Lemon, Lavender and Earl Grey Mini Cakes and Petit Fours

You guys, Portland totally fake-summered me. We had two weeks of glorious weather — 70 degrees every day with clear, cloudless skies. Not a drop of rain, and all the flowers and trees around town burst into bloom. Erlend went out and bought a bunch of starter plants and flowers for the garden, while I dug out my summer clothes and considered buying strappy leather sandals, even despite my fear of people thinking my toes are gross.

And then just like that, the skies closed up again and pelted us with rain. We woke up to near-freezing mornings and Erlend grumbled about bringing his baby plants inside every night. I sadly hid away my colorful dresses and retreated back into my waterproof gray-and-black wardrobe. The weather forecast on my phone tells me that it's nothing but rain, rain, and even more rain for the next week. Yeesh.

Oh well. At least the flowers are still in bloom. Last weekend, we went to the farmer's market and I picked up a gorgeous bundle of purple lilacs and these white, ball-shaped flowers:

The lady I bought them from told me their official name, but I really can't remember it at all. In any case, they definitely add a much-needed cheer around my house. Because as usual, the house has been kind of a drag lately. I discovered a massive leak underneath the kitchen sink that's warped and gnarled the wooden cupboards beneath it. I've got a plumber coming in next week, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it's not going to be an easy fix.

In an effort to distract myself, I decided that it was time for me to make some mini cakes. Because what's better than cake? Nothing... except MINI cakes! They are even more adorable and perfectly sized for guilt-free consumption without abandon — because it's always okay to have more if it's mini, right? It's no secret that mini cakes have been making the rounds in the blogosphere lately — I mean, check out these beautiful renditions by Sarah, a heatproof rubber spatula to swirl the butter around to ensure even melting. Once the butter is completely melted, remove from heat and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer and strain the tea leaves from the butter, using the rubber spatula to press gently on the tea leaves to get as much butter as possible. Discard the tea leaves and allow the infused butter to cool to room temperature or closeish.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Prepare a 13 x 9-inch cake by spraying with cooking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray as well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoons dried lavender, 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.

Add 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon light corn syrup to the freestanding electric mixer bowl containing the tea-infused butter (from the 1st step). Fit your stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream the butter, sugar and corn syrup on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Whisk together 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup, before pouring into the creamed butter and beating until smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and continue mixing until smooth.

Turn the mixer on its lowest speed and add the dry ingredients (from the 3rd step) in three batches. Mix the dry ingredients until just incorporated, before adding the next batch. Once the dry ingredients have been mixed in, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl before mixing for another 15 seconds.

Scrape the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. It will seem like it's too thick, but spread it evenly across the pan with the offset icing spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake bounces back when gently prodded with your finger. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool completely before using the cookie cutters to stamp out the mini cakes and petit fours.

For the Lemon and White Chocolate Ganache:

1. First, bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin over the surface of 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl. Let sit for 2-5 minutes, until the gelatin softens or "blooms".


2. Put 5.5 ounces finely chopped white chocolate in a medium, heatproof bowl and set aside.


3. Combine 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat the mixture just until it boils, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until it is completely dissolved. Pour the cream over the white chocolate. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture in one direction, concentrating on the center, until the ganache is smooth and glistening. Add 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter and stir until the butter is completely melted. Once the butter is completely melted, add lemon zest and 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and stir. Allow the ganache to set in the coolest part of our kitchen, stirring occasionally to release heat. It will seem like it's too thin, but it will thicken as it cools — be sure to use when it's still spreadable, about 45 minutes to 1 hour after you've made it.

---

---