Welcome Spring with Lavender Cupcakes

First of all, happy spring!  This winter has seemed like it has lasted an eternity.  I am so ready to shed the layers and start wearing open-toed shoes and short sleeves.  I am so sick of bundling up and wearing boots everywhere I go.

Anyway, I know I have been on a little bit of a blogging hiatus lately, but work has been super crazy these past couple of weeks.  My normal schedule has been wake up, go to work, go to the gym, come home and do more work.  I think things are finally going to slow down a little bit, so I can concentrate a little more on blogging again.  I have felt like something has been missing for the past couple of weeks, and I think that void has been all of you guys!  I figured I would welcome myself back with a new cupcake recipe.  Because this week marks the first full week of spring, I thought I would share a floral recipe.  Ever since I introduced myself to pinterest, I have been eying up these Lavender & Honey cupcakes.

I decided to make my own version of the cupcakes.  I decided to make Lavender cupcakes with a honey frosting topped with lemon zest.  I modified the cupcake recipe slightly, but I didn't want to make a cream cheese frosting, so I made more of a honey buttercream.   The lemon zest on top was the perfect addition to give the cupcake some zing (if that's a word).  Overall, I was very happy with how this cupcake turned out!  So perfect for spring! The taste was very refreshing, and they were not too heavy or overly sweet.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs (2 yolks, 1 whole)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons lavender extract (found at Sur La Table)
2/3 cup cold milk
red & blue food coloring (optional)

For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup honey

Topping:
2 lemons to zest

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 ° and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.

In an electric mixer, cream room temperature butter and sugar together.  Add in your eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract. If you are using food coloring, you can add it in here.

In a separate bowl, mix your flour, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add your dry ingredients to your butter and sugar mixture, making sure to keep your electric mixer on a slow-medium speed while you do so.

Lastly, stir in your milk and lavender extract.  Fill your lined muffin tins about 3/4 of the way and cook for about 20-24 minutes.  Ovens tend to vary slightly in temperature, so make sure you check towards the end of the timer with a toothpick.  Once the toothpick comes out clean, your cupcakes should be done.  Be sure not to overcook, otherwise they will become dry and crumbly.  Let cool for about an hour before frosting.

To make the frosting, start with room temperate butter and cream on a medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.  Slowly add in your powdered sugar a little at a time.  Once the sugar and butter are well mixed, add in your honey and heavy whipping cream.  Put into a piping tube and frost with your favorite tip!

Lastly, zest two lemons over top of your cupcakes.  Not only does this add some great flavor, but it also looks pretty and adds some color to the top of your cupcakes.