Lavender-Lemon Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Fragrant, flowery lavender cupcakes topped with honey cream cheese frosting.
Category: Dessert
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
  • ¼ cup dried culinary lavender
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher or sea salt
  • 1 cup (2 4 ounce sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1⅓ cups milk
  • 1 tsp each of red & blue food coloring, or a smidge of Wilton violet food color gel
  • 8 ounce jar of lemon curd
Frosting
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3½ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup clover honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Chop the lavender buds roughly. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chopped lavender buds and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Beat in vanilla and food coloring. Add the flour and milk in alternate additions, beginning and ending with the flour, beating just to incorporate between each addition.
  4. Fill muffin cups ⅔ - ¾ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for five minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. When cooled, use a paring knife to cut a circle from the middle of each cupcake. Fill the holes with about 1 tsp of lemon curd.
Make the Frosting:
  1. Beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy, about one minute. Add butter and beat for another two minutes, until well-incorporated and fluffy.
  2. Turn mixer to low and add powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating well between each addition. Add honey and vanilla and beat until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  3. Frost cooled cupcakes and serve.
Notes
If you're not piping the frosting onto the cupcakes (e.g. if you're just giving each a little schmear), you can probably cut the frosting recipe in half.
Recipe by Baked In at https://www.baked-in.com/2013/08/28/lavender-lemon-cupcakes-with-honey-cream-cheese-frosting/