lemon poppy-seed cupcakes with blackberry buttercream

I am not really in the mood for experimenting, so cupcakes it is! My labmate requested lemon poppy-seed, thus..

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream

Cake recipe via epicurious / Buttercream recipe via wilton.com

For the cupcakes:

Yields 10-12 cupcakes.

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fresh finely grated lemon zest (or 1 teaspoon lemon extract)*

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons poppy-seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, zest (if using lemon extract, add it with the sugar and butter), and salt. 

Beat together sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy-seeds, and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick. *I ended up adding the juice of one small lemon, because I felt like it wasn't quite lemony enough with the zest/extract alone.

Spoon batter evenly into paper liners, about 2/3 full. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool a few minutes in muffin tin before removing onto wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream:

I halved this recipe and had plenty for a dozen cupcakes. The ingredients listed below will make enough icing for at least 2 dozen cupcakes.

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves

fresh blackberries for garnishing (optional)

In a large bowl, beat shortening and butter or margarine with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, mix well. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl often. The icing will appear dry once all the sugar is mixed in. Add blackberry preserves and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.