Lemon, Cardamom, and Thyme Cupcakes
Lemon, cardamom, and thyme cupcakes are a delicious blend of herbal, fruity flavors. These cupcakes are a perfect treat for anyone who craves desserts that aren’t overwhelmingly sweet. Let’s dive into the details!
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Lemon, Cardamom, and Thyme Cupcakes
To be completely transparent, the credit for this flavor inspiration goes to my brother-in-law, Martin. He’s a fellow foodie and we were talking about flavor combinations and this was his creation (though in cookie form originally).
For his birthday this past Fall, I decided to use his idea to whip up a unique batch of birthday cupcakes! The cupcakes are flavored with ground cardamom, fresh lemon zest, and thyme infused water. They are topped with an airy lemon Italian meringue buttercream for a bright finish.
Thyme for Cupcakes
Since I use dried buttermilk and water in the majority of my cakes and cupcakes, I infused the water with fresh thyme, similar to when I made my chocolate rosemary cake. If you’d like to use regular milk, omit the dried buttermilk and substitute equal quantities of milk for water.
Trying to balance three flavors in one cupcake batter can be tricky, but I think these lemon, cardamom, and thyme cupcakes came out really well. The cardamom is subtle and lingers in the background while the lemon zest brightens up your mouth. At the end of each bite, thyme swoops in for a light herbal hit.
Top Tips for Cupcakes
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help everything blend nicely and give your cupcakes a nice texture.
- Scrape down your bowl often. Butter and sugar can hide out at the bottom of your bowl. Make sure everything gets blended!
- Do NOT over mix. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients, keep the speed on stir and only mix to combine.
- Place some dried rice (½ – 1 teaspoon) in the bottom of each cupcake cavity before adding your paper cases.
- Use a large cookie scoop to perfectly portion your cupcake batter.
- Use the Ateco 888 piping tip for the perfect swirl and frosting to cupcake ratio.
Lemon Italian Meringue Buttercream
I am having a moment with Italian meringue buttercream. It’s not nearly as difficult to make as it seems, plus it’s so light and airy. I love that it’s not as sweet as most frostings, but can still deliver on flavor.
This large batch of lemon Italian meringue buttercream makes more than enough to generously frost all 35 cupcakes. If you would like to watch a video on making IMBC, check out my chocolate Italian meringue buttercream tutorial.
Related Reading: FREE Buttercream Course for Beginners
Top Tips for Meringue
- Wipe your bowl and whisk with a bit of vinegar to remove any residual fat or grease.
- Separate your egg whites one at a time into a small bowl before adding them to your big bowl. This is to prevent any stray yolk from ruining the whole batch!
- Acid (like cream of tartar or lemon juice) or egg white powder can help stabilize your egg whites.
- Whip your eggs at a medium speed for longer to create a more stable meringue and minimize the risk of over whipping.
- Room temperature egg whites will whip up faster, but it’s best to separate the eggs while they’re cold.
Delicate Florals
Lemon, cardamom, and thyme cupcakes are the perfect opportunity to show off your buttercream flowers! That pretty yellow buttercream is like a blank canvas for colorful florals. I piped a small collection of flowers to decorate about half of the cupcakes.
I’ve been a member of The Piped Peony Academy for nearly two years now and I absolutely love what Dara has accomplished! There are DOZENS of video tutorials for making realistic buttercream flowers. I honestly don’t pipe flowers as often as I’d like, but I stay a member of the Academy so that I can continue to watch her tutorials. And, every so often, the opportunity to pipe pretty flowers comes up!
Thyme to Decorate
Due to the inflamed tendons in my wrist (and probably arthritis), I can’t pipe a ton of buttercream flowers, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to decorate all of the cupcakes with florals. So I decided to try making crystallized thyme! It’s gorgeous and helps showcase the flavor.
Dip thyme sprigs in a simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, brought to a simmer, then cooled down). Allow them to dry for a few minutes until they are tacky, not soaking wet. Then sprinkle, dust, and toss them in granulated sugar. I set them to dry on a lined baking sheet in my (cold) oven overnight.
Enjoy!
Herbal, citrus flavors combine in a unique way with each bite of these lemon, cardamom, and thyme cupcakes. In my opinion, the herbal flavors help balance the sweetness in the recipe. Which way will you decorate your cupcakes? Buttercream flowers or crystallized thyme?
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for the future! It’ll be just the ticket for that special someone’s birthday who wants a unique dessert, but doesn’t love super sweet treats.
Lemon, Cardamom, and Thyme Cupcakes
Ingredients
Thyme Water
- 10 fl oz water
- 3- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Lemon, Cardamom, and Thyme Cupcakes
- 8 oz all- purpose flour
- 3 oz cake flour
- 1.25 oz dried buttermilk
- 2½ tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- 7 oz unsalted butter softened
- 14 oz sugar
- 2 Tbsp cake enhancer optional
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 8 fl oz thyme water
- 3 Tbsps canola oil
Lemon Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 14 oz sugar
- 4 fl oz water
- 6 egg whites room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 18 oz unsalted butter softened* (see note)
- 1½ tsp lemon extract
- 3 drops yellow gel food color
- 1 drop ivory gel food color
Instructions
Thyme Water
- Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the thyme, remove from heat, and cover. Steep for 10 minutes.
- Remove thyme. Cool to room temperature before using or store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Lemon, Cardamom, and Thyme Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cases and set aside.
- Sift the flours, dried buttermilk, baking powder, cardamom, and salt into a bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, and cake enhancer (if using) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream on a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bowl down once or twice during the process.
- Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat on medium until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl down.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add an egg and mix for about 15 seconds before bumping the speed up to the next lowest setting. Mix until combined, about 15 seconds more. Repeat the process with the remaining eggs, scraping the bowl down occasionally.
- As the eggs finish incorporating, combine the water (8 fl oz of the prepared thyme water) and oil, then set aside.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients. Begin with a third of the dry and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. Drizzle in half of the liquids and beat on low until nearly combined. Scrape the bowl down and repeat this process with another addition of dry, then wet ingredients. Scrape the bowl down and finish with the final bit of dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Use a cupcake scoop to divide the batter among the cupcake pans. Bake for 20- 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when tapped on top and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
Lemon Italian Meringue Buttercream
- Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover the pot for the first 2 minutes to help prevent crystallization. You will heat the sugar syrup to 240°F.
- While the sugar heats, place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. When the sugar syrup hits 200°F, begin whipping the egg whites on low. Once they start to foam, add the salt and cream of tartar.
- Bump the speed up to medium (4 on a KitchenAid) and beat until you reach soft peaks. The whites should be ready right when your sugar syrup is ready. If they whip up quicker, just bump the speed to the lowest speed to prevent them from over whipping.
- Once the sugar is 240°F, the egg whites should be at soft peaks. Slowly and carefully drizzle the syrup into the bowl, being careful to avoid the whisk. Continue to beat the meringue on a medium speed until it forms thick, glossy peaks, about 10- 15 minutes.
- When the meringue is ready, you can begin adding the butter one tablespoon at a time. Start with the cold stick of butter to bring the temperature of the meringue down. Wait about 10 seconds between additions. The mixture will deflate and look loose, but it will thicken up again.
- Once the butter has been added, scrape down the bowl and whip on a medium high speed for 3 minutes. If it still looks soupy, place the bowl in the fridge for about 5- 15 minutes, then whip again. Scrape the bowl down, add the lemon extract, and whip to combine. Taste the buttercream. If it tastes too buttery or thick, whip on a medium high speed for a few more minutes.
- Add desired gel food colors to achieve a lemon yellow color. If your buttercream is too warm/ loose, chill for up to 30 minutes, then beat again.
Assembly
- Pipe a swirl of lemon IMBC on top of each cupcake. Decorate with crystallized thyme or buttercream flowers.
Notes
- One stick (4 oz) of your butter should not be softened. Keep it slightly cold and mostly firm. This will bring the temperature of the meringue down for the rest of the butter.
- Read blog post for more info about the crystallized thyme and buttercream flowers.
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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