Lemon lavender delights (cupcakes)

I have had dried lavender in my pantry for an eternity – I bought it when I was feeling particularly adventurous and it has sat there, unused ever since. I love the idea of it, and I have a fantastic recipe for lavender shortbread that I want to try…but something always holds me back.

I worry that people won’t eat lavender infused food, that they will think I’ve turned away from my normal approach to baking, which is making food that anyone can replicate and enjoy. I bit the bullet today. I had delicious leftover lemon curd which I’ve been dying to use and lavender and lemon are notoriously good bedfellows.

The final result is delightful. The cupcake is delicately fragrant and is complemented by the lemon curd. And you can never go wrong with cream cheese icing! Don’t be afraid to spring these floral delights upon unsuspecting friends – they’ll thank you for it later.

This recipe was inspired by one that I found here.

Lavender cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 100g cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Filling:

• 1/4 cup lemon curd (for a delicious lemon curd recipe look here)

Icing:

• 70g butter, room temperature
• 170g cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 tbsp lemon juice
  1 ½ cups icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12 capacity cupcake tin. This recipe will make about ten cupcakes.

Cream together the butter, sugar and lavender until pale and smooth. The dried lavender will smell like pot pourri when you open it – don’t be alarmed, your cupcakes won’t taste like your nanna’s underwear draw! The finished cupcake is soft and floral with a kick of lemon to complement the lavender. Just trust me on this one.

Add in your eggs and mix them to combine. Put your flour in and give it a good mix, adding in the milk when it gets too hard to mix.

Spoon the mixture into your greased cups, (or put them in cardboard cupcake cases like I tend to) and pop them into the oven for 18-20 minutes. When you open the oven door you should be hit by a beautiful bouquet – take them out and set them on a wire cooling rack.

When the cupcakes are completely cooled grab a sharp knife and cut a cone shape out of it by angling the knife into the centre and carving out a circle. Remove this ‘plug’ and do what you wish with it. Eat, bin it, give it to a friend. Norman passed up the offer of a lavender cupcake plug, he’s not big on flowers.

Fill the hole with plenty of lemon curd. you can pile it up over the line of the cupcake if you’re super keen on lemon curd (like I am.)

Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add in your lemon juice, followed by the icing sugar. If the consistency isn’t right for you, adjust it by adding a little more icing sugar or lemon juice. I piped the icing onto my cupcakes and it was a perfect consistency for me!

Lacking hydrated lavender flowers, I topped mine with some violets from the garden. Serve with a cuppa and enjoy!