hi guys. seems like eternity since I've tuned I'm here. actually it has lol. glad this place is still hot! 

I'm doing one of my niece's wedding cakes in August. one of the tiers or cupcakes...haven't decided yet lol... is gonna be some amalgamation of Earl grey and lavender (those are a couple of her fave flavors) . I've done Earl grey  on its own in delicate desserts like pot de creme and other things but I've never used lavender. I've eaten lavender  cookies before but it was so overwhelming it tasted more like soap or perfume.  my concern is combining the 2 (eg Earl grey cake with lavender butter ream or vice versa) but Earl grey is such a delicate flavour while lavender is more like the alpha female in the room. anyone bake with this combo and if so how and any tried and true recipes to share? it's really only a month ish away but busy working f/t don't have a long time to experiment at home. 

I almost feel like I will do some Earl grey cupcakes and some lavender ones. instead of trying to compete the 2 flavors together.  unless someone  here has successfully married the 2

i've worked with lavender but not the earl grey -- here's a recipe from the lavender cookbook by sharon shipley  -- i will modify the instructions so it's not a copyright infringement -- but it's her recipe and it's really good --

1 tablespoon dried culinary 'provence' lavender* buds

3/4 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon 

3/4 cup lemon juice strained

1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey

1 tablespoon lemon zest

grind the lavender and the one tablespoon of sugar in a clean coffee mill or spice grinder until finely ground -- -- in a small saucepan combine all the ingredients -- over medium jeat simmer until sugar is dissolved stirring a few times -- -- cool --good for one week in a glass jar in fridge -- this stuff is amazing! could be used as a splash on the baked cakes --

here is lavender sprinkling sugar :

1/2 teaspoon lavender* as above

1/2 cup sugar

combine 1 tablespoon of sugar with the lavender in the coffee mill them mix it up with the rest of the sugar -- 

i have used the syrup for dipping cookies into and the sprinkling sugar gives you an idea of ratio to avoid the soapiness that can occur -- so it's one teaspoon lavender to one cup of sugar -- give or take  --

i always used the provence lavender -- got it on amazon --

best to you -- i wanna hear how it turns out!

did a trial run today set of earl grey cupcakes amd a set of lavender ones. plus both batches of icing. not the buttercream I'm going to use for the wedding but I amped up on both flavors and I'm not impressed. the lady I bought lavender bouquets from gave me a jar of syrup . idk weird cause  I didn't want to go heavy handed and end up with soapy taste but I like my flavors to be more on th3 punchy side.  not impressed first trial run. I brushed earl grey syrup on those cupcakes and lavender syrup on those. I blended earl grey with the sugar and steeped hard-core in the milk. just not wow ! earl grey is in the house! 

lavender buttercream is lovely.  so is the cupcake. so I think lavender will be the diva at the wedding lol. 

back to drawing board

best to you -- lemme know how it goes