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Lavender London Fog Cupcakes

Heather Baird
These Lavender London Fog Cupcakes are infused with Earl Grey tea, vanilla, and a hint of lavender, then topped with a dreamy lavender buttercream. Inspired by the beloved London Fog latte, they’re the perfect blend of floral and cozy. Just right for fall gatherings or anytime you're craving a teatime treat.
Use your favorite brand of Earl Grey tea. I like Bigelow, Marks and Spencer's Empress Grey, or Earl Greyer from Republic of Tea. Don’t rush the steeping step! Letting the Earl Grey and lavender fully infuse into the cream ensures the cupcakes have the richest flavor.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20

Equipment

  • cupcake pans (2)
  • cupcake liners
  • sieve
  • liquid measure with a pour spout
  • large closed star tip Ateco 849 or 856
  • disposable piping bag

Ingredients
 
 

London fog cupcakes

  • 1 tablespoon culinary lavender dried buds
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 8 Earl Grey tea bags such as Bigelow
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Lavender buttercream and garnishes

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4-6 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons lavender extract
  • Purple food color
  • 2 tablespoons white nonpareils sprinkles
  • 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds

Instructions
 

For the cupcakes:

  • Place the dried lavender buds in a small bowl and pour over the hot water. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until hot but not boiling. Add 6 of the 8 Earl Grey tea bags to the hot cream and let steep 30 minutes, or until the cream is lukewarm and brown. Transfer to a liquid measure with a pour spout and squeeze the excess cream from the teabags; discard the teabags. Strain the lavender buds and water through a sieve over the steeped cream mixture, pressing all the water out with a rubber spatula. The mixture should measure 1 cup. If you are short, add additional heavy cream to equal 1 cup of liquid. Stir and set aside.
  • Place the contents of the remaining two tea bags in a mortar and pestle and grind to a finer consistency. You may also place it in an electric coffee grinder. Or place it in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush the black tea to fine consistency. It doesn’t have to be a powder, but there shouldn’t be any large leaves or visible twigs.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 20 cupcake cavities with paper liners.
  • Place the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer and add the fine tea. Cream together until fluffy and the tea speckles the butter throughout. Add the sugar and mix again until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
  • In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
  • Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until just combined; add half of the lavender Earl Grey cream mixture. Mix again. Repeat the mixing with alternating flour and cream, ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl and mix again briefly.
  • Divide the mixture between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the cakes bounce back when pressed in their centers, or when a toothpick tester comes out completely clean.
  • Remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the lavender buttercream:

  • Place the butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until just combined; the mixture will be crumbly.
  • Add in 4 tablespoons of the milk and mix again until loosened. Raise mixer speed to medium high and whip until fluffy. If mixture is thick add remaining 2 tablespoons of milk and mix again.
  • Beat in the lavender extract and 4-6 drops of purple food color. Beat until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and whip again on high speed until the mixture is consistently light purple and fluffy.
  • Transfer the buttercream to a large piping bag fitted with a large closed star decorator piping tip. Pipe a double swirl of the buttercream over a cooled cupcake and immediately top with a sprinkle of white nonpareils and a few buds of culinary lavender.
  • Store the cupcakes in an airtight container until ready to serve. Cupcakes will keep at room temperature for up to three days.

Notes

  • No Lavender Extract? If you don’t have lavender extract for the buttercream, you can steep some milk with lavender buds for use in the frosting. But be aware - lavender milk has a gentler flavor, so it's not as easy to dial up the intensity as the lavender extract.
    • Heat 1/2 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender. Let it steep until fragrant, 30 minutes, then strain and cool completely. 
    • Add 4-6 tablespoons of this lavender milk to your buttercream in place of part of the milk already in the recipe. You may have some lavender milk leftover, but you'll have extra in case you need it. This way you still get the lavender flavor without throwing off the consistency.
  • Storage: Store the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is especially warm, keep them in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
  • Shelf Life: These cupcakes are best enjoyed fresh but will stay soft and flavorful for about 3 days at room temp or 5 days refrigerated. You can also freeze unfrosted cupcakes (well wrapped) for up to 2 months—just thaw and frost before serving.
Keyword brown sugar, dried culinary lavender, earl grey cupcakes, earl grey tea, lavender buttercream, lavender extract, lavender london fog cupcakes, tea cupcakes
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