These cupcakes use honey two ways: Clear honey in the sponge, where it gives a moist, gently sweet crumb without overpowering the lemon, and Soft Set in the buttercream, where its creamy texture folds in smoothly and adds a quiet honey note to every mouthful. Clear is the right choice for baking - it measures easily and melts straight into the batter. The lemon keeps things bright. Together they make a light, zingy cupcake that is not too sweet.
Tips from Niamh: Add the lemon zest right at the end so it stays fresh and zingy against the honey. And make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before you pipe, or the buttercream will slide straight off - I learned that one the hard way.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 175g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 175g butter, softened
- 100g caster sugar
- 75g Clear honey (Peninsula Honey)
- 3 eggs
- Zest of 1 lemon
Honey buttercream
- 150g butter, softened
- 300g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp Soft Set honey (Peninsula Honey)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Sprinkles, to decorate
Method
- Heat the oven to 180 C and line a 12-hole bun tin with cases.
- Cream the butter, sugar and honey until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the lemon zest.
- Fold in the flour and baking powder. Divide between the cases.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and springy. Cool completely.
- For the buttercream, beat the butter until pale, then beat in the icing sugar, honey and lemon juice until smooth.
- Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and finish with sprinkles.
The sponge keeps well in a tin for two to three days - if they last that long. For more on baking with raw honey, the soft set vs runny honey guide explains why texture matters when you are stirring it into a buttercream.