Making Mini Lavender Lemon Cupcakes

Do you ever find yourself in a weird mood and the only thing that can help is to bake? The other day, that was me. Sometimes life gets in the way of everything, and the only way to calm me down is to be in the kitchen.

I found myself wanting to try my hand at something sweet, but not overly heavy. I also was itching to use my new mini cupcake pan, courtesy of m-o-m.

When life gives you lemons, all you have to do is throw in some other ingredients, including lavender to soothe and calm, and you’ve got yourself a lovely batch of Mini Lavender Lemon Cupcakes. Subtle flavor, easy on the diet, absolute perfection.

I originally found this recipe here; but you know me, I must feel the need to change it.

Mini Lavender Lemon Cupcakes

You will need:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. dried lavender buds, roughly chopped
2 t. lavender extract (optional)
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3 T. unsalted butter, cubed and brought to room temperature
1 large egg
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. lemon zest
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk

For the icing:
1 cup loosely packed confectioner’s sugar
2 t. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
Fresh lavender buds for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners into muffin pan. (Note: You easily can turn this recipe into normal sized cupcakes. Yields 24 mini or 12 regular sized cupcakes.) To make the batter, whisk together flour, lavender, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon juice, and zest. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just combined. Beat in half the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk and flour. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds of the way up and bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the icing, stir together confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in zest. Drizzle over cupcakes and garnish with lavender. (Let frosting set for 30 minutes before packing or serving.) Serve right away, or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days.

Note:  The lavender used in this recipe came from Eureka's own Winding Brook Estate, Missouri’s only commercial lavender farm.