Moist, fluffy small batch lemon lavender cupcakes topped with a lemon lavender buttercream.
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lemon lavender cupcakes with lemon lavender buttercream
Hello hello! I’m here today with a light, floral cupcake. These lemon lavender cupcakes start out with a light and fluffy vanilla lemon cupcake base that’s flavored with lemon zest and lavender extract. After baking, we’ll poke the cupcakes with a toothpick and brush some lemon simple syrup made from fresh lemon juice on them for some extra flavor, and then we’ll top them all off with a lavender buttercream. These cupcakes are light, bright, refreshing, and perfect if you’re looking for a little something different for your next cupcake flavor.
why you’ll love these lemon lavender cupcakes:
- They’re light and floral: if you’re looking for a light dessert, the lemon and lavender combo is truly perfect.
- They’re small batch: like a lot of recipes you’ll see on my blog, these are small batch – yielding 6 delicious cupcakes
- They’re *super* moist and fluffy: the reverse creaming method and sour cream make these cupcakes super soft and fluffy.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
A tip on keeping the lemons upright
The lemons tend to want to fall down when placed on the frosting. My solution is to stick a toothpick into the cupcake and lean the lemons on to the toothpick. Just be sure to warn any unsuspecting cupcake eaters!
Be careful when mixing the cupcake batter:
It is super important to not over-mix the cupcake batter or you will end up with tough and chewy cupcakes. Using the reverse creaming method makes it more difficult to over-mix the batter, but it’s still good to be aware of how much you are mixing it. Only mix just until all of the ingredients are cohesive.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cupcakes while they bake:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 15 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for lemon lavender cupcakes:
lemon lavender cupcakes:
- All purpose flour: gives the cupcakes their structure. You could use a 1:1 gluten free flour in it’s place to make these gluten free.
- Baking powder: for helping the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding that nice buttery flavor to them. You can substitute salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cupcakes. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Lemon zest: fresh lemon zest brightens up the cupcakes and compliments the floral lavender flavor.
- Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
- Lavender extract: for some nice floral notes in the cupcakes.
- Buttermilk: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding moisture. I recommend using full fat buttermilk for the best texture. I highly recommend using buttermilk but I know it can be hard or annoying to purchase, especially if you don’t plan on using it for anything else. It won’t be completely the same, but you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute. For this recipe, simply combine 35g sour cream with 55g whole milk.
lemon syrup:
- Lemon juice: we’re going to use the juice from the lemon we zested.
- Granulated sugar: an equal part of granulated sugar to lemon juice makes a simple syrup – it’s also to sweeten up the lemon so you’re not having straight sour lemon in your cupcake.
lavender buttercream frosting:
- Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream. Feel free to use salted butter here as well.
- Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream. If you are looking for more of a melt-in-your-mouth texture, use organic powdered sugar!
- Lavender extract: adds a nice floral note to the buttercream.
- Heavy cream: helps to thin out the buttercream a little bit so that it’s pipeable. You can use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk here as well.
- Purple food dye: optional but you can add a little bit of purple food coloring for a soft lavender color.
how to make lemon lavender cupcakes
Here’s a basic rundown on how to make these cupcakes. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.
Rub the zest with the sugar
Use your hands to rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest. This helps release oils from the zest and adds more flavor into the cupcakes.
Beat the butter into the dry ingredients
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat the mixture together until no clumps of butter remain.
Add in the wet ingredients
Add in the egg white, oil, lavender extract, and buttermilk. Whisk the mixture together just until a cohesive batter forms.
Bake
Portion out the cupcakes into six parchment cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean.
Make the lemon syrup
Juice the lemon you zested to get ~25g/2 tbsp. of juice (it’s okay if it’s a little less – just add an equivalent amount of sugar.) Add in the sugar, then microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until the sugar has dissolved. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the top of the cupcakes and brush the syrup over each cupcake.
Make the buttercream
In a medium bowl, beat the butter until smooth, then slowly beat in the powdered sugar, followed by the lavender extract, cream, and purple food dye.
Assemble the cupcakes
Frost each cupcake generously with the lavender buttercream, then garnish with a lemon slice and fresh lavender. Serve and enjoy!
lemon lavender cupcakes recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – just double all the ingredients and distribute the batter between 12 cupcake liners. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely – I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. I’d recommend waiting to make the buttercream until you want to pipe it on to the cupcakes, to avoid needing to re-whip it.
how to store cupcakes
Like most baked goods, these vanilla cupcakes will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They’ll keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but will still be good for about 5 days after baking.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Lemon Lavender Cupcakes
Ingredients
Lemon Lavender Cupcakes
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- zest of 1 medium lemon (~1 tbsp.)
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 41 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.) cubed, room temperature
- 32 g vegetable oil (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 1 tsp. lavender extract
- 90 g buttermilk (3 oz.) room temperature
Lemon Syrup
- 25 g lemon juice (2 tbsp.)
- 25 g granulated sugar (2 tbsp.)
Lavender Buttercream
- 113 g unsalted butter (½ c.) room temperature
- 200 g powdered sugar (1 ⅔ c.)
- ½ tsp. lavender extract
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream
- small amount of purple food coloring optional
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with 6 parchment liners.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar. Zest the lemon into the bowl, then use your fingers to rub the zest and sugar together until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, salt and cubed butter. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg white, lavender extract, and buttermilk. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the six liners. Bake for 15-18 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Lemon Syrup
- Juice the lemon you zested to get ~25g/2 tbsp. of juice (it's okay if it's a little less – just add an equivalent amount of sugar.) Add in the sugar, then microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Poke some holes in the tops of each cupcake with a toothpick, then brush some of the lemon syrup over them.
Lavender Buttercream
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute to remove any lumps.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until all of it has been used.
- Add in the lavender extract, heavy cream, and purple food coloring (if using). Beat for an additional minute.
- Once the cupcakes have completely cooled to room temperature, transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost each cupcake. Garnish with fresh lavender and lemon slices if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Is lavender extract the same as lavender essential oil ?
Hi! They are not the same, extracts are specifically made for baking while essential oils are typically used for their scent and are not safe for consumption.
My daughter picked this out for her 12th birthday and I wasn’t sure about the lavender but these turned out amazing. This is one of the best cakes we’ve ever made. It’s light and moist and the lemon / lavender combo is delicious. We rate these 5 stars!!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you and your daughter enjoyed these – happy belated birthday to her! 🙂
I am in love! I saw these cupcakes on instagram and knew I would be making them. I ordered the lavender syrup and got to work. The small batch is perfect! I usually make way too many cupcakes. I loved the flavor combination! I kicked up the lemon a notch by adding some citric acid and “chef’s kiss!”