GF | Dairy Free Makes 12 cupcakes
These lavender fairy cakes taste truly magical and with such a beautifully unique flavor they are a perfect treat for special occasions. I normally avoid icing sugar for health reasons but every once in a blue moon, I think there’s no harm in indulging in something a bit naughty, especially when it’s being shared around.
Lavender pairs perfectly with the sweet vanilla flavor of these cakes and if you happen to have any growing in your garden then this is a great way to make the most of your plant when the flowers are starting to die off for the winter.
To flavor the cake, you will need to make lavender milk using dried lavender flowers. Dried lavender should keep for a long time if thoroughly dried out, just like other herbs do. All you need to do to dry it is simply pick a handful of flowers with stems on, tie some rope or a hair tie around them, and hang them upside down. You should be able to buy dried lavender flowers from specialist tea stores online also.
Dried lavender flowers also make a lovely calming tea when mixed with Camomile. If you plan on storing some of your flowers in a jar then you will want to dry it out for 2 or three weeks but if you are going to make your lavender milk right away then just a few days should dry the flowers out enough to make your milk.
As well as tasting and smelling gorgeous, lavender has many medicinal properties which is why if you have a lot of it then it could be a great idea to use it for herbal tea. The flowers are loaded with antioxidants as well as nutrients including vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. Below are some of the other proven benefits of drinking lavender flowers in tea:
Benefits of Lavender Tea
- Improves Sleep
- Detoxifies the Body
- Reduces Inflammation
- Boosts Immune Health
- Supports Digestive Health
Ingredients
125 of olive oil spread or butter/ghee cut into pieces
125g of coconut sugar or sugar of your choice
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence
125g of self-raising gluten-free flour
125ml of lavender milk
+ 12 cupcake cases & a muffin tin
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Method
- To make the lavender milk: gently bring 125ml of almond milk (or milk of your choice) to a boil, remove from the heat, and add a handful of dried lavender flowers. Cover the pot and leave it to infuse for 30 minutes and then strain the milk, discarding the lavender pulp.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180°C or 356°F.
- Soften the butter (unless you are using spread) and ad all of the ingredients except for the lavender milk blend in a food processor or with an electric beater if you have them, otherwise just try to give it a really good mix with a spoon. Then add 2 tablespoons of the lavender milk to the mix to make a smooth batter.
- Place 12 cupcake cases into a muffin tin and spoon in the mixture. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown. When you remove the cakes, test one by sticking a knife in to see if it comes out smooth, and if not you can put them back in for a few more minutes with the heat turned off while the oven is still hot.
- Place your cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.
- When your cakes have completely cooled, ice them with lavender icing. To make this mix two drops of red and three drops of blue food coloring with the remainder of the lavender milk and about 200g of icing sugar (or until you get a thick consistency that is just runny enough to spread but not so much that it drips.) Ice your cupcakes and then top them with one lavender flower each for decoration if you wish.
FOLLOW THE HANDS OF THYME 🌿
