Lavender Tea Frosted Mini Cakes

"I’ll happily eat just about any edible flower there is."

This recipe is brought to you by Kayleigh Kosmas of Oh Honey! 

"If you’re not quite convinced, these sweet mini cakes, with Stash Breakfast in Paris Tea-infused frosting are for you. They’re an extra palatable, tasty introduction to eating flowers that I’m sure will make you a convert for life! I made a simple yellow sheet cake, cut out rounds and stacked them up to make cute mini cakes that are just the right size for 2-3 people. I won’t judge you if you eat a whole one yourself though, because they are frosted in the lightest, loveliest tea-infused buttercream, and it’s really hard to stop at one slice."

The tea has notes of citrus, lavender, and vanilla in addition to the black tea, so the resulting buttercream is herbal, floral, and fruity, with just the right amount of sweetness. You’d be hard pressed to find mini cakes better suited to springtime, especially when you top them with dried lavender flowers!" – Kayleigh Kosmas

How to make tea-infused Frosted Mini Cakes

Directions

For the mini cakes

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
4. Beat the eggs in one at a time, then mix in the buttermilk.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Pour batter onto a parchment-lined 13" x 18" sheet pan and bake 11-13 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut out circles, and chill them on the pan until ready to frost.

For the lavender tea buttercream

1. Bring the butter and tea to a lower simmer over medium low heat. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, ensuring that the tea bags are submerged. Don't let the butter brown!
2. Remove from heat and let the tea bags steep for 15-30 minutes.
3. When the butter has come back to room temperature, beat in the sugar, milk and salt until fluffy. Frost chilled cakes as desired.

Notes

The cake is very moist and delicate, so chilling the cakes and frosting a thin crumb coat before adding more buttercream is helpful. Some cake layers will be uneven in height; you can stack them thick side on thin side to balance out the finished cakes. You could also level the layers with a knife if you want very precise mini cakes.