Go Back
+ servings
Lemon poppy seed cupcakes split in half.
Print Recipe
5 from 13 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

These lemon poppy seed cupcakes are moist and full of lemon flavor. They are topped with a lemon poppy seed cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time18 minutes
Decorating Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 48 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 339kcal

Ingredients

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

  • 1 ¾ cup All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Poppy seeds
  • 7 tablespoon Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Oil canola or vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup White granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon large lemon
  • cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed equal to half a lemon
  • cup Sour cream room temperature
  • 2 Large eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup Buttermilk room temperature

Lemon Poppy Seed Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¾ cup Unsalted butter slightly cold
  • 4 oz Cream cheese room temperature
  • 4 ½ cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 teaspoon Poppy seeds this is optional
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed half of a lemon
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners.
  • In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Set aside.
    1 ¾ cup All-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 ½ tablespoon Poppy seeds
  • Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil and sugar on high for 3 minutes. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice, and sour cream. Scrape the bowl.
    7 tablespoon Unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon Oil, ¾ cup White granulated sugar, Zest of 1 lemon, ⅛ cup Lemon juice, ⅛ cup Sour cream
  • Add in the eggs one at time on low. Switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. The batter will appear separated, but that is from the lemon so this is normal.
    2 Large eggs
  • Add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk .Mix until just combined. Add in another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Mix. Add the rest of the dry ingredients.
    ½ cup Buttermilk
  • Use 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Fill them ⅔ full.
  • Bake for 16-18 minutes. The cupcakes are done baking when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes sit in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Then allow them to cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Let the butter sit for 30 minutes on the counter to get slightly cold. While waiting, sift the powdered sugar.
    ¾ cup Unsalted butter, 4 ½ cups Powdered sugar
  • Beat the cream cheese and butter on high for 3 minutes.
    4 oz Cream cheese
  • Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Scrape the bowl. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Add in poppy seeds, this is optional. Mix on low until just combined. Mix on high for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
    2 teaspoon Poppy seeds, Zest of 1 lemon, ⅛ cup Lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Notes

Flour- Spoon and level flour or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cupcakes.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 1 tablespoon of flour.
Pull the dairy ingredients out 2 hours before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 717IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg