Turn plain vanilla cupcakes into wonder with lavender essential oil. Add a dollop of homemade buttercream frosting with a drop of orange essential oil for a truly unique homemade cupcake recipe.

I bet you think this flavor sounds crazy.  That cupcake up there looks like a plain Jane vanilla cupcake. This cupcake is going to blow your mind. This cupcake flavor combination is unique and exquisite. It is perfect for any spring event.

We tend to think of lavender more as a scent than a flavor, but a few years ago I tried lavender gelato and it was amazing. So I figured lavender cupcakes had to be delicious.  I wasn’t so sure about topping homemade cupcakes with orange frosting, but I went for it.

To make the cupcakes, you will use a lemon cupcake recipe and switch out the lemon oil for lavender essential oil.* Lavender essential oil is very strong and you only need 1-2 drops of oil in the batter. Start with one drop and go from there.

The cupcake is topped with a basic homemade buttercream recipe using all butter. I’ve been playing around with buttercream recipes and using butter or shortening or both. I really prefer the straight butter because it makes the frosting lighter and fluffier, but it doesn’t quite set as well. So if you need the buttercream to sit well, add in some shortening by decreasing the same amount of butter.

I used milk as the liquid in the frosting, but orange juice would work, too. You don’t need the juice for the flavoring, though. The orange essential oil provides plenty of orange flavors.

The frosting is piped on using a Wilton 1M tip. I bought a Wilton Cupcake Decorating Kit a few years ago and it has everything you need to frost pretty cupcakes.

If you aren’t brave enough to try lavender cupcakes – check out these lemon cupcakes with blackberry frosting instead!

*I use Young Living Essential Oils, which are safe to eat. Not all essential oils are edible. Due to lack of purity, 98% of essential oils sold should NOT be ingested. An edible essential oil will be labeled “therapeutic-grade” and have a “Supplement Facts” box on the label showing the nutritional value – do NOT use just any brand of essential oil for cooking/flavoring foods. Be sure to use pure oils from reliable sources, not synthetic scents or flavorings.