Iron Cupcake: Earth-- Herbs, part two

Thanks to Iron Cupcake, I had an excuse to bake with another herb that I've never used before: lavender. Lavender holds a special place in my heart. Every time I smell lavender, it brings back memories of my wedding. Lavender buds were what the Flower Girls sprinkled down the aisle, and what guests pelted at us as we left the reception, (by the way, thanks Aunt Sarah for somehow stuffing it down the front of my dress.)

If you're going to cook with lavender, it's important to make sure pesticides were not used when growing. There are plenty of online dealers that sell culinary lavender, but you may find some in your own area as well. One place to look is The Fresh Market.

Anyway, on to the cupcakes!

Lavender Lemon Cupcakes

Makes 18-24 cupcakes

2 1/4 cups all-purpose cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

grated lemon peel and juice from 4 lemons

1 cup plus two tbsp plain nonfat yogurt

5 tbsp plus 1tsp (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/3 cups granulated lavender sugar (recipe to follow)

2 large eggs plus 1 egg white

3 cups lavender confectioner's sugar (recipe to follow)

1 1/2 tsps dried lavender buds plus more as needed

To make lavender sugar, for each 1/2 cup of sugar use 1 tbsp of dried lavender buds. Make a sachet using cheesecloth or other similar material and place in an airtight container with the sugar. Give it a shake every day or so for two weeks. Use this for both granulated and confectioner's sugar.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 tsps lavender and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the juice from 3 lemons with 1 cup of yogurt. Set both bowls aside.

Beat the peel from 3 lemons and the butter in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in granulated sugar, then eggs and egg white until incorporated. On low speed, beat in yogurt mixture, then flour mixture slowly just until blended. Scoop the batter into cupcake liners. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Let cool completely.

Whisk confectioner's sugar, two tsps lemon juice, 1/2 of the remaining peel and 2 tbsps yogurt in a small bowl until smooth. If needed, thin glaze with water. Possible glaze techniques: dip the tops of the cupcakes in the glaze and then let ooze down the side, can be done with or without liner; spoon glaze over the top of the cupcake and spread smooth; drizzle glaze over cupcakes. Garnish with remaining lemon peel and sprinkle with lavender.

Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Voting starts July 28th, 8PM and runs until August 5th, 12 PM at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/. If you'd like to take part in the challenge, check out all the details at Iron Cupcake: Earth and join the fun.

I am competing to win the following prizes made by wonderful contributors:Our June ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935A delicious treat from CIRCLEMONKEY http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335273a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com/, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com/, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com/; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com/; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com/ .