English lavender has a lighter flavour than French. Make sure your lavender has not been sprayed. Dip the flowers into cool water and leave to dry on kitchen paper before you use them.

Makes 18

- A few stems of lavender blossom, plus extra blossoms for garnish
- 115g butter, softened
- 175g caster sugar
- 2 oranges
- 75g ground almonds
- 100g self-raising flour
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 lemon
- 115g granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C if fan-assisted/350F/Gas Mark 4. Arrange 18 paper fairy-cake cases on two pattypan trays. Don’t use the larger paper muffin cases, as they are too big.

Strip the lavender flowers from their stems and measure out 1 tablespoon. Add them to the butter with the caster sugar and finely grated zest of the oranges. Beat until pale and fluffy.

Mix together the almonds and self-raising flour. Then, using a metal spoon, fold one-third of the beaten eggs into the butter, followed by a third of the almond mixture. Repeat the process twice, until all the eggs and all the almond mixture are folded into the butter. Finally, fold in 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp orange juice. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden and have shrunk slightly from the sides of the paper cases.

While the cakes are cooking, measure out a further 4 tbsp orange juice, and mix with 2 tbsp lemon juice. In a separate bowl, weigh out the granulated sugar.

Place the cooked cakes on a rack and quickly mix the orange and lemon juice into the granulated sugar and spoon over the piping hot surface of the cakes. Leave until cold, then garnish with the extra lavender flowers.

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