Honey and lavender. A flavor match made in spring heaven. And these small-batch Honey Lavender Cupcakes are a true love pairing. Topped with fluffy honey lavender buttercream frosting, these moist and naturally sweetened cupcakes are baked to perfection.


Note: This post contains affiliate links to which I earn a small commission, but don’t worry there’s no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting CAKED by Katie.

A line up of honey cupcakes with light purple frosting swirls on top.

How Do You Bake Honey Lavender Cupcakes?

There are a few different techniques for baking with lavender and I’ve tried my fair share but my most favorite way is with lavender milk. A simple homemade milk mixture that steeps with dried lavender to produce gorgeously floral milk in both taste and scent.

The best part about lavender milk is that there won’t be any chewy grainy lavender bits in the cupcakes themselves making them much more palatable.

Honey cupcakes with a light p[urple frosting swirl on top.

How Do I Make Lavender Milk?

Don’t get intimidated. You don’t need to be a Starbucks barista to make homemade lavender milk. All you need is your milk of choice and a few teaspoons of dried lavender.

First, in a small pot, combine both the milk and lavender and bring it to a boil over high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, take the pot off the heat and allow it to cool back to room temperature. The second step is once it has cooled, grab a strainer and strain out the lavender.

There you go! You’ve just made homemade lavender milk. See, I told you it was easy. This recipe will use a good portion of the lavender milk in both the cupcake batter and the buttercream but if there’s any leftover I highly recommend saving it for a delicious splash in tea or coffee. Perhaps even a lavender latte in the near future!

A honey cupcake topped with purple frosting and a knife cutting through it.

Small Batch Honey Lavender Cupcake Recipe

Sometimes you just need a cupcake. And by “a cupcake” I mean 2 or 3. But truly, that’s all you need. And math has never been my strong suit so trying to pair down a massive cupcake recipe into just a handful of cupcakes always leaves me feeling confused.

I’ve taken the guesswork out of this cupcake recipe and created it to be a small batch. You should end up with approximately 8 cupcakes. Just enough for you and maybe your family should you choose to share.

How Is Honey Used in Baking?

Honey is truly Mother’s Nature’s greatest sugar. I adore using it as a natural sweetener in baking and for the most part, it can generally be subbed in 1:1 in place of regular processed sugar. The tricky part is balancing the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

It took me two tries but I did find that delicate balance. Using all-purpose flour helped this recipe stay moist but sturdy enough to hold up to the extra moisture unlike my attempt with cake flour.

A honey lavender cupcake witb purple frosting with honey being dripped over top it.

What’s Creamed Honey?

This recipe calls for creamed honey. I, along with my kids, love creamed honey. The silky-smooth spreadable texture and consistency is a baker’s delight, not to mention a spoon-licking dream. Creamed honey, unlike what the name might lead you to believe, contains no actual cream or dairy at all.

It is still 100% natural honey, the only difference to its liquid counterpart is that it has gone through a controlled crystallization process. This process creates small and uniform honey crystals which give it that oh so deliciously spreadable consistency and light color.

More Baking With Honey

I’m so excited for you to try these Honey Lavender Cupcakes. They are truly a gorgeously flavored floral cupcake perfect for spring parties and celebrations.

If you are a honey fan, you simply must try this Honey Blackberry Cake. Or perhaps a light, fluffy, and naturally honey-sweetened Lemon Poppy Seed Donut is more to your liking.

A honey cupcake sliced in half and laying on it's side with purple frosting on top.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Light purple cupcakes with a drizzle of honey on the frosting

Honey Lavender Cupcakes


  • Author: Katie Stymiest
  • Total Time: 60 Minues
  • Yield: 8 Cupcakes 1x
  • Diet: Low Lactose

Description

A small-batch recipe for fluffy and light honey lavender cupcakes. Naturally sweetened with creamed honey, these floral cupcakes topped with whipped honey lavender frosting make the perfect spring treat!


Ingredients

Scale

Lavender Milk

  • ½ cup dairy-free cup milk
  • 2 teaspoon dried lavender

 Honey Lavender Cupcakes

  • ¼ cup dairy-free salted butter, room temperature
  • ⅔ cup creamed honey
  • 1 egg white, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup dairy-free yogurt, room temperature
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup lavender milk

Honey Lavender Buttercream

  • ¼ cup dairy-free salted butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup all-vegetable shortening
  • 2 tablespoons creamed honey
  • 1½ cups icing sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons lavender milk
  • Purple food colouring *optional

Instructions

Lavender Milk

  1. In a small pot combine the milk and dried lavender and bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Remove from the heat as soon as it starts to boil and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.
  3. Strain the lavender from the milk and discard the lavender. Set the lavender milk aside.

Honey Lavender Cupcakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place 8 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and creamed honey and beat together on high until light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes.)
  3. Add in the egg white, vanilla extract, and yogurt and mix on high for another 2 minutes.
  4. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and begin to mix on low.
  5. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the lavender milk and mix until just combined.
  6. Fill each cupcake liner approximately ¾ full with the cupcake batter and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Gently remove each cupcake from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to fully cool.

Honey Lavender Buttercream

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening, and honey together on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add in the icing sugar and salt and mix on low until combined.
  3. Add in the lavender milk and mix on low until combined.*
  4. Turn the mixer to high and allow to beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  5. Top the cupcakes with the frosting and enjoy. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip.
  6. Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Notes

  1. *If you are using purple food coloring, add it during this step.
  • Prep Time: 45 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 Minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
  • Calories: 407
  • Sugar: 50 grams
  • Sodium: 334 Miligrams
  • Fat: 18 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 9 Grams
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8 Grams
  • Trans Fat: 1 Gram
  • Carbohydrates: 60 Grams
  • Fiber: 0 Grams
  • Protein: 2 Grams
  • Cholesterol: 31 Miligrams

Keywords: honey lavender cupcakes, honey lavender dessert, honey lavender cupcake recipe, dairy free honey lavender cupcakes, dairy-free lavender cupcake recipe, lavender dessert, honey lavender cupcake recipe, dairy free lavender cupcakes, floral cupcakes, floral cupcake recipe