Lavender Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

Each passing year, I like to try something new for my birthday treat. In 2012, I made these insanely sweet banana cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle (which also win the Longest Name award). In 2013, I used my green thumb in the kitchen to bake these adorable "seedling" cakes in canning jars (which are sadly still on the long list of treats to blog about).

Birthday 2013

The inspiration for this year's birthday cupcake started early; four months ago to be exact. On the very last day of August, I enjoyed a lovely lavender lemon cupcake from High Point Cafe in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. I knew then and there that I would have to adapt this cupcake for my birthday. If you have been keeping up with me in the kitchen, you know it's been the year of lavender.

Cupcake courtesy of High Point Cafe

Blueberry Lavender Scones

Earlier this month, I discussed my new obsession with adding dried lavender to my treats. Well that obsession had my oven preheating at 7:30 this morning. Shortly after opening my eyes, I thought about the fresh, local blueberries in the refrigerator and how nice they would be paired with lavender in scones. This isn't a far stretch from the lavender blueberry pancakes I've been making all summer but scones are different than pancakes, that's a fact. Scones pair well with coffee or tea, and are a perfect match for my yogurt and granola breakfast. Scones are also good for traveling if you eat breakfast on the run.

The base for this recipe is from my standard scone which I shared last September. This recipe has yielded the most consistent results and held up with a few changes today. Early morning baking is typically unplanned baking; inevitably I'm short on at least one ingredient. This morning it was the buttermilk. It's always the buttermilk. A simple substitution of milk and white vinegar works just fine and I've also used soy milk successfully. Of course, neither of these were in the fridge this morning. It's been an all-almond milk summer. We also didn't have white vinegar. I worried for a minute as I looked at the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, hoping there wouldn't be a trace of either flavor in the final product. When I'm standing at the oven in pajamas and slippers, however, I work with what I've got. I'll post the recipe below using buttermilk but if you're stuck like me use the following substitution:

1 tablespoon white vinegar + almost 1 cup milk = 1 cup buttermilk

this morning's substitution: 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar + almost 1 cup almond milk

Lavender Blueberry Pancakes

There aren't many things as comforting as pancakes in the morning. Here we make one of our favorite comfort foods even more comforting with the addition of dried lavender [happy sigh]. Lately I've been adding dried lavender to muffins, scones, and now, pancakes. Once you get your hands on some dried lavender, add only enough to fit your taste buds. Some of us like the fragrant herbal flavor much more than others.

Served up with Greek yogurt and golden raspberries.

You can opt to leave the blueberries out, or swap them for bananas or even chocolate chips. Whatever you fancy. Once you're comfortable with the basic recipe you can adjust the sugar, milk, and spices without fail. Just don't forget the lavender and pure maple syrup!


Lavender Blueberry Pancakes
Makes 10-12 pancakes

1 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. flax seed, ground
pinch of salt
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 - 1T. dried lavender (adjust to your tastes)
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. fresh blueberries


Heat a skillet over medium heat.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, flaxseed, salt, cinnamon, and lavender in a bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, vanilla, and egg just until combined. Batter should be lumpy. Fold in blueberries.

Grease skillet with butter or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into circles on your pan. Cook until bubbles form and pop in your pancake and sides stiffen. Flip and cook other side. Serve hot with maple syrup. Happy day.