Whoa.  Hello there, ginormous picture!

I’m trying something a bit different.  I had this thought occur to me a few days ago that maybe my photos were too small for the design of my blog.  And then, I became a bit obsessive about it, and couldn’t stop thinking about it.  So I made them bigger.  Quite a lot bigger, actually.

And now they look enormous and I don’t know if I like it.  So, I’m going to live with it for a few days and see if it grows on me.  What do you think?  Do you like the bigger photos?  Or do you like them smaller, like they used to be?

Yes, I realize there are far more important decisions to worry about in life, but for some reason, this is really bothering me.   Dumb, I know.

But, you know what NOT dumb about really big pictures of Honey Vanilla Bean Cupcakes?  You can actually see the specks of vanilla bean in the cake.  And you can see the drizzles of honey dripping off of the cream cheese frosting.

You guys, these cupcakes are fantastically amazing.

As if you need further evidence of my obsessive compulsiveness, these cupcakes came to be after a friend of mine messaged me late last night.  She was inquiring about cupcakes for her upcoming wedding, and said she was thinking about a honey and lemon cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

So.  These aren’t actually honey LEMON cupcakes, but only because I only had one small lemon in the house.  (Which, incidentally has probably never ever happened in the history of ever.  Usually I have an entire bowl of lemons in my kitchen!)  They became honey vanilla cupcakes, which is a pretty darn good compromise if you ask me.

As soon as she mentioned a honey-flavored cupcake, I was all over it.  I researched recipes late into the night, and whipped these up at 9am this morning.  I couldn’t stop thinking about them, so less than 12 hours after a request for a wedding more than eight months away, I was already testing recipes.

They have a perfect crumb,and the cake has a just-right honey flavor.  The cream cheese frosting also has a nice undertone of honey, which works very nicely with the warmth of the vanilla bean.  And then, I drizzled some more honey over the top of the frosting.   Soooo yum.

A couple of quick tips for this recipe.  First, if you are baking in dark or coated muffin tins, I would recommend placing a cookie sheet (preferably aluminum) under the tins.  These bake at a relatively low temperature so they’re in the oven longer than normal cupcakes, so you want to be sure they bottoms don’t get too brown.

Secondly, try to use local honey if you can.  The flavor of local honey is more intense and will really help the honey flavor come through in your cupcakes.

Hope you love these.  Enjoy!

Don’t forget, if you haven’t yet, make sure you stop by my Facebook page and follow along – you can also find me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Leave me a comment below so I know you were here!

♥erin

Honey & Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

20 mins

 

These vanilla bean cupcakes have a hint of honey flavor, and are topped with a delicious honey vanilla cream cheese frosting. Recipe source: Adapted from The Cake Blog, via Crave. Indulge, Satisfy.

Serves: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 and ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup honey
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, seeded

Frosting:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup honey
• 6-7 cups powdered sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, seeded
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
2. Prepare two muffin tins (24 cups) with paper liners. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder with a whisk. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, combine milk, honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
6. One at a time, add eggs, beating each until just incorporated before next addition.
7. Add half of the flour mixture, and beat just until incorporated.
8. Add half of the milk mixture, and beat until just incorporated.
9. Add the rest of the flour, and again beat until just incorporated.
10. Finally, add the remaining milk and beat until just incorporated.
11. Scrape your bowl as needed.
12. Fill each cupcake paper ½ to ⅔ full.
13. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
14. If baking in a dark/coated muffin tin, I would recommend placing muffin tins on a baking sheet so the bottoms don't get too dark.
15. Allow to cool on a wire rack for a couple of minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1. Beat together butter and cream cheese until completely combined and smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until powdered sugar starts to moisten.
3. Add honey, vanilla extract and vanilla bean.
4. Beat on low until incorporated, and then increase speed to medium until light and fluffy.
5. Frost as desired.
6. Store in an airtight, refrigerated container until 30 minutes prior to serving.
7. Enjoy!

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