Are you sensing a bit of a theme here this week? You'd be quite right in saying that these are not the first cupcake/muffin recipe for March. When I said that I was going to make a dint in my cupcake liner supply I did not speak an untruth. It seems that the variety of cupcake liners lurking in my kitchen would not only suit any occasion you could think of but there is a case to suit any sort of cake.
My white and pink muffin liners were perfect for pumpkin and apple muffins. Raspberry cupcakes needed something a little edgier so black cases with funky cupcakes printed on them were just right, while orange and poppy seed cupcakes, well they needed something a little more delicate.
Recipes, like occasions have their own theme and personality I think and orange and poppy seed brings images of something light and fun, pretty, delicate and not too serious - just like these blue and white papers.
Would you believe that I bought poppy seeds at least a year ago with the intention of making my grandma an orange and poppyseed cake? Obviously that thought escaped my brain the second I put them away in ingredient black hole that is my pantry.
While flicking through my 500 cupcakes book one night I spotted lemon and poppy seed cupcakes and suddenly I saw the poor neglected poppy seeds. Seeing as I had a bag of fresh organic oranges in the fridge, I replaced the lemon with orange and orange and poppy seed cupcakes were born.
I gave some to my grandma and Will took the rest to work the next day. How were they? My husband, who doesn't really like baked goods, had two. If that doesn't speak highly of them then nothing does.
Inside the cake was light and fluffy and the simple drizzling of icing meant that they weren't too sweet. My only word of advice, make sure you check your teeth in a mirror after eating them. Enjoy!
What about you? Do you buy ingredients for a special recipe and then forget about them?
Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 225 g butter softened
- 225 g caster sugar
- 4 free-range eggs
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Drizzle
- 125 g icing sugar
- 4 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
Cakes
- Pre-heat the oven to 175C fan-forced.
- Line 1 ½ 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.
Icing
- 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.
Silvia says
Hi Clare thank you for this simple but delicious recepie. I have attempted to make orange poppy seed cupcakes many times and they have never turned out this good, love them can't wait for the kids to get home to show off.
Glamorous Glutton says
I have cup cake liners in every cupboard but they all disappear when I want to make cup cakes. I've only recently discovered poppy seeds in cake and I love them. These look great. GG
Claire says
Oh yes I have disappearing ones too GG!
GourmetGetaways says
LoL! I always buy ingredients for a special recipe and then forget about making it... sometimes I do that two or three times :0!!!
I never have the heart to use up all my pretty cupcake liners though :(
Claire says
At least it means we always have a well-stocked pantry. You have to use them GG!
Hotly Spiced says
Oh yes, the dreaded poppy seed in the teeth smile! I need cupcake liners. I have to make 200 cupcakes for a 21st birthday. I don't know why I signed up for it. Actually, I didn't. They asked me to make the cake and I thought I could manage that but a few days later they said they would prefer to serve cupcakes to the guests rather than cut into the cake. And I have about 10 days to get it all done. Starting to panic xx
Claire says
Oh Charlie that's quite a challenge. I made 120 last year for a friend's wedding and I needed a whole weekend to recover. Good luck!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Come up and have a look at my pantry and you'll see why I lose things all the time. I'm the queen of having 2 or 3 because the cubby hole with no light has sucked all my stuff into oblivion.
I love your muffins. Feeling the poppy seeds crunch between my teeth is like popping bubble wrap.l :)
Claire says
I've never thought of it like that but it is isn't it! I'm glad I'm not the only one with a black hole of a pantry.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Hehe I do that all the time! I call rediscovering them "shopping encores" :P Oh I meant to ask, are you still doing your videos? :)
Claire says
Shopping encores... I love it! There are two answers to that. Yes I want to still be doing them but the weeks keep flying by without me making one! I will do one soon then I'll try and get back into it!
Stephanie @ henry happened says
I love those cupcake liners! They look so cheerful. I need to get some pretty liners - maybe that will inspire me to bake more :)
Claire says
Pretty kitchen things always inspire more baking Stephanie!