Seriously, folks, these lemon lavender cupcakes are absolutely precious. They look adorable, taste great, and even smell good. You’ve got everything you need right here in these cupcakes.
Check out what my pals over at The Pioneer Woman had to say about this recipe:
“I’d always been super wary of lavender in dessert or food in general. I certainly never tasted anything with lavender it in when I was young. And then as I got older and discovered that food could be flavored with that lovely purple thing, I was pretty darn shocked. I think that I was always afraid that my food would end up tasting like flowers? Shows what I know.”
I have always thought of lavender as a perfume, not something you eat. However, when I discovered that you could cook with this pretty, purple flower, a whole new world of baking possibilities became known to me. Have you ever cooked with lavender?
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1-1/2 cup Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Sifted
1 teaspoon Clabber Girl Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Morton Salt
4 Lemons, Zest Freshly Grated
1/2 cup Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter, At Room Temperature
1 cup Domino Sugar
1 Large Eggland’s Best Egg
2 Large Egg Whites
1 teaspoon McCormick Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Lemon Extract (optional)
1/2 cup TruMoo Milk
1/4 cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
FOR THE LAVENDER FROSTING:
3/4 cups Unsalted Butter, At Room Temperature
3-1/2 cups to 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Dried Culinary Lavender, Finely Chopped
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Milk Or Cream If Needed
1 drop Purple Food Coloring (optional)
Fresh Lavender, For Garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cupcake tin with liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Zest the lemons and set the zest aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides if needed and increasing it to high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar and butter is fluffy. Beat in each egg and white until incorporated, then add the vanilla and lemon extract (you can also use a lemon baking emulsion) and lemon zest until combined. Beating on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients until combined, then add in the milk and lemon juice. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and beat until combined.
Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop the batter into the liners filling them 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until the tops are set. Let cool completely.
For the lavender frosting:
Add butter to the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar and lavender. Increase the speed of the mixer, scraping down the sides if needed, beating the frosting until fluffy and combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
If the frosting seems too thick, beat in the tablespoon of milk. If it seems to runny or too thin, you can beat in more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time. Once the frosting is a spreadable consistency, drop in the purple food coloring and mix until evenly colored. Frost the cupcakes and top with a few lavender flowers if you wish.
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Quick Tip: These cupcakes are perfect to take to a baby or bridal shower. They are so dainty and pretty!
Thank you to The Pioneer Woman for this great recipe.
