I have been looking for dried lavender for the longest time. I understand that a lavender treat is probably more appropriate for a spring day, but I just came across dried lavender this week at the Head Nut in Reading Terminal and couldn’t wait another 6 months! I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home recipe. The icing comes from a Martha Stewart recipe. Together, it makes this yummy recipe for Almond Lavender Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 20-25 drops each of blue and red food dye
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup honey
- Additional dried lavender flowers, optional
Line a cupcake tin with cupcake lines. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Add 1/2 cup sugar, almonds, and 1 tablespoon lavender in a food processor. Cover and process until finely ground.
Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in almond mixture until combined.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and evaporated milk. In a third bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add the sour cream mixture and the flour mixture to the first bowl, alternating between the two and beating well after each addition. (I started with the flour, then the sour cream, then flour, and then finished with sour cream.)
I wanted to give the cupcakes a lavender color so I added equal parts blue and purple food die (about 20-25 drops of each) to the batter. In retrospect, I should’ve added the coloring before adding the sour cream mixture and the flour mixture. Oh well.
Add the batter to the cupcake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the center cupcakes comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While waiting for the cupcakes to cook and cool, make the frosting. Add the butter, cream cheese, and honey to a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Top each cupcake with the frosting and some additional dried lavender flowers. You can also drizzle some extra honey if you so wish.
Lavender is fantastic in baked goods. The floral taste can be very powerful though, so a little goes a long way! I’m glad I decided to add the food dye, I think they look so pretty!
If you wanted to make these as mini cupcakes (because, why not?), bake them for 12 minutes.
If you don’t like the purple coloring, feel free to leave it out. Although I swear it makes the cupcakes taste better 🙂
Almond Lavender Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 20-25 drops each of blue and red food dye
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup honey
- Additional dried lavender flowers, optional
Instructions
- Line a cupcake tin with cupcake lines. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Add ½ cup sugar, almonds, and 1 tablespoon lavender in a food processor. Cover and process until finely ground.
- Add the butter and 1½ cups sugar to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
- Beat in almond mixture until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and evaporated milk. In a third bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the sour cream mixture and the flour mixture to the first bowl, alternating between the two and beating well after each addition. (I started with the flour, then the sour cream, then flour, and then finished with sour cream.)
- Add the batter to the cupcake pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the center cupcakes comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While waiting for the cupcakes to cook and cool, make the frosting. Add the butter, cream cheese, and honey to a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Top each cupcake with the frosting and some additional dried lavender flowers. You can also drizzle some extra honey if you so wish.
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Wow! Cannot wait to try these! I have a weakness for cream cheese icing, but honey cream cheese?! Yum!
Honey with cream cheese, yippie, I coudn’t imagine anything as tasty as that. Watery mouth. I need something to eat quick.
Maybe it’s the combination of ingredients or maybe it’s the photos, but you sold me on this cupcake recipe!
The cupcakes look amazingly delicious and the choice of cupcake wraps is quite impressive. You can also use suitable cupcake stands for making the display more gracious.
How many does this make?
Sadie, this recipe should make about 24 normal sized cupcakes.
Where does it say how much salt to add?
Lauren so sorry! 1/2 tsp salt. I will update the post now!
In the body of the recipe it calls for evaporated milk, in the directions it calls for condensed milk. Which is it. Making these for my daughter’s birthday, she’s hosting a brunch with about 16 of her friends. I think these will be perfect.
Hi MaryAnn,
Sorry for the confusion. Evaporated milk is the correct choice! I will change the wording ASAP. Thanks for catching this! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
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Oh my, these look so incredibly lovely! Really making me want to try them for myself!
I loved this recipe SO much, but I have been hitting the junk food too hard lately, so I made some healthy swaps and posted on my blog. Thank you for being an inspiration!
https://www.inpursuitofsimple.com/2015/05/22/recipe-revival-healthy-lavender-almond-cupcakes/
So excited to try these! What do you think about using almond extract in place of the vanilla?
Hi Holli, you can absolutely substitute in almond extract, that should up the almond flavor! I hope you enjoy them!
Could I use lavender extract instead of dried lavender?
Thank you,
Lyssa
Hi Lyssa,
Sure, I think that would work fine. Just add the lavender extract with the wet ingredients instead of dry ingredients. Also keep in mind that lavender extract is more pungent, so use it sparingly.
These were THE BEST cupcakes I’ve ever made or even tasted. I’ve never had anything like it before, such a sophisticated taste with the perfect blend of each flavor. Brought them into work and all the guys even absolutely loved them. I had extra batter since I only made 12 cupcakes and poured the rest of the batter into a pan and made them into bars. I liked eating them cold as well because of the cream cheese frosting. 💜✨