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    Emily Fabulous ยป Recipes ยป Recipes

    Lilac Cupcakes with Lilac Buttercream Frosting

    Published: Apr 28, 2021 ยท Modified: Jul 3, 2023 by Emily ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 42 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    lilac cupcake on a platter

    Lilacs are such beautiful and aromatic flowers. 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.

    Jump to:
    • Why I Love This Recipe
    • How to Make Cupcakes with Edible Flowers
    • How to Make Lilac Buttercream Frosting
    • How to Make Lilac Syrup
    • How to Make Lilac Sugar
    • Lilac Cupcakes and Lilac Buttercream Frosting
    • Did you Make These Lilac Cupcakes with Lilac Buttercream Frosting?

    Why I Love This Recipe

    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 ๐Ÿ˜‚). If you want more cupcakes, feel free to double this recipe and you are good to go.

    lilac cupcakes with fresh lilac flowers on top

    How to Make Cupcakes with Edible Flowers

    1. Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and prepare the cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. Fill liners with batter and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    lilac cupcakes with lilac buttercream frosting swirled on top

    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.

    a lilac cupcake with lilac buttercream frosting and fresh lilac flowers as garnish
    Click on the image above to PIN for later!

    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.

    lilac syrup and fresh lilac flowers on a table

    How to Make Lilac Sugar

    You can make your own lilac sugar in a small coffee/nut grinder, food processor, or blender. Place ยผ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lilac flowers in the grinder. Pulse about 6-8 times just until combined.

    lilacs and sugar in a grinder
    fresh lilac flowers and sugar in a grinder
    lilac sugar in a grinder
    lilac sugar in a grinder

    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.

    lilac cupcake on a platter

    Lilac Cupcakes and Lilac Buttercream Frosting

    These Lilac Cupcakes and Lilac Buttercream frosting are beautiful to make and even more delicious to eat!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 10 cupcakes
    Calories: 312kcal
    Author: Emily
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • stand mixer or hand mixer
    • cupcake pan
    • cupcake liners
    • piping bag and tip
    • medium mixing bowl
    • large mixing bowl
    • silicone or rubber spatula
    • 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
    • ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temp
    • ยพ cup lilac sugar (see notes)
    • 1 large egg, room temp
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 2 tablespoon lilac syrup (see notes)
    • ยฝ 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 350ยฐF 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 ยผ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lilac flowers in your coffee grinder. Pulse until combined. Place in an airtight container until ready to use.ย 
    • 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.ย 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.2g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 18.1g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 29.7g | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

    Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @EmilyFabulous_Blog or tag #emilyfabulous!

    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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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. duniakagyan says

      November 17, 2022 at 5:21 am

      These look delicious! I will definitely try it.

      Reply
    2. Linda says

      May 23, 2021 at 9:06 pm

      The frosting recipe says to add milk, but it is not listed in the ingredients. Just wondering how much?

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 23, 2021 at 10:13 pm

        Hi Linda, sorry about that. 2-3 tbsp of milk for the frosting. Enjoy!

        Reply
    3. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says

      May 03, 2021 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      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!!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 03, 2021 at 11:34 pm

        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.

        Reply
    4. Mihaela|https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says

      May 03, 2021 at 7:53 am

      5 stars
      Lilac is my favourite spring flower, and I had no idea it was edible! These must be the most beautiful cupcakes I've seen!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 03, 2021 at 3:34 pm

        I LOVE the way lilacs smell so I had to find out if I could get that fragrance in the kitchen and you can!!

        Reply
    5. Michelle says

      May 02, 2021 at 3:06 pm

      5 stars
      These are so pretty! I think I'm going to make them for my sister's bridal shower.

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 02, 2021 at 4:38 pm

        Great idea, these will be a hit at the shower!

        Reply
    6. Inga says

      May 02, 2021 at 10:31 am

      5 stars
      These look so beautiful! I love the color and the fresh flowers on top ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 02, 2021 at 4:39 pm

        Thanks, Inga. Fresh flowers make everything better ๐Ÿ˜Š.

        Reply
    7. Jeannie says

      May 02, 2021 at 1:33 am

      5 stars
      so beatiful cupcakes! how to eat ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ˜‹ interesting addition of lilac flowers

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 02, 2021 at 3:20 am

        Thank you!! ๐Ÿ˜Š

        Reply
    8. Cooking with Carbs says

      May 02, 2021 at 12:30 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 02, 2021 at 3:21 am

        Cooking and baking with edible flowers is fo fun...and delicious!

        Reply
    9. Jamie says

      May 01, 2021 at 8:17 pm

      5 stars
      These are so delicious and beautiful! Love the color!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 02, 2021 at 3:21 am

        Thanks, Jamie!

        Reply
    10. Nora says

      May 01, 2021 at 8:14 pm

      5 stars
      What a lovely recipe! And those cupcakes are sooo beautiful! Canโ€™t wait to try your recipe out! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        May 02, 2021 at 3:21 am

        You are really going to like this one, Nora.

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Emily! I'm excited to share my passions, experiments, and fun with you. I love to cook, bake, create recipes, mix cocktails and try new things!

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