Lavender Cupcakes with Royal Icing

These are a beautiful and delicately flavored cake perfect for gifts and fancy afternoon teas! Adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe from Forever Summer.

Lavender Cupcakes with Royal Icing

Ingredients

for the cupcakes:
125g self-raising GF flour (Add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder if you only have regular GF flour)
125g very soft unsalted vegan butter
125g lavender sugar, sieved** (recipe below, I just added 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil)
2 egg replacers
pinch salt
few tablespoons non-dairy milk, more if needed

for icing;
1/4 cups aquafaba (chickpea water from a can - don't use fresh)
3 cups vegan confectioners'/icing sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (if needed to thicken)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
A couple drops of food coloring if using
I also added 1 drop of lavender essential oil

Method

Cakes;
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun cupcake or muffin tin with paper cases.
Take butter and milk out of the fridge in time to make sure they're at room temperature.
Put all the ingredients for the cupcakes, except for the milk, into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a double-bladed knife, and blitz till totally combined.
Process again, adding enough milk to make a batter with a smooth, flowing texture, then remove the blade and spoon and scrape the batter equally into the waiting cupcake cases.
Remember the cakes rise as they bake: there is enough mixture to fill each case adequately even if you panic when you first look at it.
Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the sponge should be cooked through and springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven, leave for 5 minutes or so, then arrange the cupcakes in their paper cases on a wire rack to cool.
Let cool completely before icing.

Icing;
Combine the aquafaba and confectioners' sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer on medium speed until opaque and shiny, about 5 minutes.
Whisk in the lemon juice and food coloring if using, this will thin out the icing.
Beat for another couple of minutes until you reach the right spreading consistency for the cupcakes.

** Note, I used two drops essential oil in the sugar to make lavender sugar because my essential oils are food grade. You can also use fresh/dried lavender place 1 Tbls lavender flowers to 2 cups sugar and blending in a food processor.