Strawberry lemonade is one of my favorite drinks. So the other day when I had a hankering for desert, making this delicious flavor combo into a cupcake just made sense. These cupcakes are sweet with a little tang perfection. 

Cupcake Ingredients: 

2 lb carton strawberries, chopped

2 sticks butter at room temp

zest of1 lemon

4 eggs

1 cup butermilk

2 cups sugar

2 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 cup lemonade

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

Frosting Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, room temp

zest from 1 lemon

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup lemonade 

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp lavender

Mix your cake ingredients together, then bake at 425 for approximately 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Mix your frosting ingredients together, then top your cupcakes. Add extra cut strawberries as a garnish. 

These sweet treats will not only have you happy that Spring is finally here, but they might just get you excited for summer as well. Enjoy!

With Easter just around the corner, we have all things spring and bunny on our minds. So of course, these carrot cupcakes were on our mind. If you haven't made Peggy's carrot cake, found here yet, what are you waiting for?! Get on that! But for right now, cupcakes are on our mind. And these cute lavender sprinkled ones are on the docket. 

Cake Ingredients: 
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp culinary lavender (found here)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Frosting
1/3 cup butter at room temp
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
(Note we use water in our frosting rather than milk because then you can leave the cupcakes out unrefriderated without a worry about spoiling.) 

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cupcakes are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost, then sprinkle with lavender buds as a garnish. 

Growing up, my mother made Sweet Rolls. Somewhere along the line I started calling them Cinnamon Rolls. I realized a good chunk of the world calls them Sticky Buns. Whatever you call them, you will certainly call them delicious. Behold! 

These magical rolls are made of light and fluffy dough. They have the perfect amount of sweet and spice. The oozy gooey frosting makes the melt in your mouth. They are literally finger licking good. 

Ingredients for the dough: 

1 small package of yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon lavender salt

3 1/2 cups flour

Ingredients for the center: 

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup lavender sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Ingredients for the frosting: 

4 tablespoons room temperature butter

1 teaspoon lavender vanilla extract 

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons hot water

Directions: 

In a small bowl disolve your yeast packet in warm water. In a separate bowl heat your milk in the microwave to almost boiling. In your kitchen mixer, use your dough attachment and mix together your milk, sugar, melted butter, egg, and lavender salt. Slowly add your flour and then add your yeast water. Mix on medium speed for about 4 or 5 minutes. The dough should form a sticky ball. Grease the sides of your mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Keep it in a warm spot on your counter until the dough doubles in size, about 60-90 minutes. 

Then knead your dough back into its original size. Using the backside of a greased cookie tray,  roll out your dough until it matches the tray in size. Cover your sheet of dough with your melted butter. Then mix together your cinnamon and lavender sugar and sprinkle your mixture all over the melted butter. Roll it up from the long side so it makes a long skinny roll of dough. Cut it into 12 equal pieces. Place those pieces in a greased casserole dish, spaced into 3 rows of 4. Let rise again, until the dough fills the pan and about doubles in size again. This should take 30-45 minutes. 

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and back for 25 minutes or until just slightly golden on top. As soon as you pull your rolls from the oven, mix together your butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and water until its a smooth consistency. Pour your glaze over your rolls once they have cooled slightly. Serve immediately. 

This is the best desert I have made in a long time. We made it for lds general conference weekend, which is always a special time for our family. This is the perfect desert for a morning family gather. But if you know my family, you better make a double batch. Enjoy!

If you have been a long term reader of our blog, you may remember an easter recipe I shared years ago called Heavenly Berries. We have so many new readers here that I thought I would share it again because it is one of my favorites! 

Heavenly Berries is a scrumptious combination of meringue, creams and berries.  It taste HEAVENLY.   If you  want to try this for easter, you'll want to make the meringue soon, so that the meringue and the cream mixture can marry and create some heavenly flavors.  I love recipes that can be made in advance, especially on holidays when there is so much to do!  Just pull them out of the fridge and say "TA-DAH!"  

Don't let the lengthy instructions discourage you, It's simple,really.

Day 1
Make your meringue base.  Put it in the oven before you go to bed;  cook for 1 hour at 275.  Turn off oven and leave meringue in oven with door closed over night for 12 hours.

Recipe
6 egg whites. warmed to room temp
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 sugar

Method
Heat oven to 275.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, spray with Pam.  In a large bowl (Stand mixers work best), beat your warmed egg whites, cream of tarter and salt until almost stiff.  Beat in the sugar 1 Tbs. at a time, until they are very thick and glossy.  Remember, don't under beat.  Now you can choose if you want to make one big cloud of heaven or individual ones.  I used a pastry bag, but if you don't have one no worries.  Whatever method you use, you need to create  a "swimming Pool" effect in the middle so the cream can set inside.  Since a good meringue is the key to this recipe, here are some hints for a good meringue.  1. separate your eggs when they are cold.  2. don't allow any yolks to get into the meringue  3. make sure your egg whites are at room temp  4. oil or anything greasy is an enemy to meringue, so make sure all your utensils are free of any thing greasy.

Day 2 (filling)
The next morning make you filling,  fill your meringue base or bases then Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Recipe
2 cups whipped cream (no cool whip allowed)
1 8oz cream cheese, softened to room temp (leave out overnight)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar (use 2 Tbs. of this sugar to sweeten the cream)
2 cups mini marshmallows

Method
In a chilled bowl (stand mixer works best) whip your cream, add vanilla and 2 Tbs, sugar.  In a separate bowl mix the rest of the sugar with the cream cheese at room temperature until smooth.  Fold the cream cheese mixture and marshmallows into the whipped cream.  Fill, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

YOUR DONE!!
Almost.  just before serving pile on your berries.  My berry favorite berry sweetener is "the Lavender Apple's" Lavender Simple syrup.  It adds such a unique and wonderful flavor.  

Along with the simple syrup  I sweeten my berries with brown sugar.  Let them sit awhile on the counter so the sugar can dissolve. This is a fun and unique treat, perfect for the Easter holiday.