Gluten Free Lavender Cupcakes | Beautiful and Delicious!
Try this light and airy gluten free lavender cupcake recipe this spring. See how delightful and fresh dried lavender tastes in this gf cupcake recipe.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Equipment
- Blender or (mini) food processor for grinding lavender sugar
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer
Ingredients
For the lavender sugar
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds plus more for decorating (optional)
For the cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for appropriate blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if using Better Batter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated lavender sugar from above
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 egg white at room temperature, beaten
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup buttermilk at room temperature
For the glaze
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons milk plus more as necessary
- ¼ cup granulated lavender sugar from above
- 1 drop blue gel food coloring optional
- 1 drop red gel food coloring optional
Instructions
Make the lavender sugar
- In the bowl of a blender or (mini) food processor, place the granulated sugar and culinary lavender. Cover and blend or pulse just until the lavender disappears into the sugar.
- Set the lavender sugar aside to use in the cupcakes and the glaze below.
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
- Place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, place the butter, 1 cup of the lavender sugar, egg, egg white, and vanilla, and beat at medium-low speed to combine.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture appears whipped (about 2 minutes).
- To the large bowl with the butter mixture, add half the dry ingredients and beat lightly until just combined.
- Add the buttermilk, and beat lightly, then the remaining dry ingredients, beating again until just combined.
- Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full of batter, and shake the pan back and forth to even out the batter in the cups.
- Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the cupcakes are lightly golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (about 19 minutes).
- Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes in the pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and add about 1 teaspoon of the milk. Mix until you have a very smooth, thick paste.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup of lavender sugar, and more milk by the drop, mixing well, until you have a very thickly pourable glaze.
- Add the liquid slowly, because it’s much easier to thin the glaze than to thicken if once you’ve added too much liquid.
- Add the optional blue and red gel food coloring, and mix until you have a purple glaze.
Glaze the cupcakes.
- Dip the tops of the first cooled cupcake into the glaze, bobbing the top 3 times, and then slowly twisting the cupcake until it is upright.
- Place on a sheet of parchment paper to set. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
- If desired, sprinkle with a few lavender buds before the glaze is set.
- Allow the cupcakes to set at room temperature and then serve.
Video
Notes
Originally published on the blog in 2012. In 2022, cupcake recipe updated and glaze recipe simplified; most text, video, and photos new.