Coconut Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream
These Coconut Cupcakes with Lavender Buttercream are tender, soft, and delicate. They're wildly delicious and happen to be gluten-free, too!
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 eggs
- 2 Tbsp coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the lavender buttercream:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp dried lavender buds
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter softened but still cool
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
For the coconut cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, spray with coconut oil.
- Beat together oil, sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs. Add milk and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Add to wet mixture, whisking completely to combine.
- Divide batter among cupcake liners, bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into one of your cupcakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin, then remove them to a cooling rack to completely cool.
For the lavender buttercream:
- Add egg whites, sugar, and lavender buds to a heatproof bowl (glass works well), that will fit in a saucepan filled with about an inch of water. Be sure the bowl is not touching the water: you want the steam that comes off the water in the saucepan to be what "cooks" your egg white and sugar mixture. Whisk constantly until sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- If you're using a stand mixer and not already using its mixing bowl, strain mixture with a fine-mesh sieve into that bowl. Discard the lavender buds. It's ok that the mixture is still warm! Whip mixture with the whisk attachment until stiff glossy peaks form and mixture is no longer warm. This should take about 15 minutes. Note that the level of humidity will impact how long this takes!
- Next, using the paddle attachment, add your butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until all butter is incorporated. Add vanilla extract and salt, mixing until combined.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with a star or round tip, pipe the frosting on your cooled cupcakes and top with dried lavender buds.
Notes
The original recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream is from Sally's Baking Addiction.