Lavender Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

This is so weird, I very rarely bake but I've baked 3 times in the past week. Tonight I'm baking for my wonderful hubby's homecoming! He's been gone for a whole week, well not whole technically, he left Sunday afternoon, came home late Tuesday night and then left again early Wednesday morning so for all intents and purposes, it's been a week. 

To celebrate his homecoming, I'm making him (and anyone he wants to share with) lavender cupcakes with lemon buttercream. 

As you all know, Nate and I are newlyweds, yes we're gross and in love and gushy and probably disgusting to be around because we see through the rose colored glasses of love, I suppose this description makes me sound cynacal and disenchanted but that's what we're like. We were married by a Deacon and his wife after completing about six months' worth of marriage preparation classes. These two people became like surrogate grandparents. They were so warm and caring and truly wanted our marriage to succeed. Anyway, for our wedding gift (in addition to marrying us, of course) they gave us a small satchel of lavender. It has that wonderful and relaxing lavender smell, you know like walking into a massage parlor (not the type that gives you a happy ending. I've never been to one of those but I picture them smelling more like bleach than relaxing aromatherapy). 

I wanted to use this lavender to make something special and that would remind my husband of how much I love and adore him. 

Lavender Cupcakes 

1/2 C milk 

1 Tbsp lavender

1 2/3 C cake flour

1 1/4 tbsp baking powder 

1/4 tbsp salt 

1/2 C butter, softened 

1/2 C and 2 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp honey

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a food processor, pulse together milk and lavender for 2 minutes. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 

In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add in half the milk mixture, an egg and honey. After these are combined, add in the rest of the milk and the second egg. 

Add half of dry mixture to half of wet mixture and whisk, repeat step until fully incorporated. 

Line muffin pan and fill each liner about 2/3 way full. Bake for 25 minutes rotating the pan halfway through. 

Lemon Buttercream

You can find my recipe for lemon buttercream in my blog post for "Baking (Again)" 

Enjoy these tasty treats, readers!