Skip to Content

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes - a moist lemony cupcake with a floral back note, brushed in lilac syrup and topped with a lilac cream cheese frosting. It's early Summer in one cupcake. These Lilac Lemon Cupcakes do not have an overpowering lilac taste, but just a nice hint of something floral.

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

And if floral is your thing, then you have come to the right girl. I love use flowers in cooking and baking and have used it in savory recipes like this strawberry arugula salad (lavender).

 

And in drinks like this elderflower cordial and lavender bee's knees, hibiscus iced tea and elderflower lemon sorbet. It can also be used in baking like these cupcakes! 

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

The pretty lilacs just stood there, blossoming, yet getting old and unused. The lilac season is pretty short, and I've seen tons of lilacs and lilac recipes online lately, and I just wanted my lilacs to take part in it.

 

Using flowers in cooking, is a relatively new phenomenon to me (when this was first published in 2018), and thus I was carefully treading into this new world. I know that you just need a tiny splash of rose water in biryani and just a little bit of lavender in a salad for a sweet flavor.

 

These lilac lemon cupcakes are no exception. They are first and foremost lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, adding a sweet and citrusy taste of lilacs. But it is a great way to boost the longevity of your garden flowers!

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

Adding lilacs to simple syrup and just plain white sugar, you get that sweet and citrusy taste of lilac any time of the year. And we will continue to use it throughout the Summer. You can add it to tea as sweetener, or replace sugar with lilac sugar in any kind of cake really.

 

Lilac syrup would be great in lemonades and cocktails (still experimenting with that), and so there are a lot of choices for it.

 

You could also replace the elderflower sugar in this lemon zucchini bread with this lilac sugar! And vice versa, of course.

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

Before you do any of the steps below, remember that you need to clean your lilacs. If you don't want to rinse them in water, because it takes forever to dry, just brush them. But check every one of the flowers to make sure there are no bugs.

 

I KNOW, this sucks. But that's the price to pay for being able to pick your food from the garden.

 

Lilac Sugar

 

So, the kind of boring part about this. Making lilac sugar isn't done in a jiff. It takes about a week. But less than a minute in actual work time. Layer sugar and cleaned lilacs in a jar with a tight lid.

 

Place the jar in a dark and cool place, giving the jar a shake once a day. When the sugar is dry, it is done. You can then take the lilacs out of the jar and the lilac sugar is ready to be used.

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

Lilac Syrup

 

Making simple syrup really is extremely easy. Take one part sugar and one part water in a small saucepan, and over medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes if you want to  thicken it. Cool.

 

It's not much different with lilac syrup. Add sugar, water and cleaned lilacs in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve and simmer for 10 minutes for it to slightly thicken (the simmer part is optional). Strain the syrup and discard the lilacs.

 

Stir in purple food coloring (or red + blue) if you wish. Let it cool before use. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

How to Make the Cupcakes

 

We have our lilac sugar ready, we have our lilac syrup ready. Let's make some lilac lemon cupcakes!

 

Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer, I just don't own one), mix butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Add in eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients - flour and baking powder.

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

Pour the batter into 15 cupcake baking cups, fill about ⅔ up. This is small cupcakes, more muffin sized, but that's our standard cupcake size here in Norway, and I think it's perfect. Bake in the middle of the oven at 175C (350F) for 20 minutes. If you want to use larger size cups, just add a few minutes to the bake time.

 

I like to use a cupcake baking tray with cupcake baking cups in each. I guess most people own one now. But I remember in my early days when I made cupcakes, the batter was too heavy for the baking cups, either resulting in a doughy mess in the oven, or really odd shaped cupcakes. Get a cupcake tray if you don't have one!

 

Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack. Brush lilac syrup on top.

 

Lilac Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

I'm glad you couldn't see me while I made this frosting. I was stressing to get this done before the harsh lighting came into my photo studio, and I solely did the taste test, and forgot that consistency is key to frost a cupcake - this turned in to a frosting mess.

 

The frosting got everywhere - on the outside of the piping bag, the frosting was way too runny, I even got it in my hair, in my face and on my shoulder (but not on my clothes, is this even possible?)

 

So, this took a lot longer than it needed to, and I got the harsh lighting anyway. Realizing I needed far more powdered sugar, it went okay in the end.

 

Beat all the ingredients together in a bowl. I had leftover frosting, but I don't like to add extravagant amounts, so maybe it's enough for those peaky frostings too. Frost the cupcakes.

 

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

 

Decorate with a few fresh lilacs, but remember that those aren't pretty for very long, in case you are not serving them immediately. Eat up!

 

Other easy to make cupcakes:

 

 

Hope you'll like it! I'd love to hear from you, either in the comment section below, or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don't forget to Pin it for later!

 

 

In order to keep the blog up and running this post contains affiliate links, it will be at no extra cost to you, please read the disclosure for more information.

 

📖 Recipe

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes + Recipe for Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup

Yield: 15 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes - a moist lemony cupcake with a floral backtone, brushed in lilac syrup and topped with a lilac cream cheese frosting. It's early Summer in one cupcake.

Ingredients

Lilac Sugar

  • 2 cups granulated sugar (430 grams)
  • ⅓ cup lilac blossoms, rinsed and patted dry (10 grams)

Lilac Syrup

  • 1 cup granulated sugar (225 grams)
  • 1 cup water (250 milliliters)
  • 1 ½ cup lilac blossoms, rinsed (45 grams)
  • purple food coloring (or red + blue)

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes

  • 2 sticks softened butter (225 grams)
  • 1 cup lilac sugar, see above (225 grams)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 lemons, juice of 1 and zest of 2
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (225 grams)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Lilac Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ⅞ cup cream cheese (200 grams)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (500 grams, or enough to get your right consistency)
  • ½ lemon, juice
  • ¼ cup lilac syrup (4 tablespoons + more for brushing)
  • purple food coloring (or red + blue)
  • fresh lilac blossoms, for garnish, optional

Instructions

At the very beginning

  1. Before you do any of the things below, remember that you need to clean your lilacs. If you don't want to rinse them in water, because it takes forever to dry, just brush them. But check every one of the flowers to make sure there are no bugs.

Lilac Sugar - makes 2 cups

  1. Layer sugar and cleaned lilacs in a jar with a tight lid. Place the jar in a dark and cool place, giving the jar a shake once a day for about one week. When the sugar is dry, it is done. You can then take the lilacs out of the jar and the lilac sugar is ready to be used.

Lilac Syrup - makes 1 ½ cups

  1. Add sugar, water and cleaned lilacs in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve. You may want to simmer for 10 minutes if you want it a little thicker, this is optional. Strain the syrup to discard the lilacs. Stir in purple food coloring (or red + blue) if you wish. Let it cool before use. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Lasts for about 2 weeks.

Lilac Lemon Cupcakes

  1. Using a handheld or stand mixer, mix butter and sugar in a medium bowl until white. Add in eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients - flour and baking powder.
  2. Pour the batter into 15 cupcake baking cups, fill about ⅔ up. Bake in the middle of the oven at 175℃ (350℉) for 20 minutes. If you want to use jumbo sized muffin tins, just add a few minutes to the bake time.
  3. Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack. Brush lilac syrup on top.

Lilac Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Beat all the ingredients together in a bowl. I had leftover frosting, but I don't like to add extravagant amounts, so maybe it's enough for those peaky frostings too. Frost the cupcakes however you wish.
  2. Decorate with a few fresh lilacs, but remember that those aren't pretty for very long, in case you are not serving them immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 429Total Fat: 18.2gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 144mgCarbohydrates: 64.7gFiber: 0.7gSugar: 51.3gProtein: 4.3g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or tag @thegingerwithspice on Instagram, I'd love to see!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

kankana

Saturday 9th of June 2018

You frosted those cupcakes so neatly and I can only imagine how taste these must be. I love any thing citric and those cakes looks absolutely delicious.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Monday 11th of June 2018

Thank you so much! Greatly appreciated.

April

Thursday 7th of June 2018

GORGEOUS! These are too pretty to eat! I've always wanted to make lavender cupcakes. I'm so curious about the flavor. Going to bookmark this one. Thanks for sharing.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Monday 11th of June 2018

Thank you so much, April! Hope you'll like them! Although these are lilac and not lavender, but I'm guessing you could do much the same. :)

Stephanie Simmons

Wednesday 6th of June 2018

Holy delicious! These look and sound incredible! Your photos are beautiful too

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Wednesday 6th of June 2018

Thank you so much, love!

Mayuri Patel

Wednesday 6th of June 2018

As I was scrolling down, couldn't stop wowing. I wish I could get some lilac to try these awesome cupcakes. I love a hint of floral taste in my desserts. Love the color of the lilac syrup.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Wednesday 6th of June 2018

Aw, thank you so much! There's ton of unused lilacs in my neighbors' gardens... maybe you could steal some ?

Jacqueline Debono

Tuesday 5th of June 2018

I now wish I had lilacs in my garden!! These cup cakes look divine and I'm sure they taste wonderful too!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Wednesday 6th of June 2018

Thank you so much! Yes, lilacs are so fragrant and beautiful, but I wish I had elderflower in my garden too!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe