Yes to Yolks

a food journal

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Work with Me
  • Privacy Policies

Elderflower Cupcakes

April 18, 2019 by Molly 5 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Elderflower Cupcakes

Are cupcakes still a THING?

I mean, obviously I know they are a thing, but do people still care about them?

Elderflower Cupcakes

Remember several years back when everyone lost their minds over cupcakes? Cupcakes were EVERYTHING and they were everywhere. There were entire bakeries dedicated solely to cupcakes. TV cooking shows revolved around cupcakes. Cupcake cakes became a thing.

Elderflower Cupcakes

And now? I feel like I hardly hear anything about cupcakes anymore.

As I recently discussed, I’m not a big cake person in general. I’d pick a chocolate chip cookie over a piece of cake any day. But cupcakes are slightly higher on the list.

Elderflower Cupcakes

They’re cuter, for one. Secondly, I like that they’re EASY to make and eat. Cakes stress me out. Cupcakes not so much. You whip up a batter, scoop it into lined muffin tins, and bake! Even the decorating is so much easier. I decorate my cupcakes very simply – no piping bags/tips required. I basically just plop some icing on top, smooth it out, and then cover up any imperfections with sprinkles.

Done and done.

Regardless of where cupcakes stand right now, I made you some! Maybe for your Easter spread? Maybe for your regular Wednesday evening? No judgment. These are the cutest spring dessert, regardless of your reasons for making them.

Elderflower Cupcakes

These cupcakes are flavored with two of my favorite things in the whole world: vanilla bean and elderflower. Elderflower has been having a major moment (year?), and I am all about it. If a cocktail menu has a drink featuring elderflower, I almost always order it. I love that it’s floral without tasting like soap. Know what I mean?

Elderflower Cupcakes

It’s just light! Floral but not overpoweringly so. And I love the flavors that it’s most often paired with, which include all the citrus, pears, and apples. Yes please to all.

So these little cuties pay homage to my elderflower obsession. The vanilla bean is in there for good measure because who doesn’t love a good vanilla cupcake. I know I do! Plus, I love the way the little flecks of vanilla bean show throughout. So cute!

Elderflower Cupcakes

Here’s some notes about the ingredients: I rarely use actual vanilla beans anymore. I save them for super special recipes. The reason I can do this? Vanilla bean paste.

I LOVE this stuff and use it almost exclusively in all recipes that call for vanilla extract. It’s a good bargain and really punches up the vanilla flavor. I buy the huge bottles in bulk (it has a great shelf life) and add it to all the things.

Elderflower Cupcakes

For the elderflower flavor, I use elderflower syrup/cordial. It’s a big thing in England but can be hard to find here in the States. I order it online. If you don’t want a bottle of elderflower syrup hanging out in your fridge where real estate comes at a premium, you can use St. Germaine liqueur instead! You can sub it in the recipe below in the same quantities as the syrup. Just know that you cupcakes will be a touch boozy, which may limit who can have them.

Elderflower Cupcakes

I wanted Kieran to be able to have these, so I used the syrup. Totally your call!

I think these cupcakes are an awesome alternative to carrot cake for this weekend (or anytime, really!). And that’s coming from a carrot cake fan! It’s actually one of the rare cakes that I get excited for, but it’s not for everyone. If you have a carrot cake averse person in your house (like Dan! And Kieran!), then whip up a batch of these cupcakes for them.

Elderflower Cupcakes

You’ll be the hero of Easter!

 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Elderflower Cupcakes

Elderflower Cupcakes


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

  • Yield: makes 12-14 cupcakes (depending on the size of your muffin tin) 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cupcakes:

  • 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste/extract
  • 3 tablespoons elderflower syrup or cordial, plus an additional 2 tablespoons for brushing on the cupcakes
  • ½ cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 (8-oz) block cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 5–6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste/extract
  • 1 tablespoon elderflower syrup or cordial
  • Tiny pinch of fine salt
  • Sprinkles, edible flowers, and/or pearl sugar, for decorating

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and elderflower syrup.
  5. Add in ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add in ½ of the sour cream and beat until just combined. Continue with another ⅓ of the flour, the remaining sour cream, and finish with the last ⅓ of the flour mixture. Mix until the batter is just combined, being careful to not overmix (this will result in a dense cupcake).
  6. Scoop or spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them ⅔ of the way full.
  7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until they are golden around the edges and set in the middle.
  8. While the cupcakes are still warm, gently poke holes with a toothpick all over the tops of the cupcakes. Brush a little bit of the elderflower syrup on the tops of the cupcakes.
  9. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined.
  2. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy and smooth.
  3. Beat in the vanilla, elderflower syrup, and a tiny pinch of salt.
  4. Frost the cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

My easy method for decorating these:

  1. Scoop a few tablespoons of the frosting on the top of each cupcake (I actually use a large cookie scoop to do this). Using a butter knife or small offset spatula, smooth the blob of frosting on the sides and top, creating a little swirl if you want things to look fancy.
  2. Top with sprinkles and/or flowers. That’s it! So much easier than using a piping bag and tip.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @yestoyolks on Instagram and hashtag it #yestoyolks

Elderflower Cupcakes

 

 

Related

Filed Under: Recipes

« Layered Cheeseburger Dip
Spring BLT Cobb Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing »

Comments

  1. Jaime says

    February 6, 2023 at 7:49 pm

    Does this flower also make elderberry wine?

    Reply
    • Molly says

      February 7, 2023 at 11:07 am

      No, I don’t think so. Elderflower and elderberries come from the same plant, but the berries are what are used to make wine. The flower is not flavored like berry at all – it’s very light and fragrant and floral (go figure, haha). It’s lovely in this recipe and also in cocktails.

      Reply
  2. Roxi says

    October 11, 2023 at 12:00 pm

    Hello there, I love the ingredients for your frosting and I would love to decorate an Lemon Elderflower Cake with it in a 28cm cakepan with 2 cream layers inbetween.
    How much of your frosting would you think I need? Maybe multiplied by 3?

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 13, 2023 at 4:50 pm

      I think tripling it would do the trick for a cake that size!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Royal Wedding Cake: Lemon Elderflower Cake ⋆ Sugar, Spice and Glitter says:
    May 14, 2020 at 8:02 am

    […] Elderflower Cupcakes from Yes to Yolks […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

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

Hi there. I’m Molly. Welcome to my little space devoted to all things FOOD! More about me...

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Sesame Ginger Pork with Wasabi Soba Noodles
  • Crispy Halloumi Grain Bowls with Creamy Dill Dressing
  • Guinness Brookies
  • Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
  • Our Favorite Turkey Meatloaf
  • Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Bites

Archives

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Connect

Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg! Read More…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
Copyright © 2025 Yes to Yolks