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!
Recipe: $6.57 | Per Serving: $0.55 | Yields: 12 cupcakes
These honey bee 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 Dinosaur Cupcakes, Apple Cider Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting, Nacho Cupcakes, and Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes.
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🍯 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. They're also an Easy Way To Celebrate Easter On A Budget, if you want a simpler themed meal.
- 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.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Sour cream- For added richness and a velvety texture, use some sour cream. We also use sour cream in our Moist Banana Bread with Sour Cream, Easter Confetti Cake, and Southern Banana Pudding Cake for the same reasons.
Honey- You can use raw honey or pasteurized honey, but note that raw honey has a stronger "honey" flavor.
Powdered sugar- Powdered sugar is what makes the frosting sweet without changing its smooth consistency.
Cream cheese- For a creamy and tangy flavor, you'll want to use some thawed cream cheese.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Honey Bee Cupcakes
How to make cupcakes:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2: Prepare a muffin pan by adding 12 muffin liners, and set aside.
Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 4: In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, and vanilla, then set it aside.
Step 5: 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.
Step 6: 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.
Step 7: Alternatingly, add the flour and wet mixtures, starting and ending with the flour and mixing until combined after each addition.
Step 8: Scoop and fill the muffin liners until they’re ⅔ full.
Step 9: Bake 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 10: 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
Step 11: Beat together the butter and honey until well combined.
Step 12: Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Step 13: Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in a teaspoon of milk at a time until consistency is reached (if needed).
Step 14: Pipe or spread on cupcakes as desired and top with Bee themed garnishes.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Cool Cupcakes Before Frosting- Ensure your cupcakes are completely cooled before applying the buttercream frosting. Even slight warmth can cause the frosting to melt, resulting in a messy appearance. It's best to refrigerate the frosting until ready to use, as it pipes better when cold.
- Easy Piping Technique- Piping the frosting is a simple process. You can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off or invest in a pastry bag with a fitted tip. Fill the bag halfway or less, then twist and tuck the end of the bag into your palm to prevent any frosting from escaping the wrong end. This technique ensures precise and controlled piping.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Refrigeration: Keep your leftover frosting in the fridge in a covered container for up to 1 week.
Freezing: 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.
💭 Recipe 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.
❤️ More Delicious Cake Recipes
If you tried these Honey Bee Cupcakes, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Honey Bee Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Honey Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour ($0.20)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder ($0.05)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- ½ cup milk ($0.10)
- ¼ cup honey ($0.96)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.03)
- ½ cup butter, softened ($0.99)
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.18)
- 2 large eggs ($0.30)
- ¼ cup sour cream ($0.25)
Honey Buttercream Frosting
- ¼ cup butter ($0.50)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened ($0.93)
- 4 Tablespoons honey ($0.96)
- 3 cups powdered sugar ($1.08)
- 1-3 teaspoons milk, if needed ($0.03)
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.
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