Lavender Cupcakes with Poached Asian Pears

My roommate Sarah and I have unhealthy affliction for lavender.  All our soaps, detergents, dryer sheets and the like tend to be scented with lavender.  Given the culinary options for lavender, dessert is an obvious choice, and I think lavender cake serves as a tasty vessel to carry a sweet, but delicate fruit like pears.  The only introduction necessary to this post is that this is by far my favorite cupcake recipe I've developed to date, and the feedback I've received has been overwhelmingly positive.  Seeing as how this blogs primary significance is to document dishes for my own amusement, if anyone actually attempts any of the recipes I've posted I'd frankly be quite flattered.  However, if there's one recipe I'd suggest someone to try it would be this one.

Makes 12 Cupcakes

dry:

1 tsp apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar

1 1/4c AP flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

wet:

1c coconut milk kefir

1/3c canola oil

3/4c lavender sugar (see note)

1 tsp vanilla extract

*To make lavender sugar, crush 1 tbsp culinary lavender and add it to one cup of evaporated cane sugar.  Store in an airtight container.

Preheat oven 350* F

1. Mix Kefir and vinegar together in a bowl and set aside to curdle for a few minutes
2. Mix wet ingredients and vinegar mixture together in mixing bowl.
3. Sift dry ingredients together.
4. While mixer is on add dry ingredients to wet in 3 installments.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-22 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool in pan for ten minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
7. Top with a few slices of poached pears and dust with lavender or lavender sugar.

Poached Pears

1/2 bottle of white wine

1c evaporated cane sugar

2 Asian Pears

1. Combine wine and sugar in medium saucepan, stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Core and peel pears, add to wine mixture.
3. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and a small plate to keep pears submerged.
4. Bring just to light boil, reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until pears are tender.
6. Store pears in liquid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.