Chamomile Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting

October. Pumpkin week. Josie wanted pumpkin spice in everything. I made pumpkin bread Wednesday. I made pumpkin pie filling on Saturday for pies Gayle and I would bake Sunday. Josie ate a quarter of a loaf of pumpkin bread at breakfast Thursday and declared fall "objectively superior to summer." She is 11. She is coming into herself. I am watching her with the specific joy of a mother whose youngest is no longer a little girl and not yet a teenager and is maybe the most fun human in a family of six.

Drove an Omaha run Tuesday-Wednesday. A quick Lincoln run Friday. Uneventful. I have been taking shorter runs by design — more time home, more time writing. Marcy is accommodating. She said, "You are now famous, Brenda. You can work fewer hours." I said, "Marcy, I am not famous." She said, "Yes you are." The cookbook has been out six months. It is still selling. It is in fifteen printings. Sarah said the number we are chasing is 500,000 copies. I do not know what that number means. Sarah says it means the book has broken out of its category. I said, "What category?" She said, "Any category."

Justin had his sixth varsity game Friday. He is the starting running back now. 14 carries, 102 yards, 1 touchdown. First 100-yard game of his career. He was quiet all weekend. Dave is beaming. Dave watches Justin the way Larry used to watch Brenda when I played basketball — a private, deep, quiet pride. I watched Dave watch Justin on Friday night. I will remember it.

Gayle and I made four pumpkin pies Sunday. Two for us, two for Steve and Louise. We ate one of ours Sunday dinner with vanilla ice cream. Gayle said, "This is the best pie we have ever made." I said, "We say that every year, Ma." She said, "We are right every year, Brenda." I laughed. She smiled. The pies were in fact good.

Amber called Sunday night. She is enjoying school. She misses home but not painfully. She is learning what it is like to be an adult in a small sphere of her own. She is making friends. She is reading too much. She is my daughter. She is becoming her own woman. I am grateful.

We had already done the pumpkin bread and four pumpkin pies that week — Josie had declared fall “objectively superior” and I was inclined to agree — but there was something else I kept coming back to, something quieter and a little more delicate to match the weekend’s mood. Watching Dave beam at Justin on Friday night, laughing with my mother over pies we have called our best for twenty years running, hearing Amber’s voice on the phone and knowing she is becoming exactly who she should be — that kind of week calls for something soft and unhurried. These chamomile cupcakes with honey buttercream are exactly that: warm, gentle, and just a little bit proud.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers (from about 3 tea bags)
1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the honey buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons honey
1–2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Dried chamomile flowers or a light drizzle of honey, for garnish

Instructions

Steep the chamomile. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming. Add the dried chamomile flowers, remove from heat, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain out the flowers and let the infused milk cool to room temperature.
Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Combine wet and dry. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the chamomile-infused milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined — do not overmix.
Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the honey buttercream. Beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sifted powdered sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low until incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy. Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
Frost and garnish. Pipe or spread the honey buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a few dried chamomile flowers or a light drizzle of honey before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chamomile Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting — The Quiet Sweetness of a Pumpkin Week Sunday