These cute little honey bee cupcakes are almost too pretty to eat! The perfect moist honey vanilla cupcakes and honey buttercream frosting recipe to celebrate warm weather and sunshine!
These honey cupcakes are so soft and moist that they practically melt in your mouth! The buttercream is so soft, rich and flavorful that it pairs great with the cake.
While the cupcake itself is a little on the denser side, it is packed with flavor and absolutely delicious!
These cupcakes are very easy to make, and all of the ingredients were carefully selected to produce a moist and tender cupcake. With a drizzle of honey and a few edible bees on top they look like the perfect summertime or spring dessert!
For more fun cupcake recipes, check out my Easy Dinosaur Cupcakes, Apple Cider Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting, Nacho Cupcakes, and Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple ingredients. We use very simple and basic ingredients like flour, butter, sugar and honey to create flavorful cupcakes everyone can enjoy.
- Fun for celebrations. Bees are great for springtime birthdays and baby showers! These cupcakes would make a perfect addition to your celebration.
- Easy to make. The steps to make these cupcakes and the frosting is simple and easy to follow, making them perfect for anyone to try their hand at making.
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🥘 Ingredients
For the honey cake cupcakes, you'll need:
Butter- You will want some butter to give the cupcakes fats needed to stay moist.
Sugar- Adding in granulated sugar will make the cupcakes sweeter and help to give them a softer crumb.
Eggs- These are the binding agents used to keep the cake from feeling too crumbly.
Sour cream- For added richness and a velvety texture, use some sour cream.
All-purpose flour- The gluten structure and base of this recipe is all purpose flour.
Baking powder- You will need some baking powder to help the cupcakes rise as they bake.
Salt- This is a natural flavor enhancer.
Milk- For added moisture, use milk.
Honey- You can use raw honey or pasteurized honey, but note that raw honey has a stronger "honey" flavor.
Vanilla extract- This is a flavor enhancer.
For the honey buttercream, you'll need:
Honey- You will want some honey in the frosting to help give it a little more flavor.
Powdered sugar- Powdered sugar is what makes the frosting sweet without changing its smooth consistency.
Milk- Add in just enough milk to get the perfect consistency for spreading.
Butter- You can use salted or unsalted butter (I prefer salted), but this is what gives the frosting a richer taste.
Cream cheese- For a creamy and tangy flavor, you'll want to use some thawed cream cheese.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- Cupcake Liners
- Muffin Pan
- Edible bee decorations for cakes
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Honey bee cupcakes with honey buttercream with these simple step-by-step instructions:
How to make cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a muffin pan by adding 12 muffin liners, and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, and vanilla, then set it aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a bowl and hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until combined.
Add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add in the sour cream and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Alternatingly, add the flour and wet mixtures, starting and ending with the flour and mixing until combined after each addition.
Scoop and fill the muffin liners until they’re ⅔ full.
Bake 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How to make the honey frosting
Beat together the butter and honey until well combined.
Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in a teaspoon of milk at a time until consistency is reached (if needed).
Pipe or spread on cupcakes as desired and top with Bee themed garnishes.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Make sure that your cupcakes are completely cooled before making the buttercream frosting. If they're even slightly warm, the frosting WILL melt and it won't be pretty. You can make the frosting and then keep it covered in the fridge until ready to use (recommended) because it pipes better when cold.
Piping the frosting is super easy. You can use a Ziploc bag with the top cut off, or go to your local dollar store or Walmart for a pastry bag and fitted tip. Then you simply, fill and squeeze.
Pro Tip: Don't overfill the bag, keep it half-filled (or less) then twist and tuck the end of the bag into your palm so nothing escapes from the wrong end.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Keep your leftover frosting in the fridge in a covered container for up to 1 week. You can also keep it stored the same way in the freezer and it will last up to 3 months! Just make sure to let it thaw for a few hours before using.
💭 FAQs
If you're not a fan of sour cream, trust me- I was once like you haha. But sour cream is AMAZING in baked goods! You can add up to 1 cup worth into most baked recipes and while the batter gets a little thicker, the cupcakes become moister. It's like a magic trick from the baking gods. Trust me!
There are so many different types of honey out there, and I tried several to figure out how different ones react in these cupcakes. If you want a more prominent honey flavor- use the raw honey. If you want it a little more subtle a clover honey like the kind you get in the bear-shaped honey bottles will do.
Keep your completed cupcakes stored in a covered airtight Tupperware container in the fridge. They should last up to a few days this way and still taste great.
Other Awesome and Tasty Cake Recipes to Try!
📖 Recipe
Honey Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter, softened ($0.75)
- ½ cup Granulated sugar ($0.11)
- 2 large Eggs ($0.16)
- ¼ cup Sour cream ($0.12)
- 1 ½ cup All purpose flour ($0.12)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder ($0.02)
- ½ teaspoon Salt ($0.05)
- ½ cup Milk ($0.10)
- ¼ cup Honey ($0.56)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract ($0.02)
Honey buttercream frosting
- ¼ cup Butter ($0.36)
- 4 ounces Cream cheese, softened ($0.99)
- 4 Tablespoons Honey ($0.56)
- 3 cups Powdered sugar ($0.69)
- 1-3 teaspoons Milk, if needed ($0.01)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a muffin pan with 12 liners. Set aside.
- In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a bowl and hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until combined. (About 2-3 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each. Add sour cream and mix again. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Alternatingly, add the flour and wet mixtures. Start and end with the flour. Mix until combined after each addition.
- Scoop and fill muffin liners until they’re ⅔ full.
- Bake 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
- Top with honey buttercream frosting and enjoy!
How to Make Honey Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium sized bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, and honey until it's well combined.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add in milk as needed (1 teaspoon at a time) until the desired consistency is reached. It's okay if you don't need any milk at all!
- Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Make sure that the cupcakes have cooled completely before adding the frosting, or else the frosting will melt.
- You can make the frosting in advance and keep it in the fridge until ready to use.
- To pipe the frosting, you can use a Ziploc baggie with the corner snipped off or a frosting bag with a fitted tip. I like the 1M Wilton frosting tips for my cupcakes. If using a bag, do not overfill.
- You want the bag filled to half or less so that it doesn't leak out of the backside of the baggie.
- You can use any type of honey, but different ones will give you different flavor results. For a stronger honey flavor, use raw honey, but for a more subtle flavor, use the clover or process honey (like the ones you buy in a bear-shaped container).
Storage
- Leftover frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Cupcakes once frosted should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few days (about 3-5).
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