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This lavender cake is soft, buttery, and perfectly balanced with a light floral flavor. It’s incredibly moist with a delicate lavender syrup that adds just the right touch without being overpowering.
If you love lavender recipes, try my easy lemon pots recipe with lavender, lavender lemonade, and lavender margarita!
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Pin ItI’ve been developing and testing baking recipes for over 15 years, and this is one of my go-to cakes to make in the spring.
Lavender can be tricky to bake with, but using an infusion method keeps the flavor subtle and elegant instead of too strong. It’s a simple technique that gives you a bakery-quality cake at home.
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“I made this for my daughter’s birthday a while back, and it turned out wonderful!” — Alicia
Why This Lavender Cake Works
Soaking syrup locks in moisture: Brushing the cake with syrup allows moisture to absorb into the crumb, preventing dryness and keeping the cake soft for days. Similar to my lemon olive oil cake!
Layered lavender flavor: Infusing the milk and adding syrup distributes the flavor evenly, so it stays subtle rather than overpowering.
Cake flour = soft crumb: Lower protein gives this cake a tender, bakery-style texture. I use cake flour in my lemon loaf recipe, and it’s so tender!
Egg whites keep it light: This creates a fluffy, delicate structure that pairs perfectly with floral flavors.
Also, check out my elderflower lemon cake. It’s similar to my lemon ricotta pancakes and full of lemon flavor.
Lavender Cake Ingredients
Cake Flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and a finer, lighter texture. If you don’t have cake flour, no worries! You can make your own cake flour.
Egg Whites: Separate whole eggs and keep the egg whites. We use large, organic eggs when baking.
Lavender Extract: Similar to vanilla extract, lavender extract gives the cake a fresh lavender flavor. You can find this on Amazon.
Culinary Lavender: Use certified organic, 100% raw lavender flowers for baking and cooking.
How to Make A Lavender Cake
1. Infuse the Milk: Steep dried lavender in milk for 15 minutes, strain, and cool completely.
2. Make the Batter: Sift dry ingredients, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix lavender milk with egg whites and extracts. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients.
3. Bake the Cake: Pour into a greased 9×9 pan and bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Brush with Lavender Syrup: Simmer lavender syrup while the cake bakes, then poke holes in the cooled cake and brush generously with syrup.
5. Frost and Decorate: Beat cream cheese frosting until fluffy, spread it over the cooled cake, and garnish with edible flowers.
Eden’s Recipe Tips & Variations
Infuse and Shortcut: Infuse the milk longer for a stronger lavender flavor (even overnight in the fridge), or skip the simple syrup and use store-bought lavender syrup instead.
Use Quality Ingredients: Whole ingredients like real butter, organic eggs, and pure vanilla make a huge difference in flavor and texture.
Prep the Pan Right: Line your pan with parchment paper, leaving extra hanging over the sides for easy lifting, and grease the sides too.
Don’t overbake the cake: Check a few minutes early and remove when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Overbaking will dry it out quickly.
Fun Variations: Make it a sheet cake, layered cake, or try lemon lavender (add lemon zest and lemon curd), blackberry lavender (add preserves), or Earl Grey lavender (infuse milk and syrup with Earl Grey tea).
Using Dried Lavender in Cake
I recommend using dried lavender to infuse the liquids in the cake, like the milk or syrup, for a more balanced flavor.
I don’t recommend adding dried lavender directly to the batter. It’s very potent and can create a strong, slightly bitter or soapy taste, along with a rough texture.
How to Store
- Room Temperature: Cover and store for up to 2 days in a cool, dry place
- Refrigerator: Store up to 5 days (best if frosted). Let sit out 20–30 minutes before serving
- Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw before serving.
FAQs
Lavender cake has a light floral flavor that’s slightly sweet and aromatic. When done right, it’s delicate and balanced — not soapy or overpowering.
It’s not recommended. Lavender is very potent and can create a strong, bitter flavor. Infusing milk or syrup is the best method.
Lavender pairs beautifully with lemon, honey, vanilla, and berries. Try adding lemon zest or serving with fresh berries for balance.
Use small amounts and infuse liquids instead of adding dried lavender directly to the batter.
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Also, try my Classic Pound Cake, Famous Coconut Loaf Cake and No-Bake Cheesecake too!
If you make this lavender cake, let me know in the comments and leave a review — I love hearing how it turns out for you!
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Lavender Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Lavender Cake
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp dried lavender
- 2 1/4 cups cake-flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lavender extract
Lavender Soaking Syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp dried lavender
Lavender Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, super soft
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp lavender extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Lavender Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9×9-inch pan (or two 8-inch round pans).
- In a small bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups whole milk and 2 teaspoons dried lavender. Let sit for 15 minutes, then strain and discard the lavender.
- In a bowl, sift together 2 1/4 cups cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a mixer, beat 3/4 cup unsalted butter and 2 cups granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the strained lavender milk, 4 egg whites, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon lavender extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and wet ingredients until just combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once the cake has baked and cooled, carefully turn it upside down. Using a wooden toothpick, poke about 12 small holes evenly over the cake.
- Using a pastry brush, brush about 1/2 of the lavender syrup (recipe below) evenly over the cake, allowing it to soak in.
- Let the cake rest for a few minutes so the syrup fully absorbs before frosting.
Lavender Soaking Syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons dried lavender.
- Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and let cool. Using a sieve, strain out the lavender.
Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixer, beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lavender extract, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- Spread frosting evenly over the cooled cake and decorate with edible flowers.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
loved this recipe, I thought it was perfect my husband thought it could have even more lavender flavor. I will add table spoon to milk instead of tspn. Going to make this into cupcakes now. Thank you!
Thank you for this sweet comment! I’m glad you loved it and yes add a little more flavor for sure! XOXO – E
I made this for my daughters birthday a while back and it turned out wonderful!
Hello. I tried this recipe twice and it just didn’t work for me. I gave you 5 stars because you went to the trouble of writing it up and sharing. I think maybe you have too much baking powder. No other cake recipe I’ve tried uses 1 tsp, not 1 tbsp. The cake rose way too fast and then crashed in the middle.
Thanks Suzett – I will test this again this weekend and make edits if needed! I appreciate the feedback!