Honey Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Icing

These honey cupcakes are soft and moist with a subtle honey flavor baked into the cake and a luxurious honey buttercream on top.

I live near some very young hustlers when summer rolls around. There’s a four way stop up the street, and every day they sell containers of local honey.

They’ve been doing it for years, since they were maybe 9 or 10? Honestly they could’ve been out there in diapers, because it’s been ever since I moved to the ‘hood.

And I love it.

Maybe this makes me sound old, but I love young entrepreneurs. Who doesn’t love tiny hustle? And I’m always happy to support them anyway I can. So yes, I do buy their honey. And I have a container in my pantry right now.

The thing about honey is that I don’t put it in my coffee or tea, so the only way for me to use is via baked goods. LIKE these honey cupcakes!

If you don’t do a lot of baking with honey, this recipe is a great place to start. It’s really simple and what results is a light and fluffy dessert that just about everyone likes.

They’re great for any time of year – any day – they’d make great Easter cupcakes. They taste like spring! I know that sounds weird.

But seriously, I have yet to find someone that doesn’t love these cupcakes. They’re not complex, but they’re delicious. And if you want to color the frosting or add sprinkles, they’re great for that too. They’re kind of a blank canvas.

Before you get started making the goods, you’ll want to gather the ingredients. Here’s what you’re going to need.

For the Cupcakes

• ½ cup whole milk (you can substitute with a lower fat)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the Honey Buttercream

• 1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Additional Tips For This Recipe You Might Be Interested In:

• Flour is the main dry ingredient in these cupcakes. Make sure to measure using the scoop-and-level method, as adding too much flour can result in dry cupcakes.
• Never overbeat ingredients when making baked goods. Mix everything until just combined, and then leave it and don’t keep beating or mixing. Overbeating adds extra air to the batter, which can cause the cupcakes to rise and then sink.
• This recipe uses clover honey, but you can use other types of honeys. I’d imagine if you enjoy the taste of it if you give it a sample, you’d like it in the cupcakes. Here’s a guide to choosing honey if you want to experiment. I always like choosing local honeys.
• I wanted to give you a simple honey frosting for this recipe, and it’s delicious as far as I’m concerned – but you don’t have to use it! You can use cream cheese frosting, or lavender, or anything else you like.
• Powdered sugar gives the icing structure. If your icing is too soft or runny, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too stiff, feel free to add a tablespoon of milk.
• Butter also gives icing structure. Make sure it’s fully softened so you don’t end up with lumps in your frosting.
• Storage: Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

You’re really going to love these honey cupcakes. And if you really love yourself, you’ll get a piping bag or decorator gun kit so that your icing can look fancy on top of your cuppies. It makes them pretty!

Are you ready to try this tasty dessert? Get the printable recipe card below!

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If you enjoyed this honey cupcake recipe, let me know in the comments! I’d also love for you to check out these other cupcake recipes:

Autumn Owls • Beach Themed • Boston Cream • Cadbury Mini Egg • Chocolate Buttercream • Chocolate Cherry • Chocolate Zucchini • Churro • Cookie Monster • Gingerbread • Hot Cocoa • Jam Filled • Matcha • Pumpkin • Snickers • Strawberry Nutella