Lavender and Honey Teacakes

Look at these cute little cakes! Well, if that isn't the perfect treat for an afternoon tea on a rainy Sunday in fall?! And let me tell you about fantastic taste of these teacakes... Honey and lavender are a match made in heaven. The addition of sour cream gives the cakes a wonderfully soft and moist texture. The lemon juice in the glaze adds just a bit of a sour kick to counter the warm sweetness of the honey. Need I say more to convince you that you should definitely try this recipe! It's an easy one. And if you don't have such a fancy tin for mini-bundts, just use a normal muffin pan or mini-cake cases.

Recipe
(from Ottolenghi - The Cookbook)

225g butter, soft, plus melted butter for greasing the tins
115g caster sugar
115g lavender honey, or otherwise plain honey (lavender honey is available at Coop for instance)
3 eggs
245g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chopped dried lavender, plus extra to finish
110ml sour cream

For the glaze:
20ml lemon juice
2 tsp honey
about 100g icing sugar

Preheat the oven 170°C. Leave 6 small bunt tins in the fridge for a few minutes, then remove and brush with plenty of melted butter. Return them to the fridge.

Cream the butter, sugar and honey together until pale and fluffy, using an electric mixer. Break the eggs into a cup and beat them with a fork. Gradually add them to the creamed mixture while constantly beating.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon. Then, stir in the dried lavender. Fold the flour mixture into the cream mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream.

Either pipe or spoon the mixture into the tins, filling them to about 1.5cm from the top. Level out the mix and clean the edges of the tins if necessary. Place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and leave in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

For the glaze, mix the lemon juice and the honey together in a small bowl, then whisk in enough icing sugar to make a thick, pourable glaze. Use a pastry brush or a spoon to coat the top of the cakes, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with a little dried lavender.