Vanilla Lavender Cake
A light floral cake perfect for spring gatherings. It’s made with milk infused with culinary grade lavender buds and then each layer is brushed with homemade lavender syrup before being frosted with a delicious lavender frosting.
Don’t worry, if you haven’t baked with lavender before don’t worry, the flavour is soft and delicate, adding just a hint of floral sweetness without being overpowering.
Sometimes my inspiration for baking comes from most surprising places! While I was reading some posts in a Facebook group, someone mentioned they had treated themselves to a night out at their favourite restaurant, and included a picture of the Vanilla Lavender Cake they had for dessert. I knew I had to try and make it for myself.
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- soft, spongy texture with subtle floral flavour
- perfect for wedding showers, Mother’s Day Brunch or summer garden party
- it’s easy enough to make, yet looks impressive
- lavender is a unique and unexpected flavour that isn’t perfumed
- use as much or as little lavender syrup as you like to suit your taste
I’ve been working with culinary lavender for years, so it’s a flavour I come back to often. If you like soft floral flavours you might also like this honey lavender ice cream and these lemon lavender squares!
Ingredients You Will Need
- cake and pastry flour
- sugar
- salt, baking powder
- eggs
- milk
- culinary grade lavender buds
- vanilla extract
- butter
- confectioners sugar
- vanilla bean (optional for decorating)
Be sure to see the full printable ingredient list and instructions at the end of this post
How to Make a Vanilla Lavender Cake
Add milk and 3 tablespoons of culinary grade lavender buds to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes, then strain reserving milk and discarding lavender buds.
Add flour, sugar, salt and baking powder to the bowl of an electric mixer (or large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), and whisk until well blended. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, lavender infused milk, and vanilla extract. Add butter and 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the dry ingredients.
Beat until well blended. The batter will be thick at this point. Add remaining milk and egg mixture in 3 additions, beating well after each addition. Pour into prepared 9 inch round cake pans, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
While cake is baking prepare lavender simple syrup by combining sugar, water and lavender buds in a saucepan on the stove. Boil and stir to dissolve sugar, then reduce heat and simmer for two or three minutes. Allow to cool then pour through a fine strainer into a glass jar. When cake is baked and cooled, brush with lavender syrup.
Frost the cake with a light crumb coating, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then frost completely. Decorate with culinary lavender buds and vanilla bean pods if desired.
Pro Tips
- don’t over do the lavender, a little lavender goes a long way
- use only culinary grade lavender buds
- use whole milk
- infusing the milk gives the best distribution of lavender flavour
Always use culinary grade lavender for baking or cooking.
Culinary lavender has a light, sweet, floral flavour that when used in the right quantities is not overpowering.
Culinary lavender is most often English Lavender varieties that are mild and sweeter than ornamental lavender. They have been grown without pesticides and herbicides making them safe to consume.
Who says you need a special occasion to bake a cake? I say indulge in the little things that make you happy. For me, that is baking my cake…..and eating it too!
More Cake Recipes
Vanilla Lavender Cake
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer and bowl or large mixing bowl and hand mixer
- 1 small mixing bowl
- 1 wire whisk
- 2 9 inch round cake pans
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 3 tablespoons culinary lavender buds
- 2 ½ cups cake and pastry flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons butter sliced and softened
For Lavender Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon culinary lavender buds
For Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 6 -8 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 – 9 inch round pans.
To Make the Cake
- Add milk and 3 tablespoons lavender to a saucepan and heat over medium until bubbles just start to form around the edge. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes and strain.
- In the bowl of stand mixer whisk the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder until well combined.
- Whisk together strained lavender milk, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- Add 1/2 cup milk/egg mixture and butter to the dry ingredients and mix using paddle attachment for about two minutes. Batter will be very thick at his point. Scrape down the sides.Add the remaining milk/egg mixture in 3 additions, mixing well and scraping sides of bowl between each addition. Mix well after last addition.
- Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Lavender Syrup:
- While cakes are baking, make lavender syrup. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool before straining into a glass jar through a fine sieve. Discard lavender buds. Store syrup in the refrigerator.
Frosting:
- In the bowl of electrict mixer combine butter, 4 cups of the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla extract and mix first on low then increase speed to medium/high for 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time beating well between each addition. Cut vanilla down the long edge and scrape seeds out with a knife. Add seeds to frosting and mix for 1 minutes.
To Assemble Cake
- Place one layer of cake on a cake plate. Using a pastry brush, brush with lavender syrup. Add a generous layer of vanilla butter cream. Place second cake layer on top and brush with lavender syrup. Frost entire cake with a thin crumb coat" of vanilla buttercream and chill for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and frost completely.
Looks yummy!
This cake looks delicious ~ I love vanilla and lavender, too. I’m eager to try this recipe ~ quite probably this weekend. You have a way of making your baked goods look “everyday pretty.”
This sounds absolutely delicious. I love floral-flavoured foods. Did you strain the lavender out of the milk prior to adding it into your cake batter?
Thank you! I did strain the lavender from the milk for this recipe, however if you would prefer, it could be left in. I always use organic culinary grade lavender from a local grower!
This cake turned out perfectly delicious!!!! Thank you !
So happy to here that! Thank you Deb 🙂
If I have lavender syrup, how much should i use?
Is it cake flour or pastry flour?? I’d love to make this but i dont know which one im supposed to go with!
Hi Kim! Here in Canada we have a blend called cake & pastry. Robin Hood is the brand I buy, but I have also bought it at my local bulk food store. I think you could easily just use cake flour for this recipe! Hope that helps 🙂
The ingredients says 2 eggs and 3 egg yolks and in the instructions it says egg whites? Which is it?
My apologies! It should read egg yolks in the instructions. Has been updated. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.