If you have not yet tried lavender cupcakes now is the time. I was
hesitant to try these myself, because I’m so used to lavender simply
being a scent for candles, body lotion and air fresheners so to mix that
with food and make something with lavender seemed somewhat risky. I’m
telling you these are unbelievably delicious!
I bought some dried lavender several months ago while I was at the Savory Spice Shop
in California (awesome store by the way, you can buy stuff from them
online too) and decided to get some lavender so I could see what it’s
all about. It sat in my cupboard several months as I was waiting for
fresh lavender to be in season so I could add some to the tops for
garnish, but I simply couldn’t wait any longer for that. I’m so glad I
finally made these cupcakes. I just created a basic yellow cupcake and
blended in some honey, lavender and whole milk to compliment as well as
mellow out the flavors from the lavender. I read somewhere soaking
lavender in milk helps tone down the flavors (and I’d have to agree with
this which is why I let the lavender and milk mixture rest while
preparing the rest of the ingredients for the cupcakes).
[post_ads]These
delicate and dainty cupcakes are perfect paired with the fluffy vanilla
bean frosting, it makes them fancy with a gourmet touch. I colored my
frosting with some pink and sky blue wilton gel colors (just because
that’s what I had on hand), if you have violet and pink that would work
great too. Also, you may notice that I did garnish the tops of these
with the dried lavender, I think I may prefer them more without that and
like I said before I would use fresh lavender sprigs just to garnish
them for looks (not eating) otherwise I would use white or purple
sprinkles. Enjoy!
PS sorry for the shortage of pictures lately, I’m trying to get used to my new camera. It’s a whole new learning experience :).
Also,
I have some exciting news! I’ve been wanting to launch my own online
kitchen shop for years and with the help of my dedicated husband and a
few friends I finally have!!! I would love you guys to check it out (HERE)! A few of my favorites are the vanilla beans (duh!) and the herb savor
(I’d gotten so tired of throwing out herbs so quickly and have finally
found a solution). We searched for the highest quality vanilla beans and
want to sell them at the best price. They are Grade A Gold Vanilla
Beans (also certified organic and gluten-free) and trust me you’ll have a
very hard time finding anything better! They are so plump and you will
definitely be getting your moneys worth! There aren’t a lot of products
yet, as it hopefully grows then I will continue to add more products all
the time. I’d love your support so please check it out and see if
there’s anything you’d like! No pressure though :). I value your
readership so much and never want to push anything on you, I only want
to share the products I like with you.
Lavender Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting
Yield: 12 Cupcakes
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp dried edible lavender
1 1/3 cups (158 g) cake flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp honey
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Frosting
1/2 cup salted butter*
1/2 cup unsalted butter
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor combine milk and lavender and pulse about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes until lavender is well chopped, scrapping down inside of processor once during processing. Pour into liquid measuring cup (be sure to scrape out all of milk and lavender from sides and lid), set aside and allow to rest.
In a mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt for 30 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Blend in honey. Add eggs one at a time and mix just until combined after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Working in 3 separate batches beginning and ending with flour mixture, add dry ingredients alternating with milk mixture, mixing just until combined after each addition. Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in preheated oven 19 - 21 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool several minutes in muffin tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost with Vanilla Bean Frosting. Store in an airtight container.
For the Vanilla Bean Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter and vanilla bean seeds on medium-high speed until nearly white and very fluffy, about 7 - 8 minutes, frequently scrapping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pipe or spread over cupcakes. For best results use the day prepared.
*I recommend using a salted butter containing no more than 100 mg sodium per 1 Tbsp serving.
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
