Ingredients
(Makes 12)
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- 150g unsalted butter - softened
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 150g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 2 lemons - 2 tsp zest & 1tbsp juice
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
For the Fried Egg icing:
- 5 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon curd
- extra poppy seeds to sprinkle (optional)
Directions
- Heat the oven to 180C/160Fan/Gas 4.
- Line a 12 hole patty tin with muffin cases.
- Finely grate the rind of both lemons, and squeeze all the juice into a separate container.
- In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Lightly whisk the eggs, then add these to the bowl one at a time, whisking between each addition.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder. Beat again until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Add 2 tsp lemon zest, 1tbsp lemon juice, plus 2 tsp poppy seeds.
- Whisk again to incorporate all the ingredients.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the 12 muffin cases.
- Bake for 18 minutes, until the muffins are well risen and just beginning to brown on top.
- Remove from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Once the muffins have cooled, add the icing sugar to a small bowl. Mix in 1tbsp of lemon juice until you have a smooth paste. Hint: the icing needs to be quite thick yet just about spreadable. If you feel it's too thin, add a little more icing sugar.
- Use a teaspoon to drizzle a small amount of the lemon icing in the centre of each cake, using a circular motion to spread it out slightly. Repeat for all 12 muffins.
- Drop approx 1/8th tsp lemon curd right in the centre of the icing. Use a cocktail stick to carefully coax the lemon curd into a circular shape.
- Do this for all 12 muffins, then sprinkle a few with extra poppy seeds to create the look of ground pepper.
- Your Lemon Poppy Seed Fried Egg Muffins will keep in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
Lemon Poppy Seed Fried Egg Muffins Recipe Notes:
- When zesting the lemon, try to use just the outer yellow layer, avoiding the bitter white underneath.
- I've used a generous amount of lemon zest and juice in this recipe as we like a tangy cake. If you prefer a more subtle flavour, reduce the amount of zest slightly.