These lavender cupcakes are light and airy vanilla cupcakes made with real vanilla bean and lavender underneath a layer of almond and honey buttercream. They’re almost (almost!) too fancy to eat.
Love vanilla? Try this vanilla almond granola, salted pecan cobbler pie with vanilla bean whipped cream, or vanilla sweet cream cold brew recipe next.
Table of Contents
I’ve been dying to make something with lavender. And let me tell you, these cupcakes are the real thing. A lot is happening in one tiny baked good, but somehow, it all works so well. They’re perfect for summertime parties — light and floral, but so sweet and delicious!
There are two very important factors when creating a cupcake: the actual cake, and the frosting. Your taste buds will love the lavender flavor of the cupcake and the light and airy buttercream infused with honey and almond flavors.
Looking for more cupcake recipes? Try these chocolate peanut butter pinata cupcakes or pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting next time!
What I Love About These Lavender Cupcakes
Thare so many perfectly balanced flavors happening in these lavender cupcakes and I love it. We’ve got lavender, vanilla, honey, and lemon.
And they all create the perfect sweet, tart, and floral bite of fluffy cupcake!
The lavender is beautifully fragrant — and is a fun addition for a special occasion like a birthday, bridal shower, or baby shower!
Success tip: If this is your first time baking with lavender, be aware that a little bit goes a long way.
I bought mine at Giant Eagle for super cheap and it will likely last me years. Just make sure you pulse it with the milk in the recipe before adding it to the cupcake batter to get the tiny lavender seeds broken up.
The combination of lavender and vanilla makes this such a light and delicate cupcake. And the perfectly smooth honey lemon frosting makes the perfect complement to these lovely cupcakes.
To recap, these lavender cupcakes are:
- Perfectly balanced with bright flavors
- Not overpowering, with just the right amount of lavender
- Soft, moist crumb
- Fun for showers, parties, or springtime
How to Make This Lavender Cupcake Recipe
Here are the basic steps, with images, for this lavender cupcake recipe. Skip down to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card and a complete list of ingredients.
Step 1. Combine Milk and Lavender
Add milk and lavender to the bowl of a stand mixer or a food processor and pulse until well chopped.
Step 2. Make Flour Mixture
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and mix on low speed. Set aside.
Step 3. Add Wet Ingredients
Cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes then add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat to combined.
Step 4. Combine the Cupcake Batter
Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat to combine. Slowly pour in the lavender milk with the mixer on low speed.
Step 5. Divide into Cupcake Pan
Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 way full so that they have room to rise without spilling over the sides of the pan.
Step 6. Bake the Lavender Cupcakes
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Step 7. Make the Honey Lemon Frosting
Beat the softened butter for 3 minutes. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar then add the heavy cream, lemon zest, and honey. Beat for another 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add a small amount of purple gel food coloring to make it light purple if desired and top with lavender flowers.
Step 8. Frost the Cupcakes
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and use a piping tip (I used a 1A tip) to frost each cupcake. Top with a garnish of edible flowers.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients for best results. To get the perfect buttercream texture just make sure your butter is room temperature! Your finger should leave a small indent in the butter if you push down on it.
- Don’t overfill the cupcake liners.
- Whip the buttercream long enough. Give it a good whip for about 3 minutes to get the lumps out and then sift the confectioners’ sugar in the butter if you can (not required, but helpful).
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Always weigh them with a kitchen scale when possible.
Freezing and Storing Tips
Store cooled cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and frost as directed.
If you make these delicious lavender cupcakes, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Flavorful Desserts
- Gluten-free lemon bars
- Nutella brownies
- Tahini brownies
- Brown butter banana bread
- Chai white chocolate brownies
Lavender Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
Lavender Cupcakes
- 2 teaspoons dried edible lavendar (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup (177ml) milk any kind
- 1 2/3 (207g) cup cake flour (Note 2)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) greek yogurt or sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon lavender extract optional
- 1/2 vanilla bean sliced in half and seeds scraped out
Honey Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 227g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3-4 cups (360-480g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (59ml) heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons (63g) honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Pinch of salt to taste
- Very small drop of purple gel food color optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Place the lavender and milk in a blender and blend or pulse for a few seconds to blend the lavender into small bits.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high speed to cream for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, lavender extract and vanilla beans and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, at least 2 minutes. Beat in the greek yogurt or sour cream and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Pour in the lavender milk with the mixer running on low until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Fill each prepared muffin cup 2/3 of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, place room temperature butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes. Sift in powdered sugar and add heavy cream, honey, lemon zest, salt, and optional food coloring. Beat until combined and no lumps remain, about 3 more minutes.
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes using a piping bag or plastic bag with the tip cut off (I used Wilton 1A tip). Garnish with additional lavender or edible flowers if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
First time working with edible lavender buds. For me they were a pain to work with. Nothing I tried ground them enough until I find chopped them with a knife. Took forever since they’d been soaking in the milk. Maybe next time I should try grinding dry in a nut chopper or with a meat cleaver, or a rolling pin? The lavender does smell lovely while using it. The cupcakes do have a nice flavor after baking them. Haven’t frosted them yet I’m pooped. But will and post again.
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for the comment. The recipe says to blend the lavender with the milk together in a blender or food processor. That should solve the problem. Thanks!
The cake turned out great! very happy with the texture. The frosting did not. I am pretty certain the honey made it too thin…the lemon zest was great flavor so I am going to make it again without the honey
Hey Emily! I’ve tested this recipe many times with the honey with no problem. I’m wondering if your butter was too soft? That can happen with buttercream! The trick is too add more powdered sugar if that happens, though you may end up with extra frosting. Let me know how it goes the second time around!
Hello! I’ve made these and my friend raved about them! Her birthday is coming up, and I was curious if I could make these cupcakes into a cake. If you have any tips on how to adapt this, how much batter I would need, and/or baking time and temps, I would really appreciate it. Thank you very much!