Lavender Cake (Print View)

Delicate vanilla cake infused with fragrant lavender buds and topped with a bright lemon glaze. Ideal for elegant spring and summer occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 2 tablespoons culinary lavender buds, finely chopped
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - ½ cup whole milk

→ Lavender Syrup

10 - ¼ cup water
11 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
12 - 1 teaspoon culinary lavender buds

→ Lavender Lemon Glaze

13 - 1 cup powdered sugar
14 - 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 teaspoon culinary lavender buds, finely chopped

# Step-by-Step Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in lavender and vanilla.
04 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
05 - Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top evenly.
06 - Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
07 - While cake bakes, simmer water, sugar, and lavender in a small saucepan for 3 minutes. Strain and set aside.
08 - Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Poke small holes in cake and lightly brush with warm syrup. Cool completely.
09 - Mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and lavender until smooth.
10 - Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Let set before slicing and serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The glaze transforms into this gorgeous pale purple color that makes everyone reach for their phones before they even take a bite
  • Theres something incredibly soothing about the process, from chopping the tiny buds to watching the syrup simmer
02 -
  • Lavender strength varies wildly between brands, start with less if you are unsure, you can always add more next time
  • Overbaking even by 5 minutes will dry out the cake completely, set your timer and trust it
03 -
  • Chop the lavender buds with a sharp knife rather than crushing them, which releases bitter oils
  • If you can not find culinary lavender, you can use a high quality lavender tea bag as a substitute in the syrup

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