A month ago on our way back from Pennslyvania, I saw a bunch of purple flowers that looked like lavender flowers. This got me thinking about making a lavender cake. Now to put this plan in motion I needed edible lavender flowers. So I called the health food store in the village close to my house and inquired if they had edible lavender flowers in stock. They had it in stock, so I kindly asked the sales girl to save some for me (unbeknownst to me they had a lot in stock but that’s beside the point). Now that I think about it it is quite hilarious the lavender flowers were not something that was going to jump off the shelves. Therefore, as soon as we got home I rushed over for an ounce of lavender flowers. There was more than enough. Then it was time to test it out.  This Lavender cake is perfect for a wedding cake, anniversary or any special occasion. This page may contain affiliate links which mean that if you make a purchase from any links directed from this website I may earn a small commission.  I only recommend things that I use and love and classes I have taken.  Thank you very much for your ongoing support.

My Experiment with the Lavender flowers

I must admit I was a bit of a chicken, I tried it first with a boxed mix to see what it would taste like (I did not like the combination of the chemicals from the mix). The next best thing was to try a scratch recipe.  Therefore, I took my white cake scratch recipe and adjusted it by adding the lavender. It was so good. The flavor was delicate and delicious. As a matter of fact, it tasted like a fancy dessert from an exclusive French bakery. My taste testers really loved this one.

While I made this before the Lemon blackberry cake, I posted that at first because it was so good, and I was having second thoughts about the design. But, after thinking about it I loved my old design better.

Things to consider before making the Lavender Cake

The lavender flavor can be overpowering, so you need a nice balance. Too much lavender and the cake will taste bitter, too little and you don’t taste the lavender at all.  Another thing to consider is that regular lavender essential oil is not edible. You need to purchase edible lavender leaves.  To achieve the lavender flavor I soaked the lavender in the buttermilk and crushed a teaspoon by hand and added to the cake batter.

Let’s talk about how to make this Lavender Cake

For this cake recipe, I used self-rising flour.  I loved the crumb that I receive from self-rising flour. Self-rising flour includes salt and baking powder   If you don’t have any self-rising flour on hand, add 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to 1 cup of cake flour (for other baking tricks see my post here) and sift the ingredients.  Because I did not have lavender extract on hand, I soaked the lavender leaves in the buttermilk.  I wanted to taste the lavender but just a light amount.  As usual, I tried to find a balance with the butter and oil to get the flavor of the butter I used 5 tablespoons of butter. Oil keeps the cake moist.

Materials Needed:

• Edible Lavender flowers
• Self-rising flour
• 2 6-inch cake pans
• Mixing bowl
• Handheld mixer
• 1 batch Italian Meringue Buttercream
• Buttermilk
• Egg whites
• Spatula
• Measuring cups
• Lavender extract (optional)

Steps

Add the lavender leaves to the buttermilk and let it sit for about 10 minutes
Then crush 1 tsp lavender leaves and place it on the side.  By crushing the leaves you are releasing the flavor of the lavender.
In a bowl mix the butter
Then add the oil and the sugar and cream them together until light and fluffy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg whites mix until combined
Then the lavender leaves and the vanilla, mix until combined.
Alternate the flour and the buttermilk. Add the self-rising flour.

Then strain the buttermilk (squeeze out all the flavor for the lavender).
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until it combines (don’t over mix)

Add the batter to two 6-inch cake pans but this recipe can be easily doubled and baked in 8-inch pans.

Decorating the cake

Split each layer for a total of 4 layers.  Fill with buttercream.  Color some buttercream with three different colors of lavender from light to dark.  To create an ombre effect add the darkest buttercream on the bottom, then the next color you get the idea.  I hand painted the lavender flowers using a cool technique I learned from q-tips. 

And finally, a slice of cake, do you see the lavender leaves inside?

That’s it enjoy. Feel free to comment below if you tried this recipe and share the love.

Lavender Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Elegant and delicious lavender cake that is perfect for a wedding, anniversary or any special occasion.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 cups self rising flour To make self rising flour mix 1 cup cake flour with ½ tsp. baking powder and ¼ tsp. salt, in this case it would be 1 1/2 cups cake flour with 3/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4+1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp clear vanilla
• 3 tsp dried lavender flowers edible

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
• Prepare 2 6-inch pans with non-stick spray and parchment paper
• Add 2 tsp lavender leaves to the buttermilk and let it sit for about 10 minutes
• Crush 1 tsp lavender leaves and put it to the side
• In a bowl cream the butter
• Then add the oil and the sugar and cream them together
• Add the egg whites mix until combined
• Then the lavender leaves and the vanilla, mix until combined
• Alternate the flour and the buttermilk. Add the self rising flour, then strain the buttermilk (squeeze out all the flavor).
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until it combines (don't over mix)

Notes

Make sure that you use edible lavender leaves
To make self rising flour mix 1 cup cake flour with ½ tsp. baking powder and ¼ tsp. salt.
To get more lavender flavor add lavender extract if available.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!