10 Lavender cupcakes!

These 10 lavender cupcakes mark the10th birthday of my dearest niece Ammulu! Wishing you a great year ahead sweetie :-) I know you love lavender and Hannah Montana, so this is for you! This day is also my mom and dad’s anniversary! Wishing you both many more years of love and togetherness.
 
What I used: Makes 2 dozen cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/4 cup milk

For decorating:
1 tsp shortening to knead the fondant
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup butter cream icing to glue the fondant to the cake
1 lb fondant, a large portion colored to purple, a little into pink and yellow using gel icing colors

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Sieve the flour salt and baking powder, set aside. Beat the butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar in a bowl that is placed in a sink or larger bowl filled with warm water. Whisk the mixture until pale and frothy. 

Using a spatula, mix in the flour mixture and gently fold it in. Sprinkle the orange rind and give a few more folds, don’t overwork it. Pour the cake batter into the paper cups placed in the cupcake tray. Fill in halfway.
Bake it for 15-18 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool completely.

Top the cupcake with a thin coating of butter cream to cover the crown. Grease your hands with shortening and knead the fondant to smooth out any dryness or cracks. Roll out the purple fondant on a working surface that is generously dusted with confectioners’ sugar. 

Cut out into desired shapes with a knife or fondant cutter and place them on top of the cupcakes. The frosting will hold this fondant on the cake. Make little flowers of pink and leaves of yellow. Place them in the middle with a drop of butter cream at the base of the leaf and flower to hold it in place. Enjoy!