Honey Cupcakes – These honey cupcakes are soft and moist with a subtle honey flavor baked into the cake and a luxurious honey buttercream on top.
Honey Cupcakes
A few weeks back, I was at the local farmers market and saw some local honey for sale. I immediately bought a big jar and started to brainstorm uses for it in desserts and my lavender honey cupcakes came to mind. I wasn’t feeling like having a lavender dessert so I adapted the recipe to focus solely on honey and it came out beautifully! There is honey in both the cupcake itself and the frosting.
Common Questions About Making Honey Cupcakes
What are honey cupcakes?
Honey cupcakes are light and fluffy cupcakes with honey in the batter that are topped with a honey buttercream frosting.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
How long do these cupcakes last?
Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
What can I garnish these cupcakes with?
I like to garnish these cupcakes with a neutral sprinkle, fresh berries, or a drizzle of honey.
How can I make the perfect cupcakes?
- Follow the recipe – While I totally understand dietary restrictions, if you plan on making changes to the ingredients, I cannot guarantee the recipe will work. If you are facing this problem, I will gently suggest that you may want to consider finding a cupcake recipe on a site that specifically develops for the diet you are on such as a keto baking website or vegan baking website. Too many times have I seen recipes for wrong for people because they started to adjust the recipe too much.
- Don’t over-mix the cupcakes – If you want to keep cupcakes light and airy, avoiding over-mixing is key. Mix until just barely combined.
- Let the cupcakes completely cool before frosting – This is a classic mistake that people constantly make (including me). Your cupcakes are done baking, you are ready to sit down and eat one so you touch the cupcake and say “this is most definitely cool” even though it’s only been out of the oven for like, 5 minutes. Wrong. Your frosting will just slide off the cupcake and it’ll be really sad. To be safe, I’d say give them 1-2 hours before frosting.
- Don’t over fill the cupcake liners – If you overfill the cupcake liners, you will definitely have some overflow which isn’t pretty and elegant. Stick to filling each liner about 3/4 full.
- Spin the cupcake tin halfway through cooking – An oven’s heat is generally not terribly even so a simple way to make sure all of the cupcakes cook all the way through is to spin the pan about 1/2 way through baking 180 degrees.
Ingredient Notes –
- Milk adds moisture to the cupcakes so they aren’t too dry– I’m using whole milk but any milk should work.
- Vegetable oil adds richness and helps keep the cupcakes moist.
- Honey adds a bit of sweetness and delicious flavor to the cupcakes and buttercream. I recommend using a flavorful local honey.
- Eggs bind the cake batter together.
- Vanilla enhances the sweetness and flavor of the honey.
- Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the cupcakes.
- Flour gives the cupcakes structure. Make sure to measure using the spoon and level method as adding too much flour can result in dry cupcakes.
- Baking powder helps the cupcakes rise so they become light and fluffy.
- Butter is the base of our buttercream– just make sure it’s fully softened so you don’t end up with lumps in your buttercream.
- Powdered sugar adds sweetness and structure to the buttercream.
Looking for more cupcake recipes? Check these out!
Honey Cupcakes
Honey Cupcakes - These honey cupcakes are soft and moist with a subtle honey flavor baked into the cake and a luxurious honey buttercream on top.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Honey Buttercream
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla.
- Next, add the sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until no large lumps of flour remain.
- Divide the cake batter between the muffin tins, filling each one 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely before making the buttercream.
For the Honey Buttercream
- Add the softened butter and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well combined - about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Turn the mixer to high speed and beat for 1-2 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip and frost the cupcakes as desired.
- Storage - Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
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