Poppy Seed Cupcakes
By: Eliza Adam
Published: Sunday, March 7, 2010 - 9:13pm

Ingredients




1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

1 lemon
1 cup milk
 cup poppy seeds, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups lemon curd, homemade or store-bought
1 cup (½ pint) heavy cream

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Line cupcake pan with liners. 2 Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt two times into a bowl; set aside.  Grate zest of lemon into a small saucepan and add milk and poppy seeds.  Heat over high heat until steaming; let cool to room temperature.  Add vanilla extract. 3 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft.  Gradually add sugar; beat on medium speed until very fluffy, about 5 minute, scarping down sides of bowl several times.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; continue beating on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. 4 Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture and beginning and ending with flour.  Beat on low speed until just combined. Divide batter evenly for the cupcakes, about 2/3 full each.  Bake until tops are golden brown or until a cake tester inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed.   Let cupcakes cool completely on wire racks.  Cakes can be made a day ahead before serving if desired. 5 Cut out a cone from each cupcake and trim the ends of the cones.  Fill the hollowed cupcakes with lemon curd-whipped cream.  Replace each top.  Frost cupcake tops with more lemon curd-whipped cream and sprinkle some poppy seeds.

About


Source:  adapted from Martha Stewart’s Christmas Cookbook
Lemon curd recipe can be found here: http://fooddiary.blogsome.com/2010/02/06/cream-puffs-with-meyer-lemon-curd/