Chocolate Lavender Cupcakes

Cupcakes in December should be cozy and relaxing. These are both. Literally.

Ingredients:

4 ounces bittersweet (I recommend at least 70%) chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I like the Fage kind from Greece)
1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (try Plugrà!)
2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms, finely ground in spice mill
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with cupcake cups. Chop chocolate and melt in Pyrex measuring cup in your microwave, half a minute at a time, until smooth when stirred with a butter knife. Let cool while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Whisk milk and yogurt to blend in small bowl. Using your stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then add ground lavender. Pour in melted chocolate and continue beating until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions each.

Spoon batter into cupcake cups. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Frost with lavender whipped cream.

Frosting:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lavender flowers
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon gelatine
1 tablespoon cold water

Simple Syrup: Combine sugar and water over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Add lavender, reduce heat to low, and leave alone for 3 minutes. Shut off heat, get distracted, and go do something else for a half hour or so while the syrup cools. Strain.

Stabilizer: Sprinkle gelatine over cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Warm in the microwave for just a few seconds until mixture is liquid.

Assembly: Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Drizzle simple syrup into cream, then add liquid gelatine. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe over cooled cupcakes and top with the lavender buds you strained out of the simple syrup (or, if for some reason those are no longer available, with a dusting of good Dutch cocoa).