Lavender Cake

A few weeks ago I discovered this recipe on the blog Chocolate Eyes.  I wanted to make it that very second, but didn't have the lavender or even know where to get it.  A few days later, I was at our local farmers' market and the wonderful herb man there sells bags of dried lavender blossoms.  I went to buy one and learned from him that the French lavender I had in my hand, while good for perfume or potpourri, was not what I should use for tea or cooking.  Instead, he went to his van and brought me a bag of English lavender.  


I made this lavender cake for the first time that day and was hooked, but wanted to make a few tweaks to the recipe.  To start, we don't necessarily need a gluten free recipe at our house and I had our home ground whole wheat pastry flour on hand, but did not have chickpea or rice flours.  Also, my bunt pan is fairly tall and the cake batter was not enough to really fill it so that we could appreciate the pretty architectural detail the this pan uses to form the cake.   By a misread, I also added a whole lot more lavender than the original recipe calls for, and find that I like it that way....note though, it might be too much lavender for some folks taste.  This is quickly becoming a favorite summer desert in our house.


This cake tastes so good and the lavender is amazingly calming.  A few bites in and I feel mellow and ready for a nap.

In the end I rewrote the recipe out our version of the recipe:

Lavender Cake

1.5 cups butter softened

1.5 c sugar, white, brown or honey
6 eggs, beaten
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 t baking powder
6  T dried, minced lavender
1  t vanilla
0.5 c milk

Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp dried, minced lavender
milk or non-dairy substitute to thin to desired consistency

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease & dust a tall bunt pan with flour. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.  Grind lavender in a mortar and pestle and fold lavender and vanilla into the batter. Whisk together dry ingredients and add a little at a time alternating with several tablespoons of milk to get batter desired consistency. Pour into pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let cake cool 10 minutes, then turn out onto plate to cool further. Make glaze and drizzle once cake is completely cooled. Garnish with additional lavender if desired.

I also think this cake would be wonderful with some lemon.  I've been thinking of either substituting lemon juice for the milk in the glaze or making the recipe as cup cakes and using a lemon curd filling to make little butterfly cakes using this technique.