1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon half and half (or coconut milk for keto/non dairy)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
For The Frosting
1 eight oz container cream cheese, room temperature (Kite Hillfor dairy-free)
2.5 tablespoonsbutter, softened (Earth Balance Spread for dairy-free)
1 cupSwerve Confectioner Sweetener
2.5 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon half and half or coconut milk
1/8 teaspoonsalt
*If you want more lavender flavor, add a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed lavender flower to the Swerve when sifting it over the softened butter.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Start with your teaspoon of dried lavender flowers. Place them onto a cutting board and carefully dice into tiny pieces, continually running the knife over them until you have a fine powder, then set aside. Alternatively you can grind them using a Mortar and Pestle (Enjoy the scent as you crush the flowers, so beautiful!)
Next up are the wet ingredients:In a large bowl, whisk together the half and half, eggs, lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and lemon zest.Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (almond flour, Swerve Confectioner, crushed lavender, baking powder, baking soda and gelatin).
Then sift those dry ingredients over top of the wet ingredients–you can use a whisk to push the flour back and forth over the sieve-it works much faster that way. Blend the dry and wet ingredients together with your whisk quickly until you have a smooth batter. Use batter immediately.
Spoon batter into cupcake liners1/2 of the way full, no more.Making sure your oven is preheated, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then bake for an additional 12 minutes with a sheet of foil lightly resting over the top of the cupcakes–you can create a dome with the foil so it doesn’t disturb them.Keep in mind, oven times can occasionally vary, so keep an eye on them. Remove from the oven and let them cool COMPLETELY before removing from pan. If you’re in a rush, place them in the freezer for 25 minutes, works like a charm!
While you’re waiting for your cupcakes to cool, go ahead and make your frosting.
With a hand mixer, blend together your softened cream cheese and butter. Add lemon juice and half + half then blend again-it will smooth out once the Swerve is added. Finally, sift in Swerve, salt and then blend one last time on high speed.You can add a touch more Swerve for a thicker texture or more milk to thin it out.
Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle additional lavender flower on top if desired and serve with lemon wedge. Enjoy!! Place any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate.
