Best Poppy Cupcakes Recipes

WINNING RECIPE MINI COCONUT CUPCAKES WITH POPPY SEED CRUST, MUSCAT RAISIN FILLING, AND PARSLEY ICING WITH TOASTED COCONUT, FLAX AND POPPY SEED TOFFEE, AND ORGANIC ROSES

Steps:

• For the toffee: Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Put the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. When the butter is halfway melted, add the sugar and water and cook over low heat, stirring very gently with a rubber spatula, until completely combined. Clip on a candy thermometer on to the side of the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, and wait for the mixture to reach 300 degrees F, about 15 minutes. The mixture will start to bubble and turn brown. If the browning seems uneven, swirl the pan during the cooking process, but do not stir. Once the mixture reaches 300 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and remove the candy thermometer. Stir in the toasted flax seeds and poppy seeds. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, using an offset spatula to spread evenly. (This will cool quickly.) Chop by hand into small pieces.
• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line mini cupcake pans with 48 mini cupcake liners.
• Sprinkle each cupcake liner with 2 teaspoons Toasted Flax and Poppy Seed Toffee. In the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the coconut extract and coconut flakes. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Alternate folding the coconut milk and flour mixture into the butter mixture. Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters of the way and bake for 11 minutes. Cool.
• To assemble: When the cupcakes are cool to the touch, use an apple corer to make a hole in the center of each cupcake (be careful not to go to the bottom of the cupcake and tear the paper). Put the Muscat Raisin Filling in a pastry bag, snip the end, and fill each cupcake to the top of the hole. Pipe the Parsley Icing high on the tops of each cupcake. Decorate the sides of the cupcakes with toasted coconut. Arrange a few rose petals in a circle on the tops of the cupcakes and fill the middle with additional Toasted Flax Seed and Poppy Seed Toffee.
• Combine the milk and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Add the raisins and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour onto a half sheet tray and place in the refrigerator to cool. Combine the raisin mixture and toasted coconut by hand.
• For the puree: Rinse and pat dry the parsley. Bloom the gelatin in the warm water. Trim the bottom 2 inches from the parsley and add the remaining parsley to a blender. Add the bloomed gelatin and cold water and blend until smooth. It should hold a slight peak and be bright green (you may need to add a couple extra tablespoons of water). Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet and cool quickly in the refrigerator.
• For the icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar in 1/2-cup additions until fully mixed. Add the vanilla. Fold in the finely chopped toffee. Remove the parsley puree from the refrigerator and mix into the icing. Transfer the icing to a large pastry bag fitted with a large fluted star tip. Return to the refrigerator to keep firm.

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.

LEMON-POPPY SEED CUPCAKES

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.

MINI LEMON POPPY SEED SOUR CREAM SEMIFREDDO CUPCAKES

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.

LEMON POPPY SEED CUPCAKES WITH BUTTER FROSTING AND CANDIED LEMON STRIPS

Steps:

• LEMON STRIPS: Make up to two days and at least one day before.Using a pairing knife, carefully cut wide slices of rind from the lemon. Trim the white pith from the underside of the slices. Cut the lemon rinds into 24 thin strips. Curl each strip around your finger, brush with egg white, and dust liberally with sugar. Set the sugared strips on a clean baking sheet and place in a warm, dry spot overnight. Or place the sheet in a preheated 200 degree F oven for 3-4 hours, until dry.
• CAKE: Combine the cake and pudding mixes in a large bowl, stirring to blend. Add the oil, eggs, water and lemon juice, stirring after each addition. Fold in the lemon zest and poppy seeds until just blended. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake tins, about 3/4 full. Bake on the middle oven rack until the tops of the cupcakes spring back to the touch and are not too golden; about 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or decorating.
• FROSTING: Make while the cakes are cooling or the morning of the shower.Using a wooden spoon, cream the butter in a large bowl, Add the remaining ingredients, and continue creaming until the frosting is well blended and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes with a small spatula and decorate with the candied lemon strips.

ABSINTHE, ALMOND, BLACK CURRANT AND CHERRY CUPCAKES WITH POPPY SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place 24 cupcake liners in cupcake pans.
• In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then add the eggs one at a time. Add the almond extract and food coloring.
• In a separate bowl, combine the absinthe and heavy whipping cream. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Turn the mixer to the lowest setting, and then add the almond meal, flour mixture and absinthe mixture, alternating the ingredients, starting with the dry and ending with the dry. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are fully combined. Add the currants, cherries and poppy seeds, and fold by hand into the batter.
• Fill the cupcake liners with 2 1/2 ounces of cupcake batter. Bake for 21 minutes. After cooling, frost with the Port Wine Black Currant Swiss Merengue Buttercream.
• For the black currant preserves: Combine and dissolve the currants, grape juice, sugar and pectin in saucepan. Cook on medium to high heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture reaches a boil, continue to cook for 2 minutes. Cool in the refrigerator.
• For the buttercream: Dissolve the sugar, egg whites, salt and vanilla bean seeds over a double boiler. Lightly whisk until the egg white mixture is hot to the touch. Pour the hot whites into a room-temperature mixing bowl and whip with a whisk attachment on high until stiff peaks form and the mixture is double in volume.
• Cut the butter into 2-inch pieces. Change to a paddle attachment and slowly add a few pieces of butter at a time. Continue beating until the mixture begins to look light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl. Reduce the speed to low. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat on LOW speed for 45 seconds. Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the port wine and 1/2 cup black current preserves, and then beat on medium to high speed until all ingredients are fully combined, an additional 45 to 60 seconds.

POPPY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Cut a fruit leather strip in half and stack the two halves. Use the top of a small heart cookie cutter (preferably fluted) to cut petals. Repeat with the remaining fruit leather. (You'll need 8 to 10 petals per cupcake.)
• Arrange the fruit leather petals on the cupcakes in concentric circles. Leave the center of the frosting uncovered.
• Put the chocolate frosting in a resealable plastic bag and snip a corner. Pipe a circle in the center of each cupcake, then pipe rays coming out to look like a sun. Place a chocolate kiss upside down in the center of each.

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.