where the blueboots go

I am making gluten-free desserts these days, and fortunately for me, the different chemistry of the non-gluten-containing flours hasn’t adversely affected my baking expeditions. These turned out to be delightful tea cakes, perfect with a spot of black tea on the side. This truly was a baking expedition, as I have never before tried to mince a flower in a food processor and turn it into a nice flavouring flavoring for a cake (this post makes me want to type in British English). For all of you gluten-free people out there, do give this gourmet cupcake a try- it’s actually quite fun to make. I served it after a dinner to a mostly NON-gluten free crowd and it was enjoyed by all.

Ingredients

–wet ingredients- 

• 1/2 cup butter, or 1 stick butter, softened.
• *tip* if from frozen, place stick of butter on a cutting board on a stable surface and soften with a rolling pin
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

–dry ingredients-

• 1.5 cup gluten free flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

–lavender-

• 2.5 tablespoons dried lavender buds
• 1/2 cup cold milk

–earl grey-

• 1/3 cup hot milk
• 1 tablespoon earl grey tea leaves

–frosting-

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 8 oz package light cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• mix of red and blue all-natural and organic vegetable dye until desired lavender color is achieved. (I got mine from Whole Foods)

1. Mix the wet ingredients in a stand mixer. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350F.

3. Whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined, and set aside.

4. Heat the milk until boiling and steep the earl grey leaves until you smell a fragrant and strong aroma and the tea has fully developed. *note, if I were to try this again, I would use a very small bit of boiling water to submerge the leaves in, and then make up the difference with hot milk to maximize earl grey flavor*

5. Prepare the Lavender mixture by grinding and mixing the lavender buds with the cold milk in a food processor. This should take a few minutes worth of quick bursts in the food processor.

6. Once the tea is done steeping, add half the earl grey leaves into the food processor and blend with the lavender.

7. Combine the lavender-earl-grey-milk mixture with the earl grey tea that you made into the wet ingredient bowl, alternating with dry ingredients until all the cake ingredients are well-mixed.

8. Fill muffin cups  with batter (should make 12) and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

9. Mix together the frosting ingredients. If using Whole Foods organic food dyes (from vegetable), add blue in while frosting continuously mixes on low speed until color begins to change. Then, add red dye (from beets) very conservatively – the beet dye is very potent and a little goes a long way. This is to make the frosting into a lovely,

lavender color to match the lavender flavors of this fancy tea cake.

10. Frost with a spatula after cupcakes are done baking and are completely cool.

These turned out moist and flavorful. They are among my most adventurous cupcakes that I’ve attempted, and they would be perfect for a tea party.  Plus, they’re tasty and gluten free!