Lavender Honey Cake
Learn how to make the best lavender honey cake with this easy recipe. This honey-sweetened cake is flavoured with ground lavender buds and topped with honey-sweetened whipped cream.
Servings: 10
Calories: 365kcal
Ingredients
Honey cake
- 8 grams dried lavender culinary grade
- 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 5 mL baking powder
- 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 170 grams honey
- 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large egg(s) room temperature
- 5 mL pure vanilla extract
- 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
Honey whipped cream (optional)
- 160 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) cold
- 75 grams mascarpone cheese
- 30 grams honey plus a little extra to drizzle on the finished cake
- dried lavender for decorating
Instructions
Honey cakes
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F (165 °C). Prepare an 8-inch cake pan by buttering and flouring it, and lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set it aside for later.
- Grind the lavender buds in a mortar and pestle to turn them into a fine hay-like powder.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground lavender buds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the honey, sugar, and butter until it is light and fluffy. You can also use an electric hand mixer for this recipe!
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla.
- Add one-third the flour, then half the milk, another third of flour, then the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour, mixing between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix the batter until all the ingredients are combined.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out from edge-to-edge.
- Bake until the cake is golden brown and set, testing with a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake. This cake will take about 45 minutes to bake through.
- Set aside to cool for 15 minutes before unmoulding on a wire rack to cool completely.
Honey whipped cream (optional)
- Combine the cold cream, mascarpone, and honey in a large bowl and whip until firm peaks form.
- Place the cooled cake on a large plate, removing the parchment paper from the bottom. Spread the whipped cream on top and then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with lavender buds.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
- Make sure to use culinary grade lavender that is edible, not lavender you may find for potpouri.
- Opt for honey with a lot of flavour and character. I use either Greek honey or a local autumn honey that is darker and flavourful.
- Subtitutions and variations
- tea—instead of lavender buds, you could also try Earl Grey tea with bergamot. Crush the tea in a mortar and pestle to turn it into a fine powder
- milk—I prefer to bake with whole milk (3.25 % fat) but 2 % milk will also work fine. Skim milk is virtually fat free and will also work, but the cake may be a tiny bit less moist
- dairy-free—you can replace the butter with unsalted vegan butter and the milk with unsweetened soy milk. You can replace the whipped cream topping with honey-sweetened coconut whipped cream
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
