Honey lavender cupcakes are just the best summer treat. They’re light, sweet, and taste like a lazy summer afternoon lounging in a meadow of wildflowers, unicorns, and fairies.
So yeah, they’re straight up magical. I stand by that.
But one thing is for sure, these are the embodiment of summer. There are two things I think of for summer. Flowers and bees. Both of which I love.
Both of which are represented in these cupcakes.
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Why you need to make these honey lavender cupcakes
Besides being delicious, there are genuinely some benefits to these cupcakes.
Lavender, as I’m sure you know, unless you live under a rock or something, is great at calming anxiety and stress. It’s a great herb to…keep the good vibes rolling, I suppose.
It’s my favorite pick me up and of course I’m going to eat it if it makes me feel so much more chill.
This is also a small batch recipe, which, if you didn’t know, is my favorite type of dessert recipe.
Small batch recipes are where it’s at because you can enjoy the treats without the food comas and leftovers.
This means it’s perfect for that magical afternoon and a super easy cupcake recipe to bring to small things, like your sister’s baby shower with just immediate family, your weekly brunch sesh with your closest friends, a picnic in the park, or a day by the pool with friends.
Honey also has benefits too! Because it is already predigested sugars (thank you, bees) your body has an easier time breaking these down, thus you’re less likely to have a sugar crash. Which also means you can eat twice as many….obviously.
Sadly, bees are struggling right now, so that means I’ve got to share my bee knowledge with you. Because if bees go extinct, I’m going to have to move planets…I need my honey.
How can you help save the bees?
Seriously guys, at the risk of sounding like a flower child, we’ve got to save the bees. You know how much of our favorite fruits depend on the bees? Do you know how much I love honey? I’m like a freaking Whinnie the Pooh, always eating honey.
Also, how will your SO give you bouquets of flowers on a random Wednesday just to show you how much they love you? They can’t because without bees, pollination is super expensive. So a $10-$15 bouquet becomes $40+. And I don’t know about you, but why would I want cut flowers when that $40 would be better as so many snacks?
Set up a little bee drinking station
Not only does this hydrate your bee friends, it also attracts other pollinators (like butterflies) and helps them hydrate.
Bee drinking stations are super easy to make. Take a dish with high sides, a lot of people use terra cotta trays from the garden section. Fill it will rocks. Pour water. Now your friends can drink without worrying about drowning.
Plant flowers
Here’s your daily dose of duh. Planting flowers means more food for the bees.
Let Weeds Live.
Dandelions are actually some of the best flowers for bees. Why? Because they’re everywhere. They’re bright yellow which attracts the bees and like most flowers, are stuffed with pollen.
So don’t be so hasty to pluck all of them away.
Don’t use pesticides or fertilizers.
There are so many natural ways to get rid of pests + more often than not, they’re cheap AF.
A spray bottle of dish soap and water gets rid of aphids in a snap so do you really need those harsh chemicals that are dangerous for your pets and the bees? No.
Salt is actually a pretty good weed killer. So why spend $30 on Round Up? Seriously, it’s a method that’s been used forever. The Romans destroyed Carthage and salted the fields so nothing could regrow there. I promise, it’ll work on some of your sidewalk weeds.
Be Prepared. Be Kind
Whenever we hike, I always try to keep an orange on me. When you come across a dying honey bee, typically it’s because they’re dehydrated and exhausted.
Giving them a small piece of orange helps hydrate them and give them sugars to live another day.
Like most things in nature, bees aren’t going to straight up attack you unless you provoke their aggression. So don’t be a dick to them and don’t be scared. Just help them help us by creating their delicious honey.
Some Tips for These Honey Lavender Cupcakes
Make sure your cupcakes are a success with some helpful tips!
- Make sure that your essential oils if you choose to use them are safe to ingest. Many aren’t because they’re cut with other things to make production cheaper. I used Doterra Lavender oil which I use in everything for my anxious soul.
(Fun fact: did you know that pure lavender essential oil helps stimulate hair growth and great for skin care too? Crazy useful). - As always, don’t overbeat your batter. This will create a dense, oddly textured cupcakes…which sort of defeats the purpose of light fluffy cupcakes.
- Because we add the baking powder right after we cream our butter, the batter will almost seem like a sticky sponge. You’re okay. This means your leavener is working and air is being released. This is good! This means light and fluffy cupcakes.
- If your cream cheese frosting is overly stiff, ie you added too much powdered sugar, don’t fret. Simply add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until it is at a consistency that you prefer.
- Here’s the links to some of the ingredients/tools you’re going to need:
Food Grade Lavender
Lavender Essential Oil (food safe)
Reusable Cupcake Liners
Handy Dandy Hand Mixer
Small Batch Honey Lavender Cupcakes
Ingredients Â
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- â…› cup honey
- ¾ tsp lemon zest
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 drops Lavender Essential oils (food grade) (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup + 1tbsp flour
- â…“ cup milk (any variety)
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- â…› cup honey
- 1-2 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp dried food grade lavender
InstructionsÂ
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your muffin tin with reusable cupcake liners.
- With a hand mixer, beat your butter until smooth (about 30 seconds). Combine your sugar, honey, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, and essential oils and beat again until light and fluffy. Then add your vanilla extract and egg.
- Mixing on low speed, alternate mixing in your milk and flour until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or ¼ cup fill your cupcake liners ⅔ of the way full. Fill the empty cups with no liners with some water to ensure an even baking temperature for your cupcakes.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes. You know they'll be done when the tops will be golden and the cupcakes will have a nice spring back when you touch the tops.
Make your cream cheese frosting
- Using a hand mixer, beat your cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add your honey.
- Slowly combine powdered sugar â…“ cup at a time and continue beating until your frosting is light and fluffy. You may not use all 2 cups depending on the humidity and such of the place you live.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a star tip and pipe your frosting swirls. Sprinkle your food grade lavender on top and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Final Notes…
They you have it. Delicious, fluffy, and calming sweet cupcakes. Don’t you just love how turned out? Ugh, so good. So fancy.
If you love the honey wand I used in my photos as much as I do you can get a similar high quality one here. It’s so pretty for food photography if that’s your thing!
And it should be because once you’ve made some these honey lavender cupcakes, take a pic, post it on the gram and make sure to tag me (@thefulfillmentpill)! I love seeing you creations and really, if you don’t post it on Instagram, did it even happen?
Sharing is caring! Do you know someone who would needs this calming summer cupcake recipe? Share it with them!
See you soon, friends!
xoxo,
Angel
