The days are getting a bit more summery here, but I still have one more delicate, delicious Spring bake to share with you! This Lavender Lemon Cake is light, tender, flavorful, and decadent!
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This Lavender Lemon Cake is two layers of light, moist lemon cake with a smooth and silky lavender buttercream! The textures and flavors of this beauty are a masterpiece!
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also like to check out my recipes for Strawberry Lavender Pound Cake, Blackberry Lavender Brownie Pie, and Honey Lavender Latte Cookies!
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Lemon Cake Ingredients
- Flour - Provides structure and moisture for the cake. I used all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda - Provide leavening for the cake.
- Salt - Helps to balance and enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the cake soft and moist.
- Lemon Zest - For flavor. You want to use only the yellow part of the rind, and not the white pith underneath, as it's bitter!
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want your butter to be at room temperature so that it will get light and fluffy.
- Eggs - Provide the cake with structure, additional leavening, and a little richness. Your eggs should be at room temperature.
- Lemon Extract Paste - For a punch of lemon flavor without adding much liquid! If you'd like, you can substitute with an equal measure of lemon extract.
- Lemon Juice - For flavor, and reacts with the baking soda and baking powder for a bit more rise to your cake!
- Milk - For flavor, richness, and moisture. You want your milk to be at room temperature. I used whole milk.
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Lavender Buttercream Ingredients
- Milk - Serves as a base for the custard. I used whole milk.
- Heavy (Whipping) Cream - Also serves as the base of the custard, and provides more creamy decadence to your buttercream.
- Dried Lavender - For flavor. 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.
- Sugar - For sweetness.
- Flour - To thicken the custard for the buttercream. I used all-purpose flour.
- Salt - To balance and enhance the flavor of the buttercream.
- Unsalted Butter - The butter makes your custard into a buttercream! You want to use unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in your buttercream. The butter should be softened at room temperature for 30-40 minutes before using. Too cold and your buttercream will not the smooth, and too warm and your buttercream will be runny.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - For another layer of flavor and beautiful black specks of vanilla bean in your buttercream! If you'd prefer, you can substitute with an equal measure of vanilla extract.
Hint: If you're a fan of lavender, make sure to check out my post on how to make homemade Lavender Sugar!
Instructions
Note that before starting to make the buttercream, there is a step to infuse the milk and cream with the lavender. This requires warming the mixture, letting the mixture come to room temperature as it steeps, then cooling the mixture. Though mostly hands-off, this a time-consuming process, so you may want to tackle the lavender-infused milk/cream before you begin the cake recipe.
How to Make Lemon Cake
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside.
- Combine the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Be sure to only include the yellow part of the rind, and not the white pith underneath, as it is bitter.
- Run the mixer on low for a few minutes to allow the oils from the lemon to infuse the sugar.
- Add the butter and cream the mixture together on medium speed until light and fluffy, at least three minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the lemon extract paste and lemon juice. Mix briefly to combine.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk. Mix just until incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. To ensure I have the same amount of batter in each pan, I use my kitchen scale and weigh the pans/batter.
- Bake until lightly golden on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow the cakes to cool ten minutes in the pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Lavender Buttercream
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, and dried lavender.
- Over medium heat, warm until just beginning to simmer. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours (up to overnight). Once chilled, strain the lavender from the mixture.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk to combine. Gradually the milk mixture and whisk until combined. I like to add the milk gradually, whisking as I go, to help ensure the custard won't have lumps.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened.
- Transfer the custard to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed until the mixture cools to room temperature. Alternatively, you can cool the mixture to room temperature in the refrigerator, it just takes a bit longer.
- Once the custard is at room temperature, beat with the whisk attachment, adding the butter a few pieces at a time. Allow the butter pieces to incorporate before adding more. Add vanilla bean paste and mix to combine. Beat buttercream on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Storage
If you'd like to make the cakes in advance, you can make them the day before, wrap them well, and leave them on your counter to frost the next day. You don't want to store them in the refrigerator, as this can dry them out! For longer-term storage, make sure that the cakes are completely cool, wrap tightly, and you can freeze them for up to three months.
If you'd like to make the buttercream in advance, it will keep in an airtight container (you don't want it to absorb odors!) in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer up to three months. When you pull from the fridge, place the buttercream on your counter to come to room temperature, then re-whip using the whisk attachment on your mixer. From the freezer, thaw overnight in your refrigerator, then proceed with bringing to room temperature on your counter and re-whipping.
Once the cake is frosted, I store mine in the refrigerator, where it keeps for 2-3 days. Once sliced, I'll press some plastic wrap up against the cut edges of the cake to help it from getting dry. The buttercream is quite firm straight out of the fridge, so I usually put the cake out on my counter about an hour before I want to serve it so the buttercream can warm up.
This cake recipe is such a gem! The custard-based lavender buttercream is officially my favorite ever. The lovely lavender paired with the lemon is just *chef's kiss* and I can't get enough! Pleeeeease make this cake and let me know what you think!
Lavender buttercream recipe adapted from basil buttercream in Sarah Kieffer's Vanilla Bean Baking Book.
Recipe
Lavender Lemon Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract paste (see note)
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅔ cup milk, at room temperature (I used whole milk)
Lavender Buttercream:
- 1½ cups milk (I used whole milk)
- ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
- 2 tablespoon dried lavender (see note)
- 1½ cups sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
Garnish (optional):
- lemon slices
- dried lavender (see note)
Instructions
For Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Be sure to only include the yellow part of the rind, and not the white pith underneath, as it is bitter.
- Run the mixer on low for a few minutes to allow the oils from the lemon to infuse the sugar.
- Add the butter and cream the mixture together on medium speed until light and fluffy, at least three minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to incorporate before adding the second. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the lemon extract paste (see note) and lemon juice. Mix briefly to combine.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk: with the mixer on low, gradually add half the dry ingredients, followed by the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans (see note). Bake until lightly golden on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool ten minutes in the pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
For Buttercream:
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, and dried lavender (see note).
- Over medium heat, warm until just beginning to simmer. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours (up to overnight). Once chilled, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the lavender from the mixture.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture and whisk until combined. I like to add the milk gradually, whisking as I go, to help ensure the custard won't have lumps.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the custard to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the mixture cools to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can also cool the mixture to room temperature in the refrigerator, which will take 30-40 minutes.
- Once the custard is at room temperature, beat with the whisk attachment, adding the butter a few pieces at a time. Allow the butter pieces to incorporate before adding more. Add vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine. Beat buttercream on medium speed another 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cake layers with the buttercream, and top with fresh lemon slices and dried lavender, if desired.Enjoy!
Erika P
I'm not exaggerating when I say this is the best buttercream I have ever tasted! I'm a lavender fan for life.
Amee
Aahh that's amazing, thank you so much! It's one of my faves, too. 🙂
Jen M
The lavender buttercream was sensational! I had never made buttercream this way, buttercream recipe a keeper. The cake was dry and dense, I prefer a fluffy moist cake. I feel the cake needed vegatable oil in it to bring the moisture out in the batter. But the buttercream...AMAZING.
Amee
Hi Jen! So happy that you enjoyed the buttercream (it's one of my favorites!), but so sad that the cake didn't turn out for you! As you can see from my photos, the cake is quite fluffy--but I did have one failure with this cake turning out quite dense because my ingredients weren't all at room temperature. Perhaps that's the culprit here?