The bright, citrus bite of lemon paired with the subtle, nutty crunch of poppyseed has become a beloved combination across loaves, cakes, muffins and cookies. The lemon brings a fresh bitterness and zing, while poppyseeds add depth with their earthy, slightly fruity notes. Together they balance sweetness in a way that works beautifully in baked goods.
There are already countless lemon and poppyseed recipes online, but I wanted to offer a different take: a buttery Lemon and Poppyseed Shortbread topped with a silky lemon cream cheese frosting. This version highlights the classic pairing in a crisp, tender biscuit that’s brightened by lemon zest and textured with poppyseeds. A layer of cream cheese frosting enhances the lemon flavor and adds a smooth contrast to the shortbread’s crumbly texture.
-
280g
Plain Flour -
80g
Icing Sugar -
240g
Butter – Room Temperature -
1
Teaspoon
Lemon Juice -
2
Tablespoon
Poppyseeds - Zest of 2 Medium Sized Lemons
-
30g
Butter – Room Temperature -
100g
Cream Cheese -
200g
Icing Sugar -
1-2
Teaspoon
Lemon Juice
-
In a medium bowl, beat the room-temperature butter with the icing sugar using a hand-held beater until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
-
Add the zest from two lemons and one teaspoon of lemon juice, then beat for another minute to incorporate the citrus into the butter.
-
Sift the plain flour, add it to the butter mixture along with the poppyseeds, and fold gently until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in cling film, flatten slightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 30–40 minutes.
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
-
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about 1 cm thickness. Cut into shapes with a knife or cookie cutter.
-
Arrange the shapes on the prepared tray and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
-
For the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together until pale and fluffy, about 3–5 minutes. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
-
Add lemon juice a little at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled shortbread for a smooth, lemony finish.
Flashback!
I first developed this recipe in 2016 and loved the flavour straight away, but the original presentation caused a mess: the recipe suggested sandwiching two biscuits with frosting in the middle, which tended to squish out when you bit into the sandwich. To fix that, I now simply spread the frosting on top of each shortbread rather than sandwiching them. It took several years to revisit and update the recipe and photos, so the images above are from the original 2016 shoot — a reminder that good recipes sometimes take time to refine.