These Lilac Cupcakes with Lilac Buttercream have a subtle floral flavor and aroma that makes the most beautiful and delicious treat. Make homemade lilac syrup and lilac sugar from fresh edible lilac flowers to get the flavor in these cupcakes.
Lilacs are such a beautiful and aromatic flower. And guess what? They are edible! The minute I discovered that you could eat these special little flowers my first thought was to make Lilac Cupcakes with Lilac Buttercream. These little baked goods taste as good as they sound using fresh lilac flowers. The flavor is subtle and the purple color of the frosting creates a beautiful presentation perfect for any occasion.
This recipe is a small batch recipe meant to only make about 10-12 cupcakes. I always find this is perfect for my house (mostly for me so I don't eat them all 😂). If you want more cupcakes, feel free to double this recipe and you are good to go.
Ingredients Needed to Make Lilac Cupcakes
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter
- lilac sugar (recipe below)
- lemon zest
- egg
- lilac syrup (recipe below)
- milk
- powdered confectioners sugar
- vanilla extract
- purple food coloring (or red and blue)
- fresh lilac flowers for garnish
How to Make Cupcakes with Edible Flowers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Mix in the egg, lemon zest, and lilac syrup.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix them into the sugar mixture using a spatula or spoon. Add half of the milk and combine. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been mixed in.
- Fill liners with batter and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to Make Lilac Buttercream Frosting
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and mix in completely. Put in the vanilla, milk, and lilac syrup and combine. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and continue beating until the frosting is smooth. Add purple food coloring and mix in completely.
How to Make Lilac Syrup
You can check out my post for the complete recipe to make Lilac Simple Syrup. You will need 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of fresh lilac flowers that have been rinsed and de-stemmed. Bring the ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from the heat and allow the mixture to steep and cool for 2-3 hours. Once cool, add purple food coloring and store it in a sealable container.
How to Make Lilac Sugar
You can make your own lilac sugar in a small coffee/nut grinder, food processor, or blender. Place ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lilac flowers in the grinder. Pulse about 6-8 times just until combined. Place the lilac sugar in an airtight container until you are ready to use it. You can store the sugar for several weeks in a sealed container.
fresh lilac flowers and sugar in a grinder 
lilac sugar in a grinder
Other Delicious Dessert Recipes to Check Out
- Pink Grapefruit Dessert Bars
- Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
- S’more Meringue Cups
- Instant Pot Strawberry Cheesecake
- Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie
Lilac Cupcakes and Lilac Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- piping bag and tip
- small saucepan for syrup
- small coffee/nut grinder, food processor, or blender for lilac sugar
Ingredients
Lilac Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temp
- ¾ cup lilac sugar (see notes)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lilac syrup (see notes)
- ½ cup milk, room temp
Lilac Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (2 sticks)
- 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoon lilac syrup (see notes)
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
- purple food coloring (or red and blue)
- fresh lilac flowers for decoration
Instructions
Lilac Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the egg, lemon zest, and lilac syrup and mix in.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix into the sugar mixture using a spatula or spoon (you don't want to overmix the flour!). Add half of the milk and combine. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been mixed in.
- Fill liners with batter and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Allow the cupcake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Lilac Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and mix in completely. Put in the vanilla, milk, and lilac syrup and combine. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and continue beating until the frosting is smooth. Add the food coloring and mix in completely.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes using a piping bag and tip of choice (I used Wilton 2D). Add fresh lilac flowers on top of each cupcake for aroma and decoration. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Ensure you use only lilac flowers that have not been sprayed with chemicals. Rinse the flowers and remove them from the stem before eating or using them in these recipes.
- Make your own lilac sugar in your coffee grinder! Place ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lilac flowers in your coffee grinder. Pulse until combined. Place in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Make your own lilac syrup by steeping lilac flowers in a simple syrup. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 cup lilac flowers in a small saucepan. Being to a boil and remove from the heat. Allow the syrup to steep and cool for 2-3 hours. Strain the flowers from the syrup, add purple food coloring, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make These Lilac Cupcakes with Lilac Buttercream Frosting?
If you make these Lilac Cupcakes and Frosting, don't forget to leave a comment below. You can also tag me on Instagram and Facebook to show me what you make!
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duniakagyan says
These look delicious! I will definitely try it.
Linda says
The frosting recipe says to add milk, but it is not listed in the ingredients. Just wondering how much?
Emily says
Hi Linda, sorry about that. 2-3 tbsp of milk for the frosting. Enjoy!
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
This recipe is making me want to find a lilac tree somewhere to make it! Lilacs are my favourite type of trees and I am so intrigued by the syrup and sugar you've created. YUM!!
Emily says
Lilacs bloom super early here in the Pacific Northwest but I hope you find a tree soon. They are just so lovely on their own and fun to work with in the kitchen.
Mihaela|https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
Lilac is my favourite spring flower, and I had no idea it was edible! These must be the most beautiful cupcakes I've seen!
Emily says
I LOVE the way lilacs smell so I had to find out if I could get that fragrance in the kitchen and you can!!
Michelle says
These are so pretty! I think I'm going to make them for my sister's bridal shower.
Emily says
Great idea, these will be a hit at the shower!
Inga says
These look so beautiful! I love the color and the fresh flowers on top 🙂
Emily says
Thanks, Inga. Fresh flowers make everything better 😊.
Jeannie says
so beatiful cupcakes! how to eat 😋😋 interesting addition of lilac flowers
Emily says
Thank you!! 😊
Cooking with Carbs says
These look so amazing! I love making cupcakes with buttercream icing, but I've never used lilacs before. I love the idea that you're using these edible flowers to add to the flavor and aroma. I'll have to try this soon!
Emily says
Cooking and baking with edible flowers is fo fun...and delicious!
Jamie says
These are so delicious and beautiful! Love the color!
Emily says
Thanks, Jamie!
Nora says
What a lovely recipe! And those cupcakes are sooo beautiful! Can’t wait to try your recipe out! Thank you for sharing!
Emily says
You are really going to like this one, Nora.
Sue says
These cupcakes are as delicious to the eyes as they are to the mouth!
Emily says
I totally agree 💯!
Julia says
I love this idea. I've never tried anything flavoured with lilac before. They're not in flower here yet but it could be that my neighbour's shrub is in jeopardy. They look so pretty.
Emily says
Lol! I bet if you make your neighbor some of these cupcakes they won’t mind at all 🤣
Kristina says
These look perfect for Mother’s Day!
Emily says
What a great idea! I'm not sure why I didn't think of that but you are right, these would be perfect for Mother's Day!🌸
Chef Dennis says
I am craving for these cupcakes right now!
Alexandra says
These are absolutely gorgeous!
Emily says
Thank you 😊
Tyanne says
I had no idea about lilac flavoring before! Super great idea.
Emily says
Thank you, Tyanne! There are actually a lot of edible flowers out there that make delicious things in the kitchen!
Jessica Formicola says
I LOVE the smell of lilacs, but I've never thought to bake with them! These cupcakes look amazing and I can't wait to make a batch this weekend!
Emily says
Lilacs smell so amazing, just imagine what your kitchen will smell like when making these 😁!
Shinta says
They look stunning! I have bookmarked them for my kid's bday party this month! Will let you know how they turned out
Emily says
I can't wait to hear all about it, enjoy!
Kyndra Holley says
These are gorgeous! The perfect spring inspired sweet treat!
Emily says
Thanks, Kyndra!
Jar of Lemons says
Wonderful dessert recipe!
Leslie says
I love that every small step in this recipe is what truly makes it special! Taking the time to make everything homemade is such a treat!
Emily says
Thank you, Leslie. Sometimes it's the little details that make all the difference 😊.
Nathan says
These look absolutely delicious! I definitely haven't had anything flavored with lilac before but I love how beautiful these cupcakes are. Can't wait to give them a try!
Emily says
Thanks, Nathan. It's always fun to experiment with new flavors...especially in cupcake form 😂!
Angela says
What an amazing springtime treat!