Cooking and Serving: 39 minutes | 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Gluten free flour blend – I like Better Batter or Cup4Cup here. If you’re new | Cornstarch – This starch is added to lighten the Better Batter gluten free | Culinary lavender – Baking with culinary lavender adds a beautiful aroma and
Description
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 19 minutes | Total Time: 39 minutes | Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Gluten free flour blend – I like Better Batter or Cup4Cup here. If you’re new
Cornstarch – This starch is added to lighten the Better Batter gluten free
Culinary lavender – Baking with culinary lavender adds a beautiful aroma and
Granulated sugar – This adds sweetness and is also a tenderizer in this cake,
Buttermilk – This recipe calls for buttermilk, which has a texture and
Egg and egg white – Egg whites add rise and the egg yolk adds richness, and
Blender or (mini) food processor for grinding lavender sugar
1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds, plus more for decorating
1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if using Better Batter
2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (200 g) granulated lavender sugar, from above
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
1 (25 g) egg white, at room temperature, beaten
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅔ cup (5 ⅓ fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 cup (115 g) confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ teaspoons milk, plus more as necessary
¼ cup (50 g) 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.
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 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.
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.
If desired, sprinkle with a few lavender buds before the glaze is set.
Allow the cupcakes to set at room temperature and then serve.
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.
If desired, sprinkle with a few lavender buds before the glaze is set.
Allow the cupcakes to set at room temperature and then serve.
Notes
* How to make lavender sugar
* How to make the simple homemade lavender glaze
* Tips for making the best gluten free lavender cupcakes
* How to store gf lavender cupcakes
* Gluten free lavender cupcakes: substitutions
* How to make beautiful, glazed gluten free lavender cupcakes
* Gluten Free Lavender Cupcakes | Beautiful and Delicious! Recipe
WHY CHOOSE LAVENDER FOR BAKING?
Dried lavender buds add a brightness and a delicate sweetness to these cupcakes,
plus a very subtle light blue tinge and an almost woodsy feeling to your baked
goods. It pairs really beautifully in cooking with other woodsy flavors like
rosemary, and in baking with sugar or other bright flavors like lemon.
Lavender very well may be the stuff of magical fairy princesses. These lavender
flower buds are so lovely and smell just like they look. I wish I looked as good
Lavender flowers in jar.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKE RECIPE
These soft, spongy gluten free vanilla cupcakes with a sweet and fragrant
confectioners’ sugar glaze are perfect for tea time, or dessert. They’ll also
brighten up any brunch table, especially in the spring when we all long to see
These cupcakes, with the tender texture of our best gf vanilla cake
really fun alternative cake for any celebration—especially for a small child who
loves purple, flowers, and purple flowers!
I first made these gf lavender cupcakes when my youngest child was a 6-year-old
little girl who loved all things purple, and the smell of lavender. The purple
glaze on top of these cupcakes is a visual representation of the beautiful
lavender aroma and flavor that lies within, but this glaze would also work
beautifully on our gf funfetti cupcakes
Lavender glazed cupcake on small metal plate with more in background.
glazed cupcake on small metal plate with more in background.
These cupcakes have the “usual” baking ingredients you’d expect (butter, sugar,
eggs, vanilla, flour, leaveners, milk). Here are a few things to keep in mind as
you gather some of what you’ll need to make these lovely cupcakes.
* Gluten free flour blend – I like Better Batter or Cup4Cup here. If you’re new
to my recipes and this blog, please be sure to click through to learn about
appropriate gf flour blends
and choose your gf flour blend carefully. Remember, the main
gluten-containing ingredient in conventional baking is flour, so its
replacement is the most crucial choice you’ll make.
* Cornstarch – This starch is added to lighten the Better Batter gluten free
flour blend a bit, which results in a more tender result. You can replace it
with potato starch or arrowroot, if you prefer. If you’re using Cup4Cup,
which already has a lot of cornstarch, use 2 tablespoons more Cup4Cup in
place of the cornstarch.
* Culinary lavender – Baking with culinary lavender adds a beautiful aroma and
bright, flowery flavor. Be sure your dried lavender buds are designed for
baking, and resist the urge to add more than is directed!
* Granulated sugar – This adds sweetness and is also a tenderizer in this cake,
as it is in all sweet baking recipes. Here, it’s ground with dried culinary
lavender first to flavor it without adding unwanted texture to your cupcakes.
* Buttermilk – This recipe calls for buttermilk, which has a texture and
acidity that adds tenderness to your cupcakes. If you don’t have buttermilk
on hand, replace it with equal amounts (here, 1/3 cup each) plain yogurt and
milk (avoid nonfat dairy, which tends to make baked goods tough). Avoid
“souring” some milk with some lemon juice or vinegar, which doesn’t replicate
the power of buttermilk.
* Egg and egg white – Egg whites add rise and the egg yolk adds richness, and
both help to bind the ingredients together here. If you use 2 whole eggs
instead, your rise will be a little less even and your cupcakes will be more
likely to crack on top.
HOW TO MAKE LAVENDER SUGAR
The easiest way to flavor both the cupcakes and the glaze with lavender is to
grind just the right amount of dried lavender buds into granulated sugar. You
can use a blender, but I prefer a food processor since it’s easier to control
how much you process the mixture that way.
If you have a small, but powerful, spice grinder try grinding just the dried
lavender on its own. Then, add about 3/4 of the ground lavender to the cupcake
batter. For the glaze, replace the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with
another 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar and the rest of the ground lavender.
Fingers holding cupcake with dripping lavender glaze over glass bowl.
holding cupcake with dripping lavender glaze over glass bowl.
HOW TO MAKE THE SIMPLE HOMEMADE LAVENDER GLAZE
I used to flavor this glaze with lavender lavender buds in milk until they infused the liquid with their flavor and aroma,
then straining them out and adding them to confectioners’ sugar to make a
flavored glaze.To simplify things, now I simply grind the lavender buds into
granulated sugar in a blender or food processor, and add that to both the
cupcakes and the glaze.
Making a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze is easy as long as you understand
that it’s easier to thin it more than to thicken it after adding too much
liquid. So go slowly with liquid.
The glaze must really be thick, or it will be transparent on top of the cupcake,
and won’t be very pretty. And, of course, if artificial food coloring bothers
you, just don’t use it. They’re beautiful as is, au naturel.
Cupcake batter in blue liners in muffin tin.
batter in blue liners in muffin tin.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKES
SOURCING YOUR DRIED LAVENDER BUDS
I originally bought culinary lavender flowers at Shop Terrain, and they were
super expensive. But this was years ago, and now they sell containers of
culinary lavender in the spice aisle at Trader Joe’s.
If you’d like to grow your own lavender to use in cooking, be sure to select the
variety carefully, then dry it and store it in a sealed container in a cool,
dark pantry. Apparently, royal velvet and Provence varieties are considered
GO EASY ON THE LAVENDER
There’s something about lavender that you need to know: A little is kind of
nice, the right amount is heaven.
Too much lavender tastes like you’re eating soap. Try to resist the temptation
to add more of it when you make the lavender sugar. Trust me (or learn the hard
BEAT ROOM TEMPERATURE BUTTER AND SUGAR UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY
Be sure your butter is at cool room temperature (not greasy to the touch, but
you can poke a finger into it), and beat it and the sugar well with an electric
mixer first. The mixture will increase in volume and turn lighter in color when
Whenever possible, I prefer the “reverse cream” baking method of mixing dry
ingredients first, then adding mix butter, eggs, and liquids in one bowl. But it
isn’t always appropriate—like here, where we want a super light and tender
USE CUPCAKE LINERS FOR EASIER CLEANUP
Cupcake/muffin tin liners help your cupcakes rise up in their wells, and make a
beautiful presentation. But be sure you’re using so-called greaseproof liners
that don’t soak up the moisture of the baked goods. If you’re at all concerned
that they may stick to your cupcakes, spray the empty liners very lightly with
cooking oil spray before filling them.
LET YOUR CUPCAKES COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE ICING OR FROSTING
If your cupcakes are even slightly warm when you dip them in the icing, or top
them with any sort of frosting, the topping will melt and lose its shape. You
want your cupcakes to be completely cool first, so the glaze develops a very
thin shell on top when it’s fully set.
Baked cupcakes in blue liners in muffin tin on white paper.
cupcakes in blue liners in muffin tin on white paper.
HOW TO STORE GF LAVENDER CUPCAKES
All baked goods are best the day they’re made, and these cupcakes are no
exception. But if you’ve baked them in protective cupcake liners, once they’re
glazed they will stay fresh at room temperature in a sealed container for 2
For longer storage, I recommend freezing the cooled, unglazed cupcakes in a
tightly-sealed freezer-safe zip-top bag. Defrost at room temperature, and glaze
GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKES: SUBSTITUTIONS
GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKES
This recipe, like our gluten free vanilla cupcakes
dairy free Kitchen brand, and the buttermilk with nondairy unsweetened almond milk.
Instead of almond milk in place of buttermilk, for the most tender cupcakes you
can make a dairy-free ‘buttermilk’ and 1/3 cup almond milk. This buttermilk replacement also works for a mock
buttermilk with dairy-containing ingredients.
GLUTEN FREE, EGG FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKES
This recipe calls for 1 whole egg and 1 egg white. You can try replacing them
with 1.5 “chia eggs” (1.5 tablespoons ground white chia seeds + 1.5 tablespoons
lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). Alternatively, try replacing the
whole egg with 1 “chia egg” and the egg white with 25 grams of aquafaba (the
brine from a can of chickpeas).
LAVENDER BUD ALTERNATIVE
Instead of grinding dried culinary lavender buds with granulated sugar to make
lavender sugar in these cupcakes and glaze, you can try using food-grade
lavender extract in place of the vanilla extract in the cupcakes. Be cautious
when adding the extract, since it may be quite strong, and you don’t want to
overdo it and make cupcakes that taste like soap!
If you’d prefer a different flavor to lavender, dried mint might work well. You
can try almost any other dried herb—but keep in mind that most won’t pair well
with dessert, like these cupcakes. For example, rosemary is somewhat similar, in
texture and can be ground into granulated sugar in much the same way, but I
don’t think I’d like rosemary sugar to much.
Yellow cupcake with purple glaze and lavender flower buds on gray surface.
cupcake with purple glaze and lavender flower buds on gray surface.
WHAT IS CULINARY-GRADE LAVENDER?
Culinary lavender is a specific variety of lavender that is processed with
culinary applications in mind. (Source
Culinary lavender has less oil than purely aromatic lavender that is used in
WHAT DOES GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER CAKE TASTE LIKE?
Lavender-flavored baked goods taste like lavender smells, but just enough! It’s
similar to baking with dried herbs, and if you’ve ever used herbs de Provence
in, for example, gf chicken and dumplings
you’ve already tasted culinary lavender!
HOW DO I MAKE MY GF LAVENDER CUPCAKES LIGHT AND FLUFFY?
These cupcakes are light and fluffy, with a tender crumb when you measure your
ingredients carefully,
properly, beat your room temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy,
and add your room temperature buttermilk in between batches of dry ingredients.
HOW CAN I MAKE PURPLE ICING FOR MY GF CUPCAKES?
The only way I know to make colored icing is to use food coloring. For a vibrant
color, use red and blue gel food colorings in equal measure, and mix until the
color is uniform. Liquid food coloring will thin the glaze too much, and add an
unpleasant taste if you’ve used enough for a bright lavender.
If you’d rather not use food coloring, just skip it entirely and decorate the
top of your glaze with a couple buds of culinary lavender. They’ll still taste
CAN I USE FRESH LAVENDER FOR THE CUPCAKES AND LAVENDER FROSTING?
You must use dried lavender to make the cupcakes in this recipe, since fresh
lavender buds will add moisture to the recipe and make it unbalanced. For the
glaze, you can grind fresh lavender into granulated sugar and compensate for the
CAN I USE THIS LAVENDER CUPCAKE RECIPE TO MAKE A SHEET CAKE?
This recipe doesn’t work well as a sheet cake, but you can use the lavender
sugar method in this recipe to replace the unflavored granulated sugar in our
gluten free vanilla sheet cake recipe
Lavender glazed cupcake with bite taken on metal plate.
glazed cupcake with bite taken on metal plate.
HOW TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL, GLAZED GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKES
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GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER CUPCAKES | BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS!
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 19 minutes mins
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.
* Blender or (mini) food processor for grinding lavender sugar
* Stand mixer or handheld mixer
FOR THE LAVENDER SUGAR
* 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
* ¾ teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds, plus more for decorating
* 1 ½ cups (210 g) 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 (18 g) cornstarch
* ½ teaspoon baking powder
* ¼ teaspoon baking soda
* ½ teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup (200 g) granulated lavender sugar, from above
* 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
* 1 (25 g) egg white, at room temperature, beaten
* ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* ⅔ cup (5 ⅓ fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
* 1 cup (115 g) confectioner’s sugar
* 1 ½ teaspoons milk, plus more as necessary
* ¼ cup (50 g) granulated lavender sugar, from above
* 1 drop blue gel food coloring, optional
* 1 drop red gel food coloring, optional
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.
* Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and
* 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.
* 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 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
* 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
* If desired, sprinkle with a few lavender buds before the glaze is set.
* Allow the cupcakes to set at room temperature and then serve.
Originally published on the blog in 2012. In 2022, cupcake recipe updated and
glaze recipe simplified; most text, video, and photos new.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an