Orange Poppy Seed Cupcakes With Buttercream Poppies Recipes

ORANGE AND POPPYSEED CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 175C fan-forced.
• Line 1 1/2 cupcake tins with paper cases (18 cupcakes total).
• In the bow of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
• Add the eggs and beat them in then add the flour and mix it in.
• Finally add the vanilla, poppy seeds and orange zest and mix just until everything is nicely distributed through the batter.
• Divide the batter between the cupcake cakes.
• Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.
• Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the orange zest until it reaches a nice drizzle consistency.
• Stir through the poppy seeds.
• When the cakes have cooled, drizzle the icing over the top and leave it to set.

ORANGE-POPPY SEED CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM POPPIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 cups of two 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Stir together milk and 1/4 cup orange juice.
• Beat butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and the orange zest with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Beat in poppy seeds.
• Divide batter among muffin tins (filling each cup two-thirds full). Bake until golden around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining 1/4 cup orange juice and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Let stand until ready to use.
• Brush warm cupcakes with half the orange juice mixture. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack, and let cool for 30 minutes.
• Brush cupcakes again with remaining orange juice mixture, and let cool completely.
• Frost cupcakes with untinted buttercream. Top each with a buttercream poppy.

VANILLA-BUTTERCREAM FROSTING AND POPPIES

Steps:

• Heat sugar and egg whites in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisking constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk with mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes more.
• Reduce speed to medium-low, and add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
• Switch to the paddle attachment, and raise speed to medium. Beat buttercream until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pipe the poppies: Transfer one-quarter of the buttercream to a bowl (reserve remainder for frosting cupcakes), and tint with food coloring until you reach desired color for poppies. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large petal tip. Cut out twenty 2-by-3-inch rectangles of parchment. Adhere 1 parchment rectangle to a flower nail with a dab of buttercream. Holding the piping bag at a 45-degree angle, pipe 1 petal. Pipe a second petal, overlapping the first by 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Making a tighter turn with the nail, overlap the second petal to pipe a third.
• Sprinkle poppy seeds in the centers of flowers to create the look of stamens. Gently remove parchment from nail, and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining parchment and tinted buttercream. Refrigerate poppies for at least 2 hours.
• Gently remove poppies from parchment using an offset spatula. Place 1 on top of each cupcake.