Pretty Little Lavender Fairy Cakes - Cupcakes

Ingredients

FAIRY CAKES

• 125 g self-raising flour
• 125 g very soft unsalted butter
• 125 g lavender and vanilla sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk

ICING

• 125 g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon warm water
• violet food coloring
• lavender flowers

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun tin with paper cases.

2. 2

   Put all the ingredients for the fairy cakes, except for the milk, into the bowl and mix well with a hand held mixer for about 2-3 minutes.

3. 3

   Mix once more, adding enough milk to make a batter with a smooth texture.

4. 4

   Pour the fairy cake batter into the waiting cake cases.

5. 5

   Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, by which time the sponge should be cooked through and springy to the touch.

6. 6

   Remove from the oven, leave for 5 minutes or so, then arrange the fairy cakes in their paper cases on a wire rack to cool.

7. 7

   Whilst they are cooling, make the icing.

8. 8

   I like this to be pale violet in colour and to run off the cakes slightly - not too thick. So add the water to the icing sugar and gradually add the food colouring until the desired colour has been reached. The icing should be fairly loose, but not too runny.

9. 9

   Top each fairy cake with the icing - it does NOT matter if it drizzles down the sides of the cake cases!

10. 10

    Top each fairy cake with a little sprig of lavender before the icing's set dry.