This is the best lavender cake recipe ever! If you are looking for a homemade lavender cake with an incredible flavor, this cake recipe is for you. It’s a super moist cake with a tender texture and a buttery flavor. The lavender-soaking syrup provides a beautiful lavender aroma and flavor.
This classic lavender white cake is topped with whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting. It’s so good!
If you’re a fan of lavender like me, this will be your new favorite dessert. This recipe has three lavender parts. First, I infuse the milk with culinary lavender to make lavender milk. Then, I use the lavender extract in the batter, frosting, and brush lavender-soaking syrup over the cake.
It’s perfect for spring and summer when lavender is in full bloom. It’s also a wonderful cake for special occasions like Mother’s Day, a spring birthday party, or a simple garden party.
This special recipe is unique in flavor and one that everyone will love. Who can resist a moist and tender white cake, topped with the best lavender cream cheese buttercream? We know we can’t! Also check out my elderflower lemon cake too. It’s similar to this recipe and full of lemon flavor.
Lavender Cake Ingredients
Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:
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.
Whole Milk – Organic whole milk is best. Milk creates a nice texture to the cake and adds to the moist texture.
Granulated Sugar – White sugar sweetens the cake. If you want to use a different sweetener, check out these sugar substitutions.
Unsalted Butter– Use good quality, pure butter when baking. Butter creates a light and tender texture, gives the cake a buttery flavor, and also helps it rise.
Baking Powder – A dry leavening agent used to increase the volume and lighten the cake’s texture.
Vanilla Extract – Use a good quality, pure vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste.
Lavender Extract – Similar to vanilla extract, lavender extract gives the cake a fresh lavender flavor.
Culinary Lavender – Use certified organic, 100% raw lavender flowers that are made for baking and cooking.
Lavender Syrup – While the cake is baking make the super simple lavender syrup. Just add water, sugar, and dried lavender into a small saucepan.
Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat to let it cool. Once it’s cooled, strain the dried lavender out so you just have the syrup.
Whipped Lavender Cream Cheese Buttercream
This creamy, whipped frosting is simple to make. The ingredients are powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract and lavender extract.
Simply add all of the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until it’s nice and fluffy. It’s so creamy and will spread nicely over the baked cake.
Add more powdered sugar if you need it to be thicker.
Expert Tips For Making a Lavender Cake
- Instead of making lavender syrup, you can also buy lavender syrup.
- The longer you infuse the milk the stronger the flavor. You can even do this the day before and store it in the refrigerator.
- Use whole, good-quality ingredients when possible. For example, good quality butter and organic eggs make a big difference in the outcome of the cake. Using imitation vanilla instead of pure vanilla has an effect on the flavor.
- Room temperature ingredients are best and the butter should be soft. You can quickly do this in the microwave if you need.
- Take the extra step to prepare the baking pans so you can easily remove the cake.
- When making the cream cheese frosting, make sure the cream cheese is super soft as well as the butter. You can soften both of them in the microwave.
- Make the lavender soaking syrup and the lavender milk the day before and store in the refrigerator.ย
How to Decorate a Lavender Cake
Here are ways to decorate a lavender cake:
Edible Flowers – This is by far the easiest way to decorate any cake, which is why we love it! Garnish the cake with a few colorful, edible flowers for instant decorations.
We keep a potted edible flower garden year-round so that we always have an easy culinary garnish.
Dried Lavender – Sprinkle a few dried culinary-grade lavenders over the top.
Naked Cake – If you’re making a layered cake, create the naked cake look.
Fresh Berries – Blackberries and blueberries go well with lavender. If you’re using blackberry preserves or lemon preserves garnish the cake with fresh blackberries or sliced lemons. Dried lemons, like our dehydrated oranges, are also great.
Lavender Cake Variations
Cake Shapes – This cake can be served as a sheet cake or a layered cake. If you want a layered cake, bake the cake in round 8-inch cake pans. For our cake, we used a 9x9x3 square cake pan. You can also use a rectangular cake pan.
Lemon Lavender Cake Recipe – Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the cake batter. Spread lemon curd in the center of the cake layers when making a layered cake. If you’re making a sheet cake, add lemon curd over the cake before adding the frosting.
Blackberry Lavender Cake Recipe – If you’re making a layered cake, add blackberry preserves to the bottom cake layer before adding frosting and stacking the top layer. Garnish the cake with blackberries.
Earl Grey Lavender Cake – Give the cake subtle flavors of Earl Grey by adding a teabag of Earl Grey when infusing the milk and making the lavender soaking syrup. This will give both of those liquids a nice Earl Grey flavor which will be used to make the cake.
We recommend using dried lavender to infuse the liquids that go into the cake. We don’t recommend adding dried lavender directly to the cake batter. It’s very potent and will give the cake an interesting texture. ย
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
Here are more of our favorite cake recipes to make for any celebration:
- The Best Chocolate Cake Ever
- Buttermilk Cake Recipe
- Homemade Funfetti Cake
- Classic Pound Cake
- Our Famous Coconut Loaf Cake
- Classic Birthday Cake Recipe
- No-Bake Cheesecake
I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do and that it brings happiness to any celebration.
Please let me know if you make this delicious cake by leaving a comment and review below. We’d love to hear your thoughts!
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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 degrees.
- In a small bowl add the milk and dried lavender and let it sit for about 15 minutes. You can also do this the day before and let it infuse in the refrigerator.
- In a sieve sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- In a large measuring cup, strain the infused milk and add the egg whites and extracts.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and alternate the dry and wet ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the batter into a 9x9x3 square pan OR two 8ร8 round pans to make a layered cake.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes. This may change depending on the pan youโre using. Set the time for 25 minutes and then add more time if needed. Our square 9x9x3 cake took 30 minutes to bake.
- Once the cake is done baking and has cooled, turn it upside down and then using a wooden toothpick make 12 little holes in the cake by poking it.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the lavender syrup over the cake. You wonโt use all of the syrup, but at least 1/2 of it.
Lavender Soaking Syrup
- Add water, sugar, and dried lavender into a small saucepan.ย
- Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Strain the dried lavender through a sieve and into a bowl.
Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add all of the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until itโs nice and fluffy.
- When the cake is cooled, add a layer of whipped frosting over the top and spread evenly.
- Decorate the cake with edible flowers.
I canโt find lavender extract. What do you recommend? Omit? Or maybe let the lavender infuse in the milk for longer?
You can let the lavender infuse longer. It won’t have as much of a lavender taste but it will still be good!
I loved the flavor, but somehow mine turned out a bit dry even using the cake flour.
This is the first Cake recipe Iโve made into a layer cake and it was AMAZING! I had a lavender birthday cake that was good but not PERFECT. So I made this recipe and it was amazing, even my boyfriend loved it who isnโt a huge lavender fan like I am.
I am so happy! Thank you, Erika, for leaving such a sweet review!!
I have culinary lavender oil (extract), but no fresh/dried buds. How much oil would you recommend, if omitting the infusion? Would you add the oil to the soaking syrup, or use plain syrup? Thanks.
Hi Heather! Start with 1 tsp and see how that taste!
Can I use a 9โ round pan?
Yes, that should work!
Hi! Iโm so excited to try your recipe! I couldnโt get my hands on any lavender extract, only the pure food grade oil. Can I use that if itโs only a drop? I donโt want to ruin the cake.
This was my first time baking with lavender and it was just perfect! The flavor wasn’t too overpowering and I loved that cream cheese frosting on top. So delicious!
I love, love, love lavender! This cake is amazing and perfect with tea!