Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Curd

close up of four lemon poppy seed muffins.

5 from 2 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Curd 

My light and fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are filled with a tangy homemade Lemon Curd before baking - for the best mashup of a muffin and a lemon tart!

Prep Time40

Cook Time20

Curd chill time2

Total Time3

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: jumbo muffins

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Cynthia

Equipment

Ingredients

Lemon curd

Zest from 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, cut into small cubes
Pinch of salt

Dry ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Wet Ingredients

½ cup granulated sugar
Zest of one lemon
2 large eggs room temperature
¾ cup buttermilk room temperature
¼ cup yogurt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
4 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Instructions

Lemon curd

In a small saucepan, whisk together your eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of kosher salt until well combined.
Place pan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. It will begin to thicken. Continue to cook until the mixture coats the back of your spoon and running your finger through leaves a nice clean trail, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove from heat and drop in half of your butter cubes, waiting for them to melt before adding the rest.
Transfer the curd into a bowl, using a small strainer. Press the curd through the strainer with a rubber spatula to remove the zest and any possible cooked egg or shell bits.
Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and refrigerate at least two hours. After making the muffins, any leftover curd can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

Muffins

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients and set aside.
Zest one lemon into your sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the lemon oils and add more lemon flavor.
Add eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, melted and cooled butter, oil, and lemon juice to the sugar and whisk to combine. Fold in the poppy seeds and allow to soak in the wet ingredients for 10 minutes.
Add wet to dry and mix until just combined. Don't over mix. Just bring together until all the dry flour disappears. A few lumps are okay.
To make jumbo muffins, use a jumbo muffin tim or use tulip muffin liners in a standard muffin pan. Scoop about ⅓ cup of batter into 8 jumbo cups or liners.
To make 12 standard size muffins, use a medium scoop or measuring cup, and fill each muffin cup ¾ full (about ¼ to ⅓ cup).
Spray the back of a tablespoon with nonstick spray and make a depression on the top of each muffin. Add one tablespoon of lemon curd into each depression.
Bake at 425° for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the oven down to 350°, without opening the oven door. Bake for another 18 to 22 minutes for jumbo muffins and 15 to 18 minutes for standard size muffins, or until a clean toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out with no crumbs attached.
Allow to cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool a bit more before eating. Careful the curd is hot!

Notes

If you need the juice from a third lemon, zest it first and then place the zest in a single layer on a piece of parchment or waxed paper and quick freeze it. Once frozen, transfer the zest to a zip-top plastic bag. It will defrost quickly when you need it in the morning.
Keep the curd mixture in motion with your whisk the whole time to avoid scrambling the eggs..
Don't try to speed the process along by increasing the heat. Low heat, along with constant whisking, will keep the mixture from scorching on the bottom and making lemony scrambled eggs.
Strain your finished curd with a fine mesh strainer when putting it in a bowl. This will remove the zest and any stray bits of cooked egg or shell that may be hiding in there.

Nutrition