Lavender honey cakes

These little cakes are so delicious (and veeeeery buttery…) and a fun way of using the aromatic little flowers! Take a moment to smell the lavender sugar…

Fresh from the garden: lavender, eggs
Recipe source: adapted from our book, A Year in the Kitchen Garden
Makes: 12 cupcakes

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Grease the cupcake moulds with a little butter or simply drop a paper case in if you have them.
• Snip the lavender flowers from the stalks. Wash and carefully dry the flowers. Measure the sugar into the bowl of the stick blender, add 2 of the lavender flowers and blend together. Transfer the mixture to the stand mixer.
• Beat the lavender sugar, butter and honey in the stand mixer until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (The mixture might look a little curdled at this point but no matter!)
• Measure the flour and then pour into the sifter. Sift the flour into the mixture. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the flour and buttermilk or yoghurt into mixture.
• Spoon into prepared baking pan and smooth top. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Stand for 5 minutes before turning cake out onto a wire rack.
• When cool, divide among serving plates. Measure out the icing sugar into the sifter and dust the cakes, sprinkling on the extra flowers too.
• Serve each plate of cakes with a little bowl of thick cream if you want.

Notes:What else can you make with lavender? What is buttermilk? Why do we gently fold the flour and buttermilk in to the batter?