Lemon Lavender Cake
This beautiful Lemon Lavender Cake is the perfect balance of sweet, floral, and citrus flavors with lovely lavender buttercream flowers.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Lavender Cake
- ½ teaspoon dried culinary lavender
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar divided
- 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (117g) unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup canola or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Cream Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted as needed
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tbsp milk
Lavender Buttercream
- ½ to 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted as needed
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 to 3 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- gel food coloring optional
Instructions
Lavender Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Along with ¼ cup of sugar, grind the lavender until small pieces using a spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar and pestle.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lavender sugar, flour, remaining plain sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk and eggs. Pour in the butter, oil, and vanilla.
- Using a hand mixer or whisk, blend the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Finish by folding together with a rubber spatula until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Completely cool the cake before frosting.
Lemon Cream Filling
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, mix the butter until soft and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Once the sugar mixes in and won't fly out everywhere, turn the mixer speed up to medium-high speed. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add more milk as needed. Tint yellow, if desired.
Lavender Buttercream
- Grind the lavender with 1 cup powdered sugar in a mini food processor. Sift out any large pieces of dried lavender using a mesh sieve, if desired. Alternatively, grind the lavender in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, mix the butter until soft and creamy.
- Add the lavender sugar along with the remaining powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Once the sugar mixes in and won't fly out everywhere, turn the mixer speed up to medium-high speed. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add more milk as needed.
- If you want to make it lavender in color, add small amounts of gel food coloring until desired color is achieved.
Assembly
- Place one layer of cake on a cake board or serving dish. Scoop half of the lemon cream on top and smooth out with an offset spatula.
- Add the next layer of cake and repeat.
- Place the final cake on top and gently press down to secure. Use the lavender buttercream to crumb coat the cake by spreading a thin layer on the sides and top of the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- After the crumb coat layer is firm to the touch, smoothly frost the cake with the lavender buttercream.
- Tint the leftover lavender buttercream with pink and purple gel food coloring to make various shades of lavender.
- Use a large star tip 1M to pipe rosettes around the sides of the cake.
- Use smaller star piping tips to fill in the gaps with smaller rosettes and kisses. Finish with sugar pearls.
Notes
If you do not have a mini food processor, you can grind the dried lavender buds in a spice grinder. Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle.
Serve the lemon lavender cake at room temperature. It can be stored in a cake box over night in a cool room. Keep leftovers wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze the cake layers, wait until they are completely cool then wrap well in plastic wrap. Freeze in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen cake layers in the refrigerator overnight before use.