Lavender Honey-Nut Cupcakes for Mother’s Day

The magic ingredients!

(Today's post is from one of our most adorable RP editors, Jordana Tusman! She's a cupcake fiend and loves to bake. Take it away, Jordana!)

Lavender Honey-Nut Cupcakes for Mother’s Day

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m one of those girls who is obsessed with cupcakes. I know it’s not very original and I certainly appreciate a decadent slice of out-of-this-world cake, but there is just something so delicious, so delicate, and so adorably cute about a little cupcake that just makes my heart beat. I use birthdays and holidays as excuses to bake cupcakes as much as I can. And luckily for me, a ton of my friends have spring birthdays and a lot of holidays creep up in the summer, so I fully expect my kitchen to be cupcake-crazy over the next couple of months. And this Sunday just happens to be Mother’s Day—another perfect excuse to bake.

Since spring welcomes the rebirth of flowers and pops of color, and my mom and I have a shared love for lavender, I thought it would be the perfect time to make the Lavender Honey-Nut Cupcakes from Lucy Baker’s THE BOOZY BAKER. These cupcakes also involve a little bit of naughtiness (booze!), which is always a must for me when it comes to baking. For these cupcakes, I’ll be using amaretto, an almond flavored liqueur, and a favorite of mine. Besides my soft spot for lavender and amaretto, I recently became infatuated with what might be one of the greatest godsends to befall cupcake enthusiasts everywhere—cupcake plungers!

A cupcake plunger, for just a few bucks at your local kitchen store, is used to cut out a perfect center core from a cupcake and then plunge in a delicious, creamy filling (hopefully with booze!). Then you drop the core back into the cupcake on top of the filling. While it’s loads of fun to plunge out the core and plop in the filling, it’s even more thrilling when your unknowing guests take a bite of the cupcake and realize that it’s filled with a surprise gooey center.

The lavender honey-nut cupcakes from THE BOOZY BAKER do not call for a filling, but I have no problem seeking out the perfect filling recipe to make the magic happen.  For this recipe, I’ll be using something light and delicate, like a vanilla pastry cream or a cream cheese filling. And yes, I’ll definitely be adding a dash of amaretto to it!

            Now, if you’re like me, you probably feel pure agony when you bake something and have to wait an hour or more for it to cook, all the while being tempted and teased by the heavenly, warm aromas slipping out through the oven. The nice thing about cupcakes is that they bake in less than 30 minutes, and while you are waiting for them to cook, you can pass the time by making the frosting (and filling!).

I can’t bring myself to just make 12 cupcakes, as the recipe’s yield calls for (I’ve got two 12-cup tins, so I might as well use them!), so I’ll be doubling the recipe. Of course, doubling the batter means doubling the frosting as well—which means there’s bound to be some leftover frosty goodness to spread on breakfast biscuits and muffins the next day—bonus!

For me, presentation is *almost* as important as taste, so to make the lavender live up to its name, I’ll be blending in 1 to 2 drops of purple food coloring to the frosting to give the cupcakes a delightful purple tint (just a couple(!), lest my boozy babes look like monster purple Easter eggs), drizzling fine lines of honey on top, and then sprinkling with the dried lavender buds for garnish.

If you’re as into boozy cupcakes as I am, I demand that you get Kate Legere’s INTOXICATED CUPCAKES. I have made a handful of recipes from this cookbook so far—all amazing by the way—and there is truly a booze-filled cupcake to make for every occasion. If you’re looking for something special to make Mom for Mother’s Day, consider making these lavender cupcakes from THE BOOZY BAKER, and don’t forget to complement them with a handmade Mom’s Day card so Mom knows she’s No. 1.

Jordana