I have been keenly looking forward to Mothers Day this year, not for all the over-done commercialisation of it, but for the simple, humble offerings I have been patiently awaiting to make. Ever since I found this recipe from Nigella Lawson, I could not bring myself to attempt to bake these divine little cakes without the appropriate context...and what better combination - mum's, cakes and lavender!
Lavender Cupcakes
You will Need:-
1/2 cup + tablespoon of soft butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of castor sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
8 sprigs of lavender
Royal Icing:
2 large egg whites
3 cups of icing sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
(makes 12)
Take everything out of the fridge to get to room temperature.
Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees.
Place 1/2 cup of milk in a saucer (however you'll only need 3 tablespoons) and bring to the boil with the 8 sprigs of lavender. Once boiled, take off the heat and let cool for 20 Mins. After cooled pass the milk into a bowl through a sieve, discarding the leftover lavender.
Put all the ingredients for the cupcakes, except the milk, into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Then pulse while adding the lavender infused milk to make a smooth, dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture between 12 bun muffin tin lined with cupcake papers and bake in the oven for 15-20mins. You will know they are ready when they rise and are golden on top. Leave them to fully cool before icing.
For the royal icing, combine the egg whites and icing sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on a moderate speed until opaque and shiny (approx. 5mins). Whisk in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat for another 3mins. Then use a tablespoon per cupcake to ice.
Add a sprig of lavender to each cake to decorate. Enjoy with your mum.
