Poppyseed Cupcakes with Orange Frosting

With daylight hours shorter, what better way to brighten up a day than with a pretty cupcake. This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s ‘Forever Summer‘ cookbook. Poppy seeds are a classic addition to buttered egg noodles, fruit salads and fragrant yeast breads. They add a nutty flavor and texture to cookies, cakes, breads and pastry crusts.

Makes 12
250g self raising flour
275g caster sugar
250g soft unsalted butter
4 eggs at room temperature
1.5-2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange
40g (1/4cup) poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 180c. Line a muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity) with 12 muffin paper cases. Beat all the ingredients except the milk until mixed well. Then add enough milk to make a smooth batter. Stir in poppy seeds and grated orange to the batter. Divide mixture among the paper cases.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on a wire rack.
Orange Frosting
150g cream cheese
75g butter, softened
320g (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

Beat cream cheese and butter in a bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and then stir in orange rind. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Add a touch of orange juice to the frosting for more flavor. I like the way the poppy seeds give this delicate muffin a bit of crunch. Cheers!