I baked these for a backyard bridal shower and three different guests asked me where I “ordered them from.”
That’s the moment I knew this recipe was a keeper.
These lavender honey cupcakes are soft, lightly floral, and finished with a honey buttercream that’s somehow rich and delicate at the same time. They look like something from a fancy bakery, but they’re really not complicated to make at home.
And if you’ve never baked with lavender before, don’t worry. It’s a lot more approachable than it sounds.
Let’s get into it.
What You’ll Need
For the cupcakes:
- All-purpose flour – 1 ¾ cups
- Baking powder – 1 ½ teaspoons
- Salt – ¼ teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, softened – ½ cup
- Granulated sugar – 1 cup
- Eggs – 2 large
- Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
- Whole milk – ½ cup
- Dried culinary lavender – 1 tablespoon, finely ground
For the honey buttercream:
- Unsalted butter, softened – 1 cup
- Powdered sugar – 3 cups
- Honey – 3 tablespoons
- Heavy cream – 2 tablespoons
- Vanilla extract – ½ teaspoon
- Pinch of salt
For garnish:
- Fresh or dried lavender sprigs
- Fresh blueberries
- Edible flowers (optional, but so pretty)
Tools You’ll Need
- Muffin tin and cupcake liners
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Piping bag and a large open star tip
- Spice grinder or mortar and pestle (for the lavender)
- Cooling rack
How to Make It
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Grind the lavender. Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind the dried lavender into a fine powder. This step matters more than you’d think, since whole lavender buds can taste bitter and leave odd little bits in your cupcakes.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground lavender.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate dry ingredients and milk. Add the flour mixture and milk in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners. Scoop the batter evenly into the liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Cool completely. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack until fully cool before frosting.
- Make the honey buttercream. Beat the butter until smooth, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix in the honey, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy.
- Pipe and decorate. Pipe the buttercream onto each cooled cupcake using a large star tip, then top with lavender sprigs, blueberries, or edible flowers.
Pro Tips
A few things I learned after testing this recipe more times than I’d like to admit:
- Use culinary lavender, not the kind from a craft store. Decorative lavender is often treated with chemicals and isn’t meant to be eaten. Look for “culinary lavender” specifically.
- Less lavender is more. It’s easy to go overboard and end up with cupcakes that taste like soap. Start with a tablespoon and adjust next time if you want more flavor.
- Room temperature ingredients matter. Cold eggs or butter will make your batter lumpy and uneven. Set everything out about 30 minutes before you start.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing develops the gluten too much and gives you dense, tough cupcakes instead of soft ones.
- Chill your piping bag for a few minutes if your kitchen is warm. Honey buttercream softens fast, and a slightly chilled bag holds its shape much better when piping.
Substitutions and Variations
| Original | Swap | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | Maple syrup | Adds a deeper, earthier sweetness |
| Whole milk | Buttermilk | Makes the cupcakes even more tender |
| Dried lavender | Lavender extract (¼ teaspoon) | Easier to control the flavor strength |
| Butter | Plant-based butter | Makes the recipe dairy-free with almost no flavor difference |
| Blueberry garnish | Candied violets | A more delicate, vintage look |
Want a bigger lavender flavor? Steep the lavender directly in the warm milk for 10 minutes before using it in the batter, then strain it out. This pulls out more flavor without adding texture.
Make Ahead Tips
You can bake the cupcakes up to 2 days ahead. Once they’re completely cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
The honey buttercream can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Just bring it back to room temperature and re-whip it for a few minutes before piping, since it firms up quite a bit when chilled.
I wouldn’t frost the cupcakes more than a day before serving, since the buttercream can start to lose its sharp piped texture if it sits too long.
Additional Details
Nutritional breakdown (per cupcake, frosted): Roughly 320 calories, 38g carbs, 30g sugar, and 17g fat. This will vary slightly depending on how much buttercream you pipe on top.
Diet-friendly swaps:
- For gluten-free, swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- For dairy-free, use plant-based butter and a dairy-free milk alternative like oat milk.
- For less sugar, reduce the powdered sugar in the buttercream slightly and lean more on the honey for sweetness.
Meal pairing suggestions: These cupcakes go beautifully with iced tea, a light lemonade, or even a glass of prosecco if you’re serving them at a shower or summer party.
Time-saving tip: Make the buttercream while the cupcakes are baking. By the time they’ve cooled, your frosting is ready to go and you’ve cut your total time down significantly.
Leftovers and Storage
Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating, since cold buttercream loses a lot of its flavor and texture.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap before freezing so they don’t dry out.
The buttercream on its own keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container.
FAQ
Will these actually taste like lavender, or more like flowers in a bad way? When measured correctly, lavender adds a soft, slightly sweet floral note, not an overpowering “soap” flavor. Stick to the amount in this recipe and you’ll be in good shape.
Can I use lavender extract instead of dried lavender? Yes. Use about ¼ teaspoon of lavender extract in place of the tablespoon of dried lavender, and add it directly to the wet ingredients.
Why did my cupcakes turn out dense? This usually means the batter was overmixed, or the butter and eggs weren’t at room temperature. Both affect how much air gets incorporated into the batter.
Can I make these into a layer cake instead? Absolutely. This batter works well in two 8-inch round pans. Just increase the bake time to about 25 to 28 minutes.
Is the honey buttercream very sweet? It’s sweet, but the honey adds a deeper, less sugary flavor compared to a standard vanilla buttercream. Most people find it more balanced, not less.
Wrapping Up
These lavender honey cupcakes are the kind of dessert that makes people stop and ask questions before they even take a bite.
Soft, floral, and finished with a buttercream that tastes like a warm summer afternoon. They’re worth the extra few minutes it takes to grind the lavender.
If you make these, I’d love to hear how they turned out. Drop a comment below and let me know if you tried any of the swaps, or if you have a favorite way to decorate them. And if anything trips you up along the way, ask away. I read every single comment.
