Good Morning friends. It’s Mother’s Day tomorrow and I have the perfect cupcakes to spoil your lovely Mum with. A light vanilla cupcake made with lavender infused milk and French earl Grey tea. Just pour your Mum a nice hot cup of tea and serve her one of these sweeties and she will love you forever.
Oh that’s right, she already does.
Mums are great aren’t they? My mother loves my brother and I so much. We are her world and she would harness the moon for us if she could. Growing up with such unconditional love and support was a blessing upon my life. Her example gave me the skills to love my own dear lambs with all that I am.
I think it’s perhaps not until you have your own children that you begin to realise the depth and sacrifice of your mother’s love. I would even go so far as to add that it’s not until you have teenagers in your house that you can see the full scope of all that your mother had to put up with endured for the sake of love.
So, a word to any teenagers reading this. Go easy on your mums. They don’t always get it right. They don’t know as much as you. They didn’t exist before you were born and aren’t as cool as you, so ease up. They are probably really tired and just a tad worn out from meeting all of your needs for years, trying to hug you and not cooking the right meals for you. I know it’s lame, but see if you can be extra nice to your mum this weekend.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get back to cake.
I love using tea in cupcakes. The flavour is so delicate and homely. The only tea I drink is this organic fair trade tea I buy online called Love Tea. Once you taste their French Earl Grey loose leaf, you will never buy tea from the supermarket again. It has no equal.
To make these cupcakes you will need to buy edible lavender, readily available from health food stores. By infusing the milk with lavender overnight before simmering with tea leaves in a saucepan, the flavours combine giving a unique and delicious cupcake. If you are short on time, infusing the milk with lavender for a couple of hours may be enough. Just use an extra tablespoon of buds. Topped with whipped lemon buttercream and a crunchy vanilla meringue if you are feeling extravagant, these beauties will be sure to spread the mother love.
Lavender & Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon buttercream
A delicate vanilla cupcake made with infused lavender milk and french earl grey tea leaves, these cupcakes will be sure to impress.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup infused milk
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarb soda
- 1 1/2 cups castor sugar
- 2 tblsp edible lavender buds
- 2 tsp earl grey tea leaves
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180C
Line two muffin trays with 18 cupcake liners
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Put milk in a small bowl and add lavender buds. Stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
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The next day, pour milk and lavender into a small saucepan on low heat until simmering. Add tea leaves, stir until combined , then remove from heat. Leave to infuse while you make the rest of the cupcakes.
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Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add oil, vanilla and sour cream. Hand whisk until well combined.
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Using a sieve, drain lavender and tea leaves. Discard. Keep milk. Add extra milk to ensure you have one cup. Add to wet mix and whisk.
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In a separate bowl, sift flour, bicarb soda, baking powder and sugar. Hand whisk to combine.
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Gently pour wet mix into dry ingredients and hand whisk until well combined.
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Using an ice cream scoop, pour mixture into prepared cupcake liners until 2/3 full.
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Bake in a moderate oven for 18 minutes until slightly brown and firm to touch. Place on a wire rack to cool. Frost with lemon cream cheese buttercream.
Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream
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Using an electric mixer on high speed with a paddle attachment, beat together 125g butter and 125g cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
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Turn mixer onto low and add icing sugar/ powdered sugar ( I use icing mixture, as it doesn't need sifting), half a cup at a time. You will need about 3 - 4 cups. As mixture thickens, add the juice from 1 or 2 lemons, until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add grated zest of 1 lemon and mix until combined. Frost cupcakes as desired.
Well dear mothers, I do hope you receive an extra dose of love, cake and tea this weekend. My request? A day off. I just want to sit down, stare into space and have someone else run around tending to my sweet little people all day. Oh, but first I may need to go and bake myself some cupcakes.
xx
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