Poppy Seed & Lemon Muffins

Hear! Hear! To a taste match made in heaven: POPPY SEEDS and LEMON!

I’m in love and have always been in love with both ingredients: poppy seeds and lemon.

Alone, they are each classic and traditional, and they each have such a unique taste and aroma. However, when they come together, they create a powerful, new, and sophisticated flavor experience.

This is one of our family’s favorites “go to” bake and in this recipe, I use poppy seed paste.

Poppy seed paste also known as Mohn is a popular filling paste in Jewish pastries and desserts. To make this delicious paste, whole poppy seeds are ground and cooked with butter, milk, sugar, or/and honey into a sticky and divine paste. Whether you make it from scratch at home or use one of the great poppy seed filling pastes that are available in the markets, it is so yummy! Both my sister and I are notorious for eating the paste on its own, before it even makes it into any dessert…

My Savta (grandmother) used poppy seed paste in her Shabbat brioche cake (babka) and as a filling in little rugalach. Our family and many other Jewish families use this paste in other yeast cakes, cookies, and baked goods; but poppy seed paste is mostly popular as the number one, traditional filling in Hamantaschen, the special triangular holiday cookies of Purim.

Although, in most Jewish homes, poppy seed paste/Mohn is mostly the center of attention around Purim time; I love using it year-round especially in these tiny, yummy creations.

I guess I can say I am over the moon, or should I say ‘over the Mohn’ 🙂 with these AMAZING muffins!

You will need:

3 Eggs

½ cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 cup Ricotta/Greek Yogurt

1½ (175 gr.) Butter Stick melted

1½ cup (400 gr.) Poppy Seed filling paste/Mohn

2 Tbsp. Lemon Zest

2 cups (packed) Self-Rising Flour

For the Glaze:

1½ cup (packed) Powdered Sugar

3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice freshly squeezed

1 Tbsp. Butter

A pinch of salt

Dry whole Poppy seeds to sprinkle on top

Let’s get to work!

This recipe works in a classic way of making mixed cakes, starting with the “wet ingredients”, and adding the “dry ingredients” last. I always like writing the ingredient list in the order they are used, to make the recipe easy to follow.

Start with the eggs. For best results, make sure they are at room temperature. Whisk the eggs well while adding the sugar gradually.

The mixture will look light and bright. Add the vanilla extract and continue whisking.

Add the ricotta cheese. This will enhance and will keep the muffins moist after baking. The ricotta cheese can be subbed with Greek yogurt, which gives the same effect. Whisk well into the mixture.

Add the melted butter and continue whisking to a unified consistency.

Time to add our star: POPPY SEED!!! The poppy seed paste, which already includes a unique sweet-nutty taste and a wonderful exclusive texture, rules in these muffins without a doubt!

Add the poppy seed paste and mix it into the mixture.

Add a generous amount of lemon zest.

The lemon zest looks so pretty! But even more than this, it gives a brilliant aroma and taste that pairs perfectly with the poppy seeds.

Now, we can add the “dry ingredient” – flour. Self-rising flour fits well in this recipe. If you don’t have it available, you may create your own by combining flour, baking powder, and salt (for each cup of flour add 1½ tsp. of baking powder and ¼ tsp. of salt).

It is important to sift the flour in to prevent lumps in the mixture. Mix the flour in just until the batter is unified and do not over mix.

The batter is ready!

You may bake it as a cake, muffin sized, or cupcake sized individual cakes. My favorite is the mini sized, two-bite cupcakes (1½ inch). I use silicon baking pans and spray them lightly before I put in the batter. Use a spoon or a cookie dough scooper to make sure you add equal amount in each cup.

Fill each cup just ALMOST to the top without crowding it, to leave a little room for the muffin to grow.

Bake in a preheated oven (I like using convection) at 350°F for about 15 minutes and rotate the pans if needed. Be sure to increase the baking time if you choose a different size than the mini cupcakes.

Allow the muffins to cool a little before removing them from the pan. The muffins need to be completely cool before they are glazed.

This will be a perfect time to prepare the glaze…

Combined powdered sugar with freshly squeezed lemon juice and whisk well.

Add the butter in small pieces and microwave for just 45 seconds. Remove from the microwave and whisk well until the glaze is unified. Add a pinch of salt. The salt is completely optional here and I find it elevates the sweetness and lemony taste of the glaze.