Lavender Honey Cupcakes

When I mention lavender in baking, some people give me a weird look. Most think of lavender as a scent, like something in body wash or a candle. And while a strong lavender scent is a relaxing one, it's a different kind of relaxation you desire when biting into a cupcake.

My favorite food lavender experience was a lavender ice cream. It was sweet but had a subtle unique flavor. It's a slight spice with some tang, and very slightly bitter like lemon. It was a life changing experience to experience lavender as a flavor as opposed to a scent.

Ever since I ordered some culinary lavender from a shop in Seattle, I've been itching to try it in a recipe The lavender itself was a suggested purchase from a colleague, and as I've had a lavender flan on my wish list for a few years now, this was just what I needed. I've attempted growing lavender more than once, but each time I wound up murdering the poor plant. Perfectly dried lavender stored safely in a jar fits perfectly into my wishy washy baking schedule.

Though the idea of these cupcakes came from a recipe I was sent, I took my Vanilla Bean Cupcakes recipe and tweak it a bit. To make the cake, I added the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl. I added in milk, butter, and vanilla and beat the batter on medium for 2 minutes. Finally, I added the eggs and continued mixing it. The last little bit was adding some dried lavender.

I made a buttercream frosting and added some honey to flavor it. For the record, honey frosting is a great flavor. Lavender is a really nice tasting cupcake flavor, and the teaspoon I added was plenty. These fortunately did not taste a thing like a bar of soap, and the honey and lavender together were a combo made in heaven. I'd describe these as a lightly flavored cupcake. A rich, chocolate cupcake is perfect when decadence is what you seek. But sometimes, fresh and light are the dessert words of the day, and these fir the bill.

After these, I got into such a lavender kick that I made cookies, and my oh my, I'm not stopping there.

Lavender Honey Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

For the cake: 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 teaspoon dried lavender

For the frosting:

1 cup butter

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

For the cake:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt and mix. Add in milk, butter, and vanilla and beat using a hand or stand mixer for 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat for 3 minutes. Pour into cake pans sprayed with nonstick baking spray and bake for 20-25 minutes, until you can poke the center of the cake with a toothpick and it comes out clean.

For the frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter using a mixer for 3-5 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, honey, water, and vanilla extract, beating on high between each new addition. Mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes as desired once cool.