I am sooo feeling this spring-to-summer transition that we're in right now. Now that we're back in the Midwest and have four distinct seasons (yay!), I'm soaking in the sunshine and spring blooms. Of course this mood continues to my kitchen, where this Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze embodies this time of year perfectly!
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This Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze is a tender, golden lavender pound cake topped with a strawberry-vanilla bean glaze. It somehow manages to be delicate and flavorful at the same time, and I'm smitten!
Lavender Pound Cake Ingredients
- Flour - Provides structure and moisture for the cake. I used all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder - Provides leavening for the cake.
- Salt - Helps to balance and enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Unsalted Butter - For additional rise and a light and tender texture to the cake. Unsalted so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the cake soft and moist.
- Eggs - To provide structure, leavening, and a little richness.
- Lavender Paste - Lavender is one of my newest additions to my list of favorite ingredients. I recently discovered lavender paste, and am SO happy with it! All the fabulous flavor of lavender without having actual flowers in your bake. If you'd like to get some for yourself, you can find it here.
- Kefir (or buttermilk) - For flavor, moisture, and keeping the cake suuuuper tender. I used 1% kefir, but you can also use buttermilk if you'd like.
Strawberry Glaze Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar - For sweetness, and because it dissolves and gives the glaze a smooth texture.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries - For flavor and beautiful color! Make sure that you're using *freeze-dried* strawberries for the glaze, because they are free of moisture and will process into a powder along with the sugar. Regular "dried" strawberries are leathery and still contain moisture, so they won't grind finely.
- Milk - To thin the glaze to the appropriate consistency. I used whole milk. If you use a reduced-fat milk, you may need slightly less than I used.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - For fantastic flavor!
Making the Lavender Pound Cake
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the lavender paste and mix to combine.
- Alternate additions of the dry ingredients and the kefir (or buttermilk). Only mix until just incorporated and no more.
I used an 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan for my pound cake. Lining your pan with parchment makes it easier to remove the pound cake later! I buy pre-cut nonstick parchment sheets that work really well. If you're interested in checking them out, you can find them here.
Making Strawberry Glaze for Pound Cake
- Process powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberries in the bowl of a food processor. Process until as fine as possible.
- Pour the sugar/strawberry mixture into a bowl and add the milk and vanilla bean paste.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with strawberries and lavender, if desired. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
I use lavender paste in the pound cake to avoid chewing on actual lavender, but you could choose to use lavender. I did use dried lavender as garnish on top. You'll want to make sure that you're using culinary lavender, since other lavenders aren't meant to be eaten and could have been sprayed with harmful chemicals. I bought my lavender here.
You can make the pound cake a day or two in advance, wrapped well, on your counter. In fact, I think the texture of the cake is better the second day! That said, I'd wait until the day you're planning to serve the cake to glaze it. The glaze should be made when you'd like to use it, as it sets up over time and won't be pourable.
I'm always moving on to new recipes, but I think I'll be revisiting this beauty again and again. Using the lavender paste and freeze-dried berries, this recipe could be a taste of May year-round!
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Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze
Ingredients
Lavender Pound Cake:
- 1½ cups flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon lavender paste (see note)
- ½ cup kefir (or buttermilk) (I used 1% kefir)
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries (see note)
- 6 tablespoon whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
Garnish (optional):
- lavender, dried or fresh
- fresh strawberries
Instructions
For Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease an 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan and line with parchment (see note). Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (at least 3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the lavender paste (see note) and mix to combine.
- Alternate additions of the dry ingredients and the kefir (or buttermilk): half the dry ingredients, followed by the kefir, then the remaining dry ingredients. Only mix until just incorporated and no more.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs), about 75 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the pan at least 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
For Glaze:
- Combine the powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberries (see note) in the bowl of a food processor. Process until as fine as possible.
- Pour the sugar/strawberry mixture into a bowl and add the milk and vanilla bean paste (see note). Add a bit more powdered sugar if too thin, or a bit more milk if too thick.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with strawberries and lavender, if desired. Allow the glaze to set before serving.Enjoy!
tiffanyb
Omg so good! Strawberry and lavender is officially my new favorite flavor combo!!
Amee
Aw, I love that! It really is such a great combo. Thanks much, Tiffany!