Method (cupcakes)

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan) and line two cupcake tins with cupcake cases.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free free flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, Xanthan gum and lemon zest. Stir to combine and set aside.
3. Add the oil and dairy-free milk into a jug, whisk to combine then pour into the dry ingredients.
4. Fold in the poppy seeds. Mix until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps of dry mixture showing. Be careful not to over-mix. 
5. Fill the cases 3/4 full with the batter. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
6. Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer down the centre of the cakes and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
7. Once baked, place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully before filling and frosting.

Method (lemon curd)

1. In a small bowl, add in the corn flour and water. Stir together to make a thick paste.
2. Add the cornflour paste, dairy-free butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, condensed milk and a pinch of turmeric into a medium sized saucepan.
3. Place the saucepan on the hob and heat over low to medium, stirring constantly, preferably with a whisk. After around 5-8 minutes the lemon curd will thicken. If the curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
4. Pour the curd into a heat proof jar or bowl, cover and place aside to cool down.
5. You can either put it in the fridge or keep it at room temperature to cool. Before you use it, give it a good stir as it will thicken. Any left over curd can be stored in the fridge, perfect for snacking on toast or on other desserts.

Method (buttercream)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and vanilla, whip on high speed for a couple of minutes to incorporate it.
3. Pour in the aquafaba and whip for 5-8 minutes on high speed until it turns light and creamy. Don’t over whip it or it can become too soft. If it does, just add in more icing sugar until it’s thick and creamy.
4. Whip in the poppyseeds to combine.
5. Your Swiss meringue buttercream should be thick, very creamy, smooth and airy.
6. Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle.
7. Core the cupcakes with an apple corer, knife or spoon and fill a piping bag with the lemon curd.
8. Pipe some of the curd down the middle of the cupcakes, then pipe a swirl of buttercream on top.
9. Decorate the cupcakes with an extra sprinkling of poppyseeds and a lemon slice for decoration (optional).