Last week we celebrated my 30- ish bday at our house, the theme was Pizza+Beer+Cupcakes. It was so fun seeing old friends and getting caught up. I spent almost 2 entire days cooking cupcakes from Martha Stewart’s cupcake book. Everyone showed up bearing wine, champagne, or a gift even though the invite specifically stated NO GIFTS. So to all of you who who didn’t listen and even those who did- THANK YOU for making it such a festive evening.

Lemon Lavendar Cupcakes ( I just love the name)
Serves 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes + or -
Total Time: 1 hour

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1 cup white whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender buds, roughly chopped
(I couldn’t find these anywhere, so I picked some lavender from my neighbors yard!!! washed and dried it out in the sunshine- seems to have worked just fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
*3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and brought to room temperature *(DO this step first- it always takes so long for butter to get to room temp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar ( I used Bakers sugar- it’s super fine)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk

FOR THE ICING:
1 cup loosely packed confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
5 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Fresh Lavender buds for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place cupcake liners in 12-cup muffin pan.
To make batter, whisk together flour, lavender, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on med speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg, lemon juice and zest. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just combined.
Beat in half the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk and flour.

Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds of the way up and bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make icing, stir together confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in zest Drizzle over cupcakes and garnish with lavender. (let frosting set for 30 minutes before packing or serving) Serve right away or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

NUTRITION INFO:
(1 cupcake): 152 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 27 g carbs, 2 g protein, 30 mg calcium
WHO CARES ABOUT THAT… just eat and enjoy!