The most delightful, moist, delicious, light, and refreshing lemon cupcakes that are super easy to make!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I was pretty committed to never making cupcakes because I shutter at the thought of piping on frosting. I have a tremor so I thought I didn’t have steady enough hands to make pretty cupcakes. And, I was also convinced it would take way too much time.

But a stare down I had with Carrot Cake Cupcakes convinced me to consider my stance on the matter and think about the best and easiest way to accomplish piping. I welcome challenges and I felt challenged that day, so I grabbed a disposable piping bag, shoved it inside a tall glass, folded the ends of the bag over the edge of the glass, and filled the bag with frosting!

I snipped the tip of the bag and pretty soon I was very quickly, and easily, piping frosting on the cupcakes! I was so thrilled with how they turned out! They weren’t terrible like I expected them to be and it instantly opened a world of exciting possibilities for me!

I was anxious to pipe the frosting onto these Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes! What a shift in mindset – all from just trying something I was scared to do and assumed would look terrible. I regret not trying it sooner!

If you love lemon as much as I do, then be sure to try making Lemon Lasagna, Lemon Cheesecake Bars, Lemon Bars, Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, or Lemon Cake Mix Cookies!

What You’ll Need for the Cupcakes:

• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) box Instant Lemon Pudding Mix
• 1/2 cup Oil
• 4 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Poppy Seeds
• 1 cup Hot Water

And the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 cup Butter, Softened
• 1 (8 oz) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• Optional: Lemon Zest

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with liners.
• Beat together 1 box lemon cake mix, 1 (3.4 oz) box instant lemon pudding mix, 1/2 cup oil, 4 eggs, 1/4 cup poppy seeds, and 1 cup hot water until well combined.
• Fill muffin liners until almost full.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Moist crumbs are okay, you don’t want to over bake the muffins.
• In a large bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth and creamy.
• Pipe, or spread, onto cooled cupcakes.
• Optional: Top with lemon zest.

More Recipes with Lemon:

• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Cake Mix
• Vegan Lemon Blueberry Bread
• Lemon Cheesecake Bars
• Lemon Lasagna
• Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
• Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Bars
• Lemon Bars
• Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
• Lemon Zucchini Bread
• Lemon Sugar Cookie Cups
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Strawberry Lemonade
• Lemon Meltaway Cookies
• Blueberry Infused Lemon Water

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes, the most delightful, moist, delicious, light, and refreshing lemon cupcakes that are super easy to make!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) box Instant Lemon Pudding Mix
• 1/2 cup Oil
• 4 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Poppy Seeds
• 1 cup Hot Water

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup Butter, Softened
• 1 (8 oz) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• Optional: Lemon Zest

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with liners.
2. Beat together cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, poppy seeds, and hot water until well combined.
3. Fill muffin liners until almost full.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Moist crumbs are okay, you don't want to over bake the muffins.
5. In a large bowl, making the frosting by beating together softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
6. Pipe, or spread, onto cooled cupcakes.
7. Optional: Top with lemon zest.