Lavender Fairy Cupcakes

These cute little lavender cupcakes were created with the help of a few of my new kitchen goodies. The recipe is from Cakes and Bakes, a cookbook Christmas gift from my friend Nicole. There are a bunch of yummy-looking recipes in that book :) I thought this would be a good recipe to use to break in my new mini-muffin tin and cupcake liners. And the lavender, the main reason I pulled this recipe out: it's from a lovely little European store downtown, I couldn't help but buy it when I saw it on their shelves (a local product to boot, so I know it's fresh!).

The cupcakes were really good - a nice subtle lavender essence that went well with the sugary honey. The gooey frosting was a nice complement to the cakes. A good one to try if you want a new-ish type recipe and happen upon some edible lavender!

Lavender Fairy Cakes

Ingredients:
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. finely chopped lavender flowers
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. self-rising flour, sifted
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
Silver dragees and lavender flowers, for decorating

Preheat your oven to 375 F. PLace 12 paper cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Place the sugar, honey, and butter in a bowl and cream together until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the milk, lavender, and vanilla extract. Carefully fold in the flour.

Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until well risen and golden. The sponge should bounce back when pressed. A few minutes before the cakes are ready, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and stir in enough water or milk to make a very thick frosting.

When the cakes are baked, transfer to a wire rack and place a blob of frosting in the center of each one, allowing it to run across the cake. Decorate with lavender flowers and silver dragees. Serve cakes as soon as they are cool.