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.

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.

POPPING POPPY SEED CUPCAKES

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.

LEMON & POPPYSEED 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.

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.