Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes are bright, zesty, and irresistibly moist, with the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Filled with fresh lemon flavor and speckled with crunchy poppyseeds, they’re topped with a light and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting. Perfect for spring, or any time you need a citrusy treat!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Tammi

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1½ cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
½ cup milk
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1½ tsp poppy seeds

For the Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
¼ tsp sea salt
2-4 tbsp heavy whipping cream as needed

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
Add the sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs, and beat them into the butter and sugar until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients evenly over the butter, sugar and eggs. With the mixer on low, begin to mix in the dry ingredients. While mixing, slowly stream in the milk. Mix the batter until just incorporated (do not over mix!).
Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and poppy seeds to the batter and fold in gently.
Use a large cookie scoop or a ¼ cup measuring cup to fill the well of each muffin tin ⅔ of the way full. Make sure not to overfill the cupcakes.
Bake for 20-22 minutes (until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean) and set aside to allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the Frosting

Add the softened butter to a large mixing bowl. With a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt and 2 tablespoons of cream, and mix on medium speed until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the remaining cream one tablespoon as a time, if desired, for a creamier frosting consistency.
Use a piping bag and tip of your choice to pipe frosting onto the cupcakes, or frost them with a flat offset spatula.

Notes

Sifting the powdered sugar before making the buttercream will help prevent lumps and keep your frosting smooth and creamy.

Fill the cupcakes to 2/3 full, or approximately ¼ cup batter per cupcake. Don’t overfill the cupcakes or they will overflow the liners and be difficult to remove from the tin.

Store leftover frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep the frosting fresh.

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