Almond Flour Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Gluten-free and bursting with fresh citrus and poppy seeds, these almond flour lemon poppy seed cupcakes have a tart lemon curd filling and a velvety, stable whipped cream cheese frosting. They're a light and lemony dessert, and a fun twist on my gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake!

The secret behind these incredible cupcakes

Want to know how these cupcakes get their amazing flavor and texture while staying completely gluten-free (and easy)? It comes down to a few simple tricks:

1. Almond flour + cornstarch: This gluten-free blend creates a light, tender crumb. The cornstarch absorbs excess oil from the almond flour, keeping the cupcakes perfectly moist instead of dense. (It's this combo that ensures my gluten-free marble cake has such a tender and fluffy crumb).
2. Whipped eggs & sugar: Beating the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until bubbly helps dissolve the sugar and incorporate air. This step ensures the gluten-free batter rises beautifully. (I use this process for a number of recipes, including my almond flour vanilla cupcakes).
3. Store-bought lemon curd: We're swapping homemade curd for a high quality jarred version to save time without sacrificing that bright, tart lemon flavor.
4. Stabilized whipped cream frosting. I usually serve my almond flour lemon cake with whipped cream, so I wanted that combo for these cupcakes too. But, traditional whipped cream wilts quickly on cupcakes. By blending it with cream cheese, you get a light, airy frosting that holds its shape, pipes perfectly and adds a delicious, subtle tang.
   

Ingredient notes

• Almond flour - Using almond flour results in a softer crumb for cakes and cupcakes compared to almond meal. (You can see from my other almond flour recipes that it's what I use most of the time). Both come from raw ground almonds, but almond flour consists of blanched almonds with the skins removed to ensure a finer consistency.
• Lemons - Grab about 2 medium lemons for this recipe. You will need 2 tablespoons of zest for the cupcakes and some of the lemon juice for both the batter and frosting.
• Poppy seeds - Just 1 tablespoon is all you need.
• Eggs - You'll need 4 large eggs to help these gluten-free cupcakes rise. Don't forget to let them come to room temperature first.
• Sugar - I'm using granulated sugar but you can easily substitute with cane sugar.
• Almond extract - Just a little really gives these cupcakes a bakery worthy flavor (just like it does with my gluten-free lemon blueberry bread).
• Oil - I used olive oil but extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil or vegetable oil will work too.
• Heavy whipping cream - Use cold, heavy whipping cream that's at least 35% milk fat.
• Cream cheese - The recipe calls for just 6 tablespoons of full fat cream cheese. Keep it cold. You don't need to let it come to room temperature for the frosting like you would for my peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
• Powdered sugar - This will work with the cream cheese to stabilize the whipped cream but also to sweeten it.

How to make lemon poppy seed cupcakes with almond flour

Step 1: Whisk together the almond flour, cornstarch, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.

Step 2: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat together the eggs and sugar until bubbly on top, about 1 minute.

Step 3: Add in the oil, lemon juice, zest and almond extract. Mix until just combined.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, switch to a spatula, and stir until just combined.

Step 5: Divide the batter into a 12 cup muffin pan (with liners), filling them about ¾ full.

Step 6: Bake at 350F for 13-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 7: Cut a circle into the top of each cupcake, about 1-inch deep. (You can use a knife, but I normally use the bottom of a piping tip as seen in the photo).

Step 8: Spoon or pipe the lemon curd into each of the carved out circles. (You'll use about half of the curd for this step).

Step 9: Make the frosting by first whipping together the cream cheese and lemon juice. Then, beat in the powdered sugar. Next, gradually add in the whipping cream. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form.

Step 10: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, leaving a center in the middle and then spoon or pipe the remainder of the lemon curd into each cupcake.

Measuring your ingredients

For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.

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