needed for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Zester
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Jumbo Muffin Tin
- Cupcake Liners
- Cooling Rack
- Sheet Pan
- Whisk
- Electric Mixer
How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes
These are the basic steps for making Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcake. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
STEP 1: MAKE THE BATTER
In a medium mixing bowl combine together the dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients starting with sugar and melted butter, then stir in the fresh lemon juice and zest of one lemon; mix. Using an electric mixer combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients. Fold in poppy seeds.
STEP 2: FILL AND BAKE CUPCAKES
Line a jumbo muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way up with spoonful of batter. Cook at 400 degrees f for 15 minutes of until the center is fully cooked, you can check by sticking if a toothpick and if it comes out clean, they are done.
STEP 3: MAKE THE GLAZE
Make the glaze by combining juice and zest of one lemon with powdered sugar. Set aside until you are ready to drizzle over cupcakes. Remove lemon poppy seed cupcakes from the oven and let cool to touch before removing from tin.
STEP 4: FROST THE CUPCAKES
Once the cupcakes are cooled, transfer to a wire rack that is on top of a sheet pan, and drizzle with lemon glaze. You will want to repeat that 2-3 times until the icing is dripping off the cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!
Prep and Storage Tips
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME
Make this lemon poppy seed cupcake recipe a day or two a head of time. I recommend make the muffin bake and holding off the glaze until 1-2 hours before you plan you to serve them.
HOW TO STORE THIS RECIPE
Store lemon and poppy seed muffins in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can store at room temperature or in the fridge.
HOW TO FREEZE THIS RECIPE
To freeze cupcakes, individually wrap each one in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this recipe gluten-free simply swap the flour for 1:1 all purpose gluten-free flour.
Greek yogurt will work just as well in place of sour cream if you are looking for a healthier swap.
This recipe can easily be doubled or halved, just decrease or increase ingredients proportionally.
It is best to make cupcakes up to two days before you intend on serving them.
Expert Tips for Making This Muffin Recipes
- Fresh Fruit: Add fresh raspberries or blueberries to these lemon poppy seed cupcakes.
- Garnish: For extra garnish, top with lemon peel or zest or poppy seeds.
- Buttercream Frosting: For a thicker frosting instead of a glaze, make my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and add some lemon flavor extract. You can use a piping bag to frosting the cupcakes. You could also make lemon cream cheese frosting using this recipe from Devour Dinner.
What to Serve with Lemon Poppyseed Cupcake
- Cinnamon Chip Scone
- Old Fashioned Thumbprint Cookies
- Lemon Pull Apart Bread
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Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 4 tablespoon sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Lemon glaze
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another mixing bowl, add sugar and butter. Whisk until sugar dissolves.
- Add the milk vanilla, eggs, and sour cream. Mix until incorporated.
- Add lemon zest from one lemon and then the juice of one lemon. Mix.
- Slowly incorporate wet ingredients into dry using a mixer.
- Once the batter is formed, fold in the poppyseeds.
- Place your jumbo cupcake liners in a cupcake pan spacing them every other well. Spray liners.
- Fill liners 3/4 of the way with batter.
- Cook at 400 for 15 minutes or until the center of the muffin is cooked. Use a clean dry toothpick to see if the center is cooked.
- While muffins are cooking, mix the zest and juice of one lemon with powdered sugar. Set aside.
- Once muffins are cooked. Remove and let cool to touch.
- Place muffins on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Drizzle icing over the muffins. Repeat two or three times using icing that fell through.
- Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Fresh Fruit: Add fresh raspberries or blueberries to these lemon poppy seed cupcakes.
- Garnish: For extra garnish, top with lemon peel or zest or poppy seeds.
- Buttercream Frosting: For a thicker frosting instead of a glaze, make my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and add some lemon flavor extract. You can use a piping bag to frosting the cupcakes. You could also make lemon cream cheese frosting using this recipe from Devour Dinner.