Like the perfect poster child for spring desserts, these Dandelion Cupcakes feature soft and fluffy yellow cake and the most perfect dandelion buttercream.
These sweet little cupcakes are a lighter, simpler version of my Ultimate Dandelion Cake. That cake is one of the most popular recipes on my blog, but it does require a lot of steps to pack in a serious amount of dandelion flavor. I wanted to create something that people could make in less time with less effort, that still felt like a celebration of my favorite underdog wildflower.
So here you have it – dandelion cupcakes! The cake could not be any easier to whip up. I think it may be even easier to pull together than a boxed cake mix. I used the same technique to make the dandelion buttercream, because it’s SO.DAMN.GOOD.
Making the dandelion buttercream
The buttercream was originally an experiment I made to see if I could turn a simple syrup into an Italian-style buttercream. After all, the first step to make Italian buttercream is to essentially make a simple syrup. But, I’d never seen it done before. I figured if I could make buttercream out of simple syrup, it would open up a world of possibilities for really outrageous frosting flavors, as I often make syrups to capture the flavors of things like edible flowers.
Harvesting tip
Try to harvest your dandelions somewhere away from pets, main roads, and any pesticide/herbicide activity. Although you will lose some of the pollen (and therefore flavor) by washing your flowers, I still highly recommend it! This will help ensure any tiny bugs, dirt, or other unpleasantries are removed.
The first step you’ll want to take is to prepare a dandelion syrup. This is a “rich” simple syrup (it has a higher ratio of sugar to water) infused with dandelion petals. You combine sugar and water, bring it to a boil, and simmer it for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Then, add in the dandelion petals and let the flavor sink into the syrup.
Dandelion tip
Use only dandelion petals for the buttercream recipe. Make sure to remove the green base of the flowers, which can taste bitter and unpleasant.
I like to let my dandelion syrup infuse overnight for maximum dandelion flavor. However, it’s not entirely necessary. At the very least, let the petals sit in the syrup for as long as it takes for the syrup to cool down completely at room temperature, about an hour or two.
Then, you’re ready to strain the flowers out of the syrup and make the buttercream.
Buttercream tips
To make an Italian buttercream, you heat a syrup to the soft ball stage, which is about 235° – 240° F. This thickened syrup is then whisked into egg whites, which creates a shiny meringue.
Be sure to pour the hot syrup into the whipping egg whites in a very slow, gradual stream. Be patient here, you don’t want to just dump all the syrup in at once!
Then, once all the syrup is in, let the mixture continue to whip for several minutes before adding the butter. You want it to cool down so it gets closer to the temperature of your soft butter. Essentially, you’re making an emulsion, and when you emulsify two ingredients together, they need to be about the same temperature.
Once your meringue has whipped and cooled, start adding the butter, about a tablespoon at a time. Again, be patient, and add slowly.
Did you buttercream break? Your buttercream may fall apart at some point and turn into a loose sloppy mess. Don’t fret – it isn’t ruined, I promise! Keep adding butter slowly, and then let the mixture whip again for a few minutes after all the butter is in. It should all come magically back together! Let the mixture come together into a silky shiny frosting before you add any extracts.
Dandelion cupcake tip
Do you want to boost the dandelion flavor even more? You could replace the sugar in the cupcake recipe for dandelion sugar. This sugar would also be great sprinkled on top of the cupcakes!
Dandelion Cupcakes
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
Dandelion Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup dandelion petals
Dandelion Buttercream
- ¾ cup dandelion syrup, from above
- 3 egg whites
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, soft
- 1 teaspoon elderflower extract or St Germaine, optional
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a second bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, sugar, melted butter, sour cream, and milk.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until barely combined – don't overmix!
- Divide batter evenly amongst prepared cupcake pan, filling each about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake until cake springs back when touched, about 17-20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the dandelion syrup:
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add dandelion petals; stir to saturate petals with the syrup. Allow to cool slightly.
- Pour syrup into a container and leave to infuse at least a few hours or overnight.
- Before using, strain syrup through a cheesecloth, wringing out with your hands or pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much syrup as possible. You should end up with about ¾ cup of strained syrup.
For the buttercream:
- Pour strained dandelion syrup into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until it reaches 235 – 240° F.
- Meanwhile, while syrup cooks, place egg whites into a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high until soft peaks form. If soft peaks form before syrup is ready, turn mixture on low but keep them moving.
- Once syrup is ready, remove it from heat and let it sit for about a minute, until bubbles subside. Pour it into egg whites in a very slow and gradual stream, with mixer on medium. Once all syrup is in, continue to whisk on medium for about 5 minutes, or until mixture has cooled slightly.
- Start adding in soft butter, about a tablespoon at a time, until all the butter is in. Allow to beat a few more minutes until buttercream is silky and smooth.
- Add elderflower extract or St. Germaine, if using.
- Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes as desired.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
These are so good! Especially with whiskey!
Thanks, Ben. It’s the flavor notes of honey and vanilla that pair so well there 🙂