Lavender Lemon Cupcakes
Lavender Lemon Cupcakes combine two of my favorite flavors; lavender and lemon! The brightness and tanginess of the lemon beautifully compliments the soft, floral notes of lavender. I love this recipe because I think it's such a refreshing and unique cupcake flavor!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream 101
If you have never tried Swiss meringue buttercream, you are in for a treat! It’s so creamy, dreamy, fluffy, smooth, and isn’t overpoweringly sweet. It’s great for these lemon lavender cupcakes because it allows the lemon flavor to shine through in the cake, and doesn’t cover up the lavender flavor in the frosting!
Don’t be intimidated by Swiss meringue buttercream! It’s easier to make than you think. This buttercream has four ingredients: egg whites, sugar, butter, and dried lavender buds.
Making the buttercream
First, to make the buttercream, we are going to combine sugar and lavender in a food processor. This will only take 1-2 pulses. Pulsing in the food processor allows the lavender to release its oils and infuse with the sugar.
Next, whisk egg whites and lavender sugar together, then heat it over a double boiler.
Once the mixture has reached 165, strain it to remove the larger pieces of lavender buds, then whip into a meringue in a stand mixer. There's no need to let it cool before doing this step. Whip the meringue until it cools down to room temperature and forms stiff, glossy peaks.
Finally add the butter. The butter should be on the colder side of room temperature. If the butter and the meringue are too warm, the buttercream will become liquid-y. If this happens, transfer it to the fridge to cool.
Switch to the paddle attachment on your mixer and add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Wait for the butter to fully mix in before adding the next tablespoon.
After you add all the butter, you may add the food coloring at this point, if desired.
A few tips:
#1 If it takes more than about 20 minutes to reach the stiff glossy peak stage, transfer it to the fridge for 10 minutes to cool down and then continue whipping.
#2 If you are letting the frosting sit for a little bit before you use it, make sure to give it a good whip before frosting your cake as it tends to form bubbles while it sits.
#3 If the frosting has split, or looks curdled/chunky, place it in a heat-proof bowl and return it to the double boiler. Let the edges turn liquid; do not mix. Leave for just about 1-2 minutes. Then, return it to your mixer and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Switch to medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes and the buttercream should come back together!
What kind of lemon curd should I use?
When it comes to filling the cupcakes with lemon curd, you can use either store bought or your favorite recipe for homemade lemon curd!
I happened to have extra homemade lemon curd on hand so that’s what I used, but if I made this recipe again I’d probably use store bought just to cut out an extra step to the recipe.
How to fill cupcakes with lemon curd
To fill the cupcakes, make a hole in the middle of the cupcake and put about a tablespoon of the lemon curd inside.
To make the hole, you can use the wide end of a piping tip, or a knife. Make sure you don’t cut all the way to the bottom of the cupcake; leave about 1/2 inch at the bottom.
Feel free to plug up the hole using the cake you took out, or discard it.
What kind of lavender should I use in lemon lavender cupcakes?
Culinary lavender! Culinary lavender buds are cleaned and sifted to remove stems, leaves, and other debris you don’t want to eat. Make sure to use lavender that is meant for consumption (not decorative)
I have French blue lavender, however there are many different varieties of culinary lavender out there, each with their own distinct taste!
Lavender Lemon Cupcakes
Lemon cupcakes are filed with delicious lemon curd and topped with a fluffy, floral, lavender Swiss meringue buttercream. Celebrate spring by biting into one of these heavenly lavender lemon cupcakes!
Lemon cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup lemon curd (divided)
Lavender Swiss meringue buttercream
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons lavender buds (dried)
- 5 egg whites
- 2 cups butter (softened)
Lemon cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with 16 paper liners.
- In a medium bowl ,combine flour, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Change speed to medium-low; add eggs and beat until combined.
- Add the lemon juice to the milk. In alternating batches, add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter and sugar mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Divide batter between prepared muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted ed into the middle comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lavender Swiss meringue buttercream
- Add the sugar and lavender to a food processor, pulse 1-2 times. In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg whites with the lavender sugar. Set over a pot of simmering water; make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Continuously whisk over heat until a thermometer reads 165°F, or until all granules of sugar are dissolved.
- Strain the sugar and egg white mixture to remove the larger pieces of lavender, then using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix on high for a few minutes. Switch to medium-high speed until the meringue becomes room temperature.
- Switch to the paddle attachment on the mixer; add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, allowing for each tablespoon to be fully incorporated before adding the next. After all the butter is incorporated, now is the time to add food coloring, if desired.
Assemble
- Using the wide end of a piping tip or a knife, cut out the centers of the cupcakes, leaving about 1/2 inch at the bottom (don’t cut all the way through). Fill each hole with about 1 tablespoon of lemon curd per cupcake.
- Add lavender buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with desired piping tip and pipe on to cupcakes. Garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of lavender.