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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.
If you love lavender recipes, try my Easy Lemon Pots Recipe with Lavender and Lavender Mojito!
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Pin ItMoist Lavender Cake Recipe
Moist and Tender: Made with cake flour and lavender-infused milk, this buttery white cake stays soft and fresh for days.
Dreamy Lavender Flavor: I use lavender three ways – lavender milk, extract, and a soaking syrup – for the perfect floral touch in every bite.
Simple or Fancy: Bake it as a casual sheet cake or dress it up as a layered showstopper with whipped cream cheese buttercream and edible flowers.
Perfect for Spring: I love making this for Mother’s Day, garden parties, and birthdays – it’s a fresh, unique dessert everyone falls in love with!
Also, check out my elderflower lemon cake. It’s similar to my lemon ricotta pancakes and full of lemon flavor.
A Few Lavender Cake Ingredient Notes
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 that are made for baking and cooking.
How to Make
Infuse the Milk: Steep dried lavender in milk for 15 minutes, strain, and cool completely.
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.
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.
Brush with Lavender Syrup: Simmer lavender syrup while the cake bakes, then poke holes in the cooled cake and brush generously with syrup.
Frost and Decorate: Beat cream cheese frosting until fluffy, spread it over the cooled cake, and garnish with edible flowers.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Infuse and Shortcut: Infuse the milk longer for stronger flavor (even overnight in the fridge), or skip making 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.
Room Temp Matters: Always bring butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature before baking for the smoothest batter—set them out an hour ahead.
Prep the Pan Right: Line your pan with parchment paper, leaving extra hanging over the sides for easy lifting, and grease the sides too.
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
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.
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
- Famous Coconut Loaf Cake
- Classic Birthday Cake Recipe
- No-Bake Cheesecake
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
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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 8×8 round pans to make a layered cake.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes. This may change depending on the pan you’re 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 won’t 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.
- 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 it’s 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t wait to try this for my daughter’s birthday. Have you ever made 2 round cakes and layered them with the frosting?? Would this be too much? Thank you for the recipe and tips.
My 7 year old daughter asked for lavender cake for her birthday. Made this recipe and it was sooo yummy! Loved it
Yay! So glad it turned out!
I can’t 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 I’ve 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 isn’t 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 9” round pan?
Yes, that should work!
Hi! I’m so excited to try your recipe! I couldn’t get my hands on any lavender extract, only the pure food grade oil. Can I use that if it’s only a drop? I don’t 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!