Lavender Cupcakes With Lavender Buttercream Frosting Recipe

There are so many wonderful things about lavender. The lavender flower itself is stunning. The smell is amazing and we love using it in our lotions, sprays, and perfumes. But we've never baked with it, that is, until now. When we found some dried culinary lavender at our favorite spice shop, we knew that we had to put our chocolate to the side for a moment and experiment into the unknown. This lavender cupcake with lavender frosting and topped with simple fondant blossoms has an undeniable sweet lavender flavor, but does not taste like you're eating perfume (we worried about that for a minute). The cupcake is light and moist, and the frosting is fluffy and sweet. Lavender, what can't you do?

Before You Get Started Making Lavender Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream Frosting

NOTE: Be aware that you must let the milk in the recipe infuse with the dried lavender for 6-8 hours, and preferably overnight for the cupcake and buttercream recipe.

Measure/Weigh all the ingredients

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F)

Take butter, egg, and infused milk out to come to room temperature

Prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners of your choice

Lavender Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream Frosting Ingredients & Amounts (Yields ~10-12 cupcakes)

For Lavender Cupcakes

1/2 cup (121g) whole milk

3 tbsp (6g) dried culinary lavender - you're going to combine the milk and dried lavender into a bowl with a lid and set in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight, to infuse

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (3g) baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

3 tbsp (43g) unsalted butter - softened

1 (50g) egg - room temperature

For Lavender Buttercream Frosting

2 tbsp (30g) whole milk

1 tbsp (2g) dried lavender - you're going to combine the milk and dried lavender into a bowl with a lid and set in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight, to infuse

2 cups (230g) confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

5 tbsp (71g) unsalted butter- softened to room temperature

Lavender Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream Frosting Step-By-Step Directions

For Lavender Cupcakes

1) Infuse the milk and dried lavender as stated above in ingredients.

2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).

3) Using a strainer, strain the infused lavender milk to remove the dried lavender. We used our mini strainer.

4) In the bowl of your stand mixer (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer), sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

5) Add in sugar and softened butter to your dry ingredients from step 4. Mix with the paddle attachment on low until all is combined and the texture is sandy (the butter mixed with the dry ingredients should feel crumbly/sand-like).

6) With the stand mixer on low, slowly pour the infused milk into the flour mixture and mix just until the last of the milk is combined. Now add in the egg.

7) Mix for 15 seconds on medium speed, and then scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are combined. Make sure not to overmix (over-mixing results in a dry cake).

8) Fill the cupcake liners 2/3rd's full, bake cupcakes at 325 degrees (F) for 20-23 minutes or when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

9) Remove cupcakes and set on a wire cooling rack until completely cool

For Lavender Buttercream Frosting

1) Infuse the milk and dried lavender as stated above in ingredients.

2) Using a strainer, strain the infused lavender milk to remove the dried lavender. We used our mini strainer.

3) Sift powdered sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer) and add in softened butter.

4) Mix with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer on low until combined.

5) Slowly pour in the infused milk on low. When mixed together, increase your speed to high for 5 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy (you can add your food coloring at this point if you would like).

6) Decorate your cooled cupcakes as you prefer.

Lavender Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream Frosting Sweet Notes

If you're piping a design onto your cupcake, then we suggest to double the lavender buttercream frosting recipe

This lavender cupcake would taste great with American buttercream, cream cheese frosting, and and swiss meringue buttercream

We suggest to let the milk and dried lavender steep and infuse overnight to get the maximum lavender flavor

If you can't find dried lavender locally, get it here

Add some embellishment like these easy fondant blossoms (full tutorial)