Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
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These Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes are fluffy, full of plenty of poppy seeds and topped with a simple lemon cream cheese frosting!
These Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes are light, fluffy and full of bright citrus flavor! They’re so easy to make and topped with a simple lemon cream cheese frosting. The poppy seeds complement the lemon flavor so well just like in my Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies!
Looking for more lemon dessert recipes? Try my Lemon Amaretti Cookies, Lemon Curd Ice Box Cake or Small Batch Lemon Curd!
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cupcakes structure.
Poppy seeds – gives the cupcakes their poppy seed flavor. You can omit them if you just want plain lemon cupcakes or you can try my Lemon Curd Cupcakes!
Baking powder and baking soda – both are necessary to help the cupcakes rise.
Butter – provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Do not use cold or melted butter.
Granulated sugar – provides sweetness and texture.
Lemon zest – adds extra lemon flavor by rubbing zest and sugar together until it looks like wet sand. This releases lemon oil from the zest.
Vegetable oil – adds moisture and tenderizes cupcakes.
Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
Milk – adds flavor, moisture and provides structure.
Lemon juice – gives the cupcakes their lemon flavor. Always use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor!
How To Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
1. Make the Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes: In a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
2. In a medium bowl, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest until it looks like wet sand. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and lemon sugar until light and fluffy then add the vegetable oil. Mix in the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla extract.
3. Fold in half of the dry ingredients then add all of the milk and lemon juice. Fold in the remaining half of the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Scoop batter into prepared pans 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer cream the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add salt to taste. Decorate as desired. Store Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Pro Tips For Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the cupcake batter otherwise it will develop too much gluten and be dense/gummy.
- Do not over fill your cupcake liners. Only fill them 3/4 full. I love this cookie scoop because it fills them with the perfect amount of batter!
- Wait until the cupcakes are COMPLETELY COOLED before frosting otherwise the frosting will melt and slide off.
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
Equipment
- Two 12-count cupcake pans
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
- 270 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 18 g (2 tbsp) poppy seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 300 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 60 g (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g (3/4 cup) whole milk
- 60 g (1/4 cup) lemon juice
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 390 g (3 1/4 cups) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-count cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest until it looks like wet sand. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and lemon sugar until light and fluffy then add the vegetable oil. Mix in the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla extract.
- Fold in half of the dry ingredients then add all of the milk and lemon juice. Fold in the remaining half of the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Scoop batter into prepared pans 3/4 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer cream the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add salt to taste. Decorate as desired.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Store Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Nutrition: the provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer for more information.
I 💯 loved this recipe!!