Lemon Lavender Cupcakes For Calm in Troubled Times
This is hands down one of the best things I have ever made, and if you are afraid of baking, don't be. I have never been a particularly proficient baker. Even before I learned I had to go gluten-free, and without gluten to do the work for me, it has been a rough go, baking-wise. So if I can make this recipe, you can make this recipe.
This recipe combines two of my most trusted allies: lemon and lavender. I enchanted the lemon cupcakes for general cleansing and the lavender buttercream for calm, because this is what most of us need to help us navigate 2025.
It's a shit show; I made cupcakes. These were part of my May Day Dinner - you can check out that post for other fun culinary spring projects.
A note on ingredients: good ripe fresh lemon and culinary lavender are a must for this recipe. They are the two standout ingredients, so we want them to be their best. Any white/yellow/vanilla cake mix will work here, or if you're more adventurous than I, you can make the whole cake yourself. I used Betty Crocker brand gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix, because that's what my local store had on hand. On the other hand, I used an unwaxed organic lemon and culinary lavender I bought at the Cape Cod Lavender Farm last summer.
As written, these are recipes. I expect you to bring your magic to these to make them your own.
1 box yellow cake mix (vanilla would work too)
Zest of 1 Lemon
3 tbs. lemon juice
I followed the exact instructions on the back of my cake mix and added lemon zest and juice when the wet liquids were added, but I made no other changes to the recipe. As I said, I'm not an expert baker. They came out very well.
This particular cupcake reminds me of Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors, which is a sign that spirit is present in my household.
Lavender Buttercream Frosting
1/4 Cup milk
1 tbs. lavender
3 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tbs vanilla
Salt, to taste
Purple food coloring, optional
Purple edible glitter, optional
I infused the lavender in warm (not boiling) milk for 15 minutes, then strained it out before adding all the ingredients to my Kitchen Aid. I then ran it on low with the paddle attachment until it was frosting. I added three drops each of red and blue food coloring to get a light purple effect. (I'm sure it can be done with a hand mixer; the Kitchen Aid just makes it much easier.)
The temperature of the butter was key here. The frosting will be very temperature dependent; store it in the fridge, but if you want to pipe it, it must be at room temperature.
I don't have piping equipment, so I made a makeshift one out of a Ziploc bag with a hole cut in the corner.
The end result is a strong lemon cupcake with a lovely, subtle lavender frosting; this isn't overpowering or "soapy" at all.
I will definitely make these again.
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