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

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:

• With oven rack in center of oven, pre-heat oven to 350°F Line a twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl on medium speed beat margarine and oil together until well combined. Slowly add granulated sugar; beat until light and creamy. Add one large egg, then egg white, combining well after each addition. Blend in lemon zest.
• Fold flour mixture and buttermilk alternately into egg mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Stir in poppy seeds.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake cupcakes until golden brown approximately 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When cool enough to handle remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. These cupcakes can also be made ahead. Cool and wrap cupcakes well in plastic wrap, place in resealable plastic storage/freezer bags and freeze up to 1 month. Before adding lemon glaze,thaw cupcakes.
• Lemon glaze: In a small mixing bowl ombine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and stir until smooth. Drizzle or spread over cooled cupcakes.

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.