Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes With Butter Frosting And Candied Lemon Strips Recipes

Steps:

• Pour the buttermilk into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, stir in the poppy seeds, and set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly spray the inside of a Bundt pan with the baking spray and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the lemon juice to the buttermilk mixture. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is well mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup of lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a baking rack set over a large plate. Spoon the warm lemon syrup slowly over the cake, allowing it to be absorbed into the cake. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to cool.
• For the glaze, whisk the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl, adding a little more sugar or lemon juice to make a smooth, thick, but pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Transfer to a flat cake plate and serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a double-boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, half the lemon zest, and the lemon juice until well combined. Continue to whisk constantly over very low heat, until the yolk mixture has thickened and becomes pale yellow, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the sour cream, mix until just combined, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with a whisk until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into egg mixture. Gently stir in poppy seeds. Divide mixture evenly between lined mini muffin cups. If you don't have mini muffin cups, you can use regular sized to get half as many. Freeze for at least 2 hours or until firm.
• To serve, peel away the paper liners and garnish with remaining lemon zest.

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions to make cupcakes. Stir in the lemon zest and poppy seeds, pour the batter into cupcake tins and bake according to the package directions. Let cool completely.
• For the frosting: Warm the honey in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the saffron, turn off the heat and let sit until the honey is room temperature.
• In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cooled honey until fully blended.
• Frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and garnish them with a sprinkle of poppy seeds.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake or muffin cases. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds together in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs into the yogurt, then tip this into the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Mix together with a wooden spoon or whisk until lump-free, then divide between the cases. Bake for 20-22 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean - the cakes will be quite pale on top still. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, then carefully lift onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
• To ice, beat the softened butter until really soft in a large bowl, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and lemon juice. Stir in enough food colouring for a pale lemon colour, then spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.
• Ice one cake at a time, holding the piping bag almost upright with the nozzle about 1cm from the surface of the cake. Pipe one spiral of icing around the edge, then pause to break the flow before moving the nozzle towards the centre slightly and piping a second, smaller spiral that continues until there are no gaps in the centre. Slightly 'dot' the nozzle into the icing as you stop squeezing to finish neatly. Repeat to cover all the cakes, then top with sugar decorations or scatter with sprinkles.