These lemon poppyseed macarons are the perfect mix of bright, tangy lemon and just the right pop of nutty seeds on top. The filling? A silky custard buttercream made with custard powder that’s super easy to make, and not overly sweet. If you want a fancy-looking treat that’s actually pretty doable, this recipe’s for you. Let’s jump in!
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Jump To:
- Why You’ll Love These Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
- Key Ingredients You Need for Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
- What is Custard Buttercream?
- How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
- Making Ahead, Storing & Serving Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
- H2: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Lemon Poppyseed Macarons with Easy Custard Buttercream
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
- Rich & creamy poppyseed custard filling balanced with tangy lemon curd
- Easy-to-scale filling recipes to match your macaron shell batch size
- Sunny yellow macaron shells topped with a sprinkle of poppyseeds
- Shortcut custard buttercream and curd made with custard powder, no need to temper yolks
Key Ingredients You Need for Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
Poppyseed Macaron Shells
Check out my beginner-friendly tutorial and recipe for Swiss macarons for more info on ingredients & technique. You can use any macaron shell recipe you want, if you already have a tried & true recipe you like using! Apart from the standard macaron shell ingredients, you’ll also need:
- Yellow gel or powder food colouring to give your shells a bright and sunny colour to match the flavour.
- Poppyseeds to sprinkle on top of your shells before they’re dry, as an easy way to make the shells really pretty! I also like making the shells look like the flavour inside, so people will know what to expect when they take a bite.
Poppyseed Custard Buttercream & Lemon Curd Fillings
Apart from pantry staples, you’ll also need:
- Custard powder to give body to the fillings, without the need for tempering eggs
- Unsalted butter to add richness and stability to the fillings, and helps them set firm in the fridge
- Poppyseeds for mixing into the buttercream to add texture and flavour
- Lemon juice & zest to add tons of fresh lemony flavour to the curd
What is Custard Buttercream?
Custard buttercream (AKA crème anglaise buttercream, or German buttercream) is a light and silky frosting made by combining a rich custard base with room temperature butter. It’s a major upgrade from American buttercream, which is mostly just butter and powdered sugar and usually cloyingly sweet. Custard buttercream is creamy, smooth, and just sweet enough. It’s also richer and a little denser than Swiss meringue buttercream. Using custard powder is a great shortcut to make the custard base without having to temper egg yolks, so it’s a breeze to whip this filling up.
I also use custard powder as a shortcut to making the small-batch lemon curd filling for the center of these macarons. You’ll have some egg yolks left over you can save to make some delicious ice cream! If you prefer, you can use your egg yolks for my easy lemon curd recipe which is a more traditional recipe based on yolks.
How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
Make Macaron Shells
Make a batch of my beginner-friendly Swiss macarons, and remember or write down the weight of the egg whites you used. You’ll use this number to scale the filling recipes to match.
Dye the shells as yellow as you like (or not at all if you prefer to go food dye-free), and sprinkle some poppyseeds on top of each macaron before they dry and get baked.
Scale the Fillings
Use the charts below to scale the fillings to match the batch size of macaron shells you made based on the weight of egg white you used). If your batch size falls between two columns in the chart, go with the larger amount or do some easy math to scale the recipe. I recommend using the gram measurements if you’re able to, as the cup and tea/tablespoon measurements are approximate.
Poppyseed Custard Buttercream
| Weight of Egg Whites in Macaron Shells | 30 grams | 60 grams | 75 grams | 100 grams | 125 grams | 150 grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custard Powder | 3 g (¾ tsp) | 7 g (2 tsp) | 8 g (2½ tsp) | 11 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) | 14 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) | 16 g (2 tbsp) |
| Granulated Sugar | 11 g (1 tbsp) | 21 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) | 26 g (2 tbsp) | 35 g (2 tbsp + 2 tsp) | 44 g (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) | 52 g (4 tbsp) |
| Whole Milk | 35 g (2½ tbsp) | 70 g (¼ cup + 2 tsp) | 86 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) | 115 g (½ cup minus 1 tsp) | 143 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) | 172 g (¾ cup approx.) |
| Unsalted Butter | 36 g (2½ tbsp) | 72 g (5 tbsp) | 90 g (6 tbsp) | 120 g (8½ tbsp) | 150 g (10½ tbsp) | 180 g (12½ tbsp) |
| Poppyseeds | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ½–¾ tsp | ¾–1 tsp | 1 tsp | 1¼ tsp |
| Salt | Small pinch | pinch | pinch | generous pinch | generous pinch | heaping pinch |
Lemon Curd
| Weight of Egg Whites in Macaron Shells | 30 grams | 60 grams | 75 grams | 100 grams | 125 grams | 150 grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granulated Sugar | 13 g (1 tbsp) | 25 g (2 tbsp) | 32 g (2½ tbsp) | 42 g (3⅓ tbsp) | 52 g (4 tbsp) | 63 g (5 tbsp) |
| Lemon Zest | pinch ~⅛ lemon | ¼ tsp ~¼ lemon | ½ tsp ~⅓ lemon | ¾ tsp ~½ lemon | 1 tsp ~¾ lemon | 1¼ tsp |
| Custard Powder | 3 g (¾ tsp) | 6 g (1½ tsp) | 8 g (2 tsp) | 10 g (1½ tsp) | 13 g (2¼ tsp) | 15 g (2½ tsp) |
| Lemon Juice | 8 g (1½ tsp) ~⅓ lemon | 16 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) ~½ lemon | 20 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) ~⅔ lemon | 25 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) ~1 lemon | 31 g (2 tbsp) ~1¼ lemons | 37 g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) ~1½ lemons |
| Unsalted Butter | 7 g (1½ tsp) | 14 g (1 tbsp) | 18 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) | 23 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) | 29 g (2 tbsp) | 35 g (2 tbsp + 2 tsp) |
| Whole Milk | 36 g (2½ tbsp + 1 tsp) | 72 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) | 90 g (⅓ cup + 2 tsp) | 120 g (½ cup) | 150 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) | 180 g (¾ cup) |
| Salt | small pinch | pinch | pinch | pinch | generous pinch | generous pinch |
Make the Poppyseed Custard Buttercream
Whisk custard powder, milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan until completely combined, and cook while whisking until it thickens. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface so a skin doesn’t form, and refrigerate until completely cool. Whip room temp butter until light and fluffy, and add the cold custard a spoonful at a time until each addition is completely combined. Add poppyseeds and mix until evenly distributed.
Make the Shortcut Lemon Curd
Put the sugar in a small saucepan, and rub the lemon zest into it with your fingertips until very fragrant and the sugar is slightly damp. Add the custard powder and salt, and whisk until evenly distributed. Finally, add the lemon juice and milk and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until thickened (about 3-5 minutes). Take it off the heat and whisk in the cold butter until melted and smooth. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill completely in the fridge.
Assemble the Macarons
Transfer the buttercream and curd to piping bags. Use a plain round tip around ½” (1.2 cm) wide for the lemon curd, and any shape medium tip for the buttercream. Find pairs of same-size macaron shells and arrange them on a baking sheet.
Pipe a ring of buttercream on the bottom of a macaron.
Fill the center of the ring with lemon curd.
Place the matching macaron shell on top.
Gently press the shell until the filling just comes out to the edge.
Transfer the macarons to an airtight container in a single layer, or in two layers separated by paper towel. Leave in the fridge for at least 12 and up to 24 hours to mature.
Making Ahead, Storing & Serving Lemon Poppyseed Macarons
Making the curd and buttercream in advance
You can make both the curd and buttercream up to 5 days ahead. Store both in the fridge until ready to use. You’ll need to bring the buttercream back up to room temperature and re-whip it before piping. You may need to stir the curd with a rubber spatula to loosen it up and bring it to a pipeable consistency.
Making the macaron shells in advance
Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to 3 months, just cool them completely before freezing. Store shells in a rigid airtight and food-safe container to prevent them from being crushed by stuff in your freezer. You can fill shells straight out of the freezer and let them thaw out and mature in the fridge.
Assembled macarons also freeze very well! Store them an airtight rigid container in a single layer, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temp for around 20-30 minutes before serving so they have the best flavour and texture.
H2: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Lemon curd is a runny filling by nature, so it will soak more moisture into the shell than a ganache or buttercream. I recommend letting the macarons mature in the fridge for no more than 24 hours so the macaron shells don’t get too soft.
There are many variables that go into making successful macaron shells. What can often go wrong are whipping the meringue too much or not enough, doing macaronage too much or not long enough, or over/under baking. My beginner-friendly Swiss macaron recipe and tutorial has an in-depth troubleshooting section with more info.
Yes, up to 2-3 hours. Any longer than that you should store in the fridge. If your home is very warm or humid, you might want to put them back in the fridge after only an hour or so, or the fillings could get very soft.
Lemon curd is a relatively runny filling, which could leak out of the sides of the macarons. But it also gives a strong pop of flavour that is really delicious in these macarons. The best way to include a runny filling in macarons is to first pipe a border of a more stable filling like buttercream or ganache, and fill the center with the runnier filling.
Lemon Poppyseed Macarons with Easy Custard Buttercream
Ingredients
Method
- Add 11 g custard powder, 35 g granulated sugar, generous pinch fine sea salt and 115 g whole milk to a small saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Bring to a simmer while whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a heat-proof container and cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly touching the surface. Chill completely in the refrigerator.
- Beat 120 g unsalted butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the cooled custard one spoonful at a time, waiting until each spoonful is incorporated before adding the next. Add 1 teaspoon poppyseeds and mix until evenly distributed.
- Add 42 g granulated sugar to a small saucepan. Rub in ¾ teaspoon lemon zest with your fingertips until very fragrant and the sugar is slightly damp. Add 10 g custard powder and pinch fine sea salt, and whisk until combined. Add 25 g lemon juice, 23 g unsalted butter, and 124 g whole milk and whisk to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer while whisking constantly, until it thickens. Transfer to a heat-proof container and cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly touching the surface. Chill completely in the refrigerator.
- Find same-size pairs of macaron shells, and arrange them on a baking sheet. Transfer the fillings to piping bags. The curd should use a medium round piping tip (or simply cut the end off a disposable piping bag). For the buttercream, use any shape of piping tip you like.
- Pipe a ring of buttercream on the bottom of a macaron shell, and fill the center of the ring with lemon curd. Place a matching shell on top, and gently press down until the fillings just come out to the edge.
- Place the macarons in an airtight container, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. This gives the shells time to absorb moisture from the fillings and get perfectly chewy. Before serving, bring the macarons back up to room temperature for 20-30 minutes for the best flavour and texture.
Leave a Reply