Lemon – Poppy Seed Cupcakes

These cupcakes are like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy grey day! not that we are having any less sunshine… haha… But they were still perfect on that one rainy day we had this month! 
This is a lemon-poppy seed cupcake with a lemon cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:
Lemon Syrup:

• Sugar – 50gm 
• Water – 50ml 
• Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons
• Zest – 1 lemon

Lemon-Poppy Seed Cupcakes: (makes about 9 standard cupcakes)

• Flour – 120gm
• Sugar – 100gm
• Butter – 100gm
• Eggs -2 large
• Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons
• Lemon extract – 1 teaspoon 
• Lemon Zest – 1/2 teaspoon
• Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon 
• Milk – 100ml 
• Black Poppy Seeds – 1 teaspoon 

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Butter – 50gm 
• Cream Cheese – 80gm 
• Icing sugar – 250gm 
• Lemon extract – 1teaspoon 

Method: 
Lemon-Poppy Seed Cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius, Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners. 
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy. Add and beat one egg at time. 
• Add the lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon zest for the lemony lemon flavour. 
• Sift the flour and baking powder, mixing alternating with the milk. 
• Once thoroughly mixed, fold in the poppy seeds into the batter, 
• Fill the cupcake liners to 2/3rd with the batter. 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, check from 18 minutes to see if completely baked.
• While its baking, in a heavy bottomed pan add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and water and bring it to boil. This is the lemon syrup. 
• Once baked, brush the cupcakes with lemon syrup and let it cool. It gives the cupcakes more lemony flavour and keeps it super moist. 

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter until pale and fluffy. 
• Add the cream cheese and beat for a couple of minutes. 
• Add the icing sugar in batches and whisk. Add the lemon extract and mix it. 

Frost the cupcakes and garnish it with some poppy seeds on the frosting!

Happy Baking! 
xx