Summer is my favorite time to try new flavors because so many things are in season, and lavender is one flavor I discovered this year that I really enjoy! My dear friend is an essential oils consultant and she sent me some culinary oils to experiment with. She warned me that a little bit goes a long way, so be conservative if you are using lavender oil. Also, don't just go in your backyard and pluck off some lavender. I specifically bought my lavender plants because they were deemed safe for culinary use. Often, lavender plants have been sprayed with heavy pesticides before heading to the store where you'd pick them up. Make sure you read the little tag of the plant and that should tell you if it's edible or not. You can also buy dried culinary lavender from Amazon to make things easier!
I'm also a lemon fiend so I thought this would be a good mix with the lavender. This cake is very light and tender - the lemon is the star, but there is a light floral aftertaste that rounds out your taste buds. It's filled with a lemon curd which in itself is its own delight (I canned it and have been using it for everything!).
Servings: 8-12
Prep Time: 45 min
Total Time: 2 hrs
INGREDIENTS:
The Cake
2 & 3/4 cup flour
1 & 2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 egg whites + 1 whole egg, all at room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 drops of lavender oil (I literally dipped a toothpick in the bottle 3 times and swirled the toothpick in the batter... you don't need a lot)
3 tsp pulverized lavender buds (crush with a mortar and pestle or ground them up in a spice mill)
The Icing
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 pkgs cream cheese
5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon
The Lemon Curd
3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS:
For The Cake...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 9x2inch round pans by lining the bottom with parchment paper and them spraying them with cooking spray.
Mix the dry ingredients on slow speed in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer until combined. Add the butter and continue mixing until the mixture looks like sand.
Add in the egg whites, one at a time, and then the whole egg, making sure to mix well after each addition. You may have to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the milk, vanilla, and lavender oil.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk mixture 1/3 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and mix again for another minute. Fold in the crushed lavender buds.
Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs on it. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For The Icing...
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese on high speed for about 1 minute or until smooth. Add vanilla and mix again for 30 seconds.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and reduce speed to low. Slowly add the powdered sugar. When the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the juice of one lemon (or 2 Tbsp). Mix again for 30 seconds.
For The Lemon Curd...
Zest the lemons and mix with the sugar. Put the lemon zest/sugar mixture in a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds to make sure the zest is well incorporated.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar/lemon zest mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the eggs, one at a time, the the juice of your three lemons and salt. Mix for another minute.
Pour mixture in a medium size saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes). Make sure you are stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat and allow the curd to cool for at least 20 minutes before you place in an airtight container and transfer to the refrigerator.
To Assemble...
Level cakes by cutting off the rounded tops.
Place bottom layer of cake on serving platter or cake turn-table. Spread a spoonful of icing on the top of that layer.
Spread a generous layer of lemon curd on top of the icing you have just spread. Add the top layer of cake.
Fill the gaps between the two layers of cake with more icing before icing the rest of the cake.
Optional: Top with lemon zest and lavender buds.
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