My mom's special Lavender Cupcakes

My mom used to run a farmer's market in Richmond, VA. She also ran a little coffee shop where she did all of the baking. One of her growers at the market had fresh lavender buds which she used to make these cupcakes. Sometimes lavender in food can come across as soapy, but these cupcakes are divine. The icing is so sweet and sugary that sometimes it can hurt your teeth - a quality I appreciate in a cupcake. I've made these a few times and they are simple and good. They also seem to impress people. You can put a little food coloring in the frosting to make pretty colors!

Lavender cupcakes

(Recipe from Kathy Emerson)

CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of lavender buds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease the muffin pans for 10 cupcakes, line with fluted paper baking cups.

Combine the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat well. Put the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a sifter or strainer and sift them over the butter-and-egg mixture. Beat until the batter is perfectly smooth and thoroughly combined. This is the time to add lavender buds and blend well. Spoon into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

PORTSMOUTH FROSTING

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine the butter, cream and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the sugar until the frosting is thick, smooth and spreadable. If too thick to spread, add droplets of cream; if too thin, beat in a little more sugar. This is plenty of frosting for the cupcakes or enough to fill and frost an 8-inch two-layer cake.