Happy fall! It’s currently raining and gloomy, but I’m holding on to my favorite summer flavors. Do you guys remember the lavender honey cupcakes I made for Jemma’s first birthday? I wasn’t perfectly happy with how they turned out, so I went back and revamped the recipe, and I’m SO GLAD I DID. These lavender cupcakes turned out absolutely perfect. They’re light, fluffy, and with a lavender flavor that’s not too overpowering. Almond extract and a little lemon zest help round out the flavor profile. And you can substitute any nondairy milk to make this cupcake dairy free!
The frosting that you see in the photos is one of my go-to’s, but it’s not my own recipe. I use BraveTart’s Swiss Buttercream any time I want a frosting that’s light, silky, and not too sweet. I used almond extract instead of vanilla extract to match the cupcake flavor. Then, I added food coloring to make the fun purple colors for piping. Feel free to use whatever frosting you’d like!
Lavender Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp culinary lavender
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- zest of one lemon (optional)
Instructions
- On the stovetop or in the microwave, heat milk until steaming but not boiling. Steep lavender for 20 minutes.
- Add lemon zest (if using) and almond extract to the lavender milk. Discard lavender and let milk cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line your cupcake tin.
- Beat eggs and sugar until batter is very pale in color, fluffy, and drips off the beaters in ribbons that hold their shape slightly before assimilating back into the bowl. I recommend using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, but a handheld mixer will work too.
- Add oil and mix until homogenized.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternate adding in dry ingredients and lavender milk until the batter is just combined.
- Scoop batter into cupcake tins until 2/3-3/4 of the way full. These cupcakes bake flat instead of doming on top, so you can fill the cupcake liners a little higher than usual.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until and inserted skewer comes out clean. Let cool and top with your favorite frosting (I recommend an almond or vanilla Swiss buttercream).
The buttercream piping on these cupcakes was inspired by some trendy cupcakes I’ve been seeing all over instagram. What do you guys think? I haven’t made a tutorial about any of my decorating techniques so far, but if you want a post just on decorating, please let me know! Happy baking!