Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Infused Italian Buttercream

For the last day of school before 'summer break' (our three week break between quarters), I decided to bring in some cupcakes for the class. 

The last day of school in a kitchen class is a deep clean of the kitchen (our practical, or final exam, is the second to last day) and I figured everyone could use a treat after scrubbing ovens, pots, tables, and all sorts of other 'fun' stuff!

I decided to make two completely different kinds of cupcakes: Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Infused Italian Buttercream, and Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting. That way there would be a choice and *hopefully* a cupcake that everyone could enjoy.

Today I'll be sharing the Lemon/Lavender recipe(s) with you, and next week we'll dive into the Peanut Butter/Chocolate recipe(s)!

Lemon Cupcakes

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• Zest of 2 large lemons
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350* F. 

With an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in color. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the flour mixture alternately with the lemon juice, mixing until you have a smooth batter.

Portion the batter into a prepared cupcake pan with a large ice cream scoop. Bake about 13-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cake will be dry.) 

Place on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, then gently remove the the cupcakes and allow to cool completely.
 

Lavender Infused Italian Buttercream

•     5 ounces egg whites (it took me 6 large egg whites)
•     1 1/4 cups sugar
•     1/3 cup lavender infused water*
•     1 lb butter, room temperature

Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer until almost a stiff peak, then shut off.  Meanwhile, heat the sugar and infused water to 240*F.   

Once sugar is done, turn the mixer on low and slowly/carefully pour the sugar into the bowl. Immediately turn mixer on high and whip the bowl is cool to the touch. 

Slowly add butter, one 'lump' at a time. Beat until smooth.

   

*To make lavender infused water, simply heat about 3/4 cup of water until boiling, throw in a generous amount of lavender (I used about 2 tablespoons), turn off the heat and cover until it reaches room temperature. Strain out the lavender once cooled.

Tips:

- When you add in the sugar, be very careful! Melted sugar will burn the living daylights out of you, so you want to be extra careful at this step.

- When you first add in the butter, the frosting might start to look like cottage cheese. Gross. Don't panic! This is totally normal, just keep beating it on a high speed and it will eventually smooth itself out. This might take awhile, so don't worry when it doesn't seem to be coming together. It will!

- You can omit the lavender infused water (just use normal water) and then flavor the buttercream with vanilla, lemon extract, liquors of your choice, etc. Just add in the flavorings once the butter has been fully incorporated. The frosting base itself doesn't have much taste, so you can get really creative with it!

Linking Up To:
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