• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Curly Girl Kitchen
  • about
  • faqs
  • recipes
  • portfolio
  • work with me
  • contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

High Altitude Lavender Lemon Cake

January 17, 2022 by Heather Smoke 20 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

We’ve been growing edible lavender in our garden, and with a jar of dried lavender flowers on hand, I decided to make this delicious high altitude lavender lemon cake. To infuse the flavor of the lavender into the cake, I steeped lavender in milk for the cake batter, and crushed more dried lavender to whip into the buttercream.  Lavender pairs beautifully with tart lemon, and the flavor of this cake is bright, lemony, and subtly enhanced with floral notes of lavender.  The light, airy crumb and sweet tart lemon flavor makes it perfect for a summer party cake.

Looking for more recipes like this one? You’ll love homemade lemonade with ginger syrup, lavender lemonade honey popsicles, and lavender honey ice cream.

Three slices of lavender lemon cake on plates.
Lavender lemon cake on a white cake stand.

This site contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links.  This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services.  All opinions expressed on this site are my own.

Baking with Edible Lavender

When baking and cooking with lavender, less is more. The flavor can be quite potent, and if you overdo it, the lavender will overwhelm, rather than enhance your dish. Too much lavender will add a soapy flavor to your baking, but just the right amount adds wonderfully subtle floral notes of herbs and mint. If you’re not sure you’re going to like it, I’d suggest starting with less than the recipe calls for, and adding more later.

There are many varieties of lavender, and while all are considered edible, a few varieties are more commonly used for culinary purposes. The best lavender for cooking are the sweet scented varieties, such as English lavender.

You can bake and cook with culinary lavender in so many ways, such as steeping the dried flowers in milk to use in cakes, custards, and ice cream. Or add the stalks to your grill or campfire, to infuse the lavender smoke into grilled meat. And for a pretty garnish, scatter the fresh lavender flowers over your baked goods.

A bowl of edible lavender.

Ingredients

Cake

  • Whole Milk. While I love baking cakes with buttermilk, for this recipe I used whole milk so that I could curdle it with the lemon juice. Doing so essentially creates a “lemon buttermilk”, that makes the most incredible cake.
  • Dried Edible Lavender. Adds lovely floral notes to complement the lemon.
  • Lemon Juice. In addition to the lemon zest, the tart lemon juice gives the cake its lemon flavor, as well as acid to help it rise.
  • Lemon Zest. To really infuse lemon flavor into my cake, I grate lemons over the sugar, and then use my fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. The oils in the lemon zest coat the sugar in fresh lemon flavor, and makes this cake even more wonderful.
  • Sugar. Gives the cake sweetness and moisture.
  • Cake Flour. Cake flour, rather than all-purpose flour, makes a very light and fluffy cake.
  • Baking Soda + Baking Powder. Both of these leaveners work together to activate the acidic ingredients and provide a beautiful rise to the cake for a very fluffy crumb.
  • Salt. Everything sweet needs a pinch of salt for flavor and balance.
  • Eggs + Egg Whites. The eggs provide the structure, stability and moisture, and the extra whites make the cake extra light.
  • Sour Cream. Adds moisture, flavor and acidity, and contributes to the tenderness of the cake.
  • Vegetable Oil. Keeps the cake moist and light.
  • Vanilla Extract. Even though this is a lemon cake, I like to add a dash of vanilla to add another flavor note.
Ingredients for making lavender lemon cake.

Buttercream

  • Dried Edible Lavender. Adds floral notes to complement the lemon.
  • Butter. I usually use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, you should omit the extra salt from the recipe.
  • Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
  • Meringue Powder. Adds stability.
  • Salt. Balances the sweetness.
  • Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
  • Lemon Extract + Lemon Zest. Instead of lemon juice, which can curdle the butter, I flavor the buttercream with lemon extract and zest.
  • Milk or Cream. Thins the buttercream.
A slice of lavender lemon cake next to a cake stand.

Today’s lavender lemon cake recipe is based on my popular lemon cake, but with the extra step of steeping dried lavender in the milk first. This cake is so simple to make! After infusing the lavender into the milk, you simply whisk together the rest of the ingredients and bake the cake.

Instructions

Steep the lavender and lemon in milk.

  • Pour the milk into a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lavender, and let steep and cool for about an hour at room temperature.  Strain out the lavender bits and discard, so that you just use the lavender-infused milk.
  • A spoonful of edible lavender.
  • Lavender sprinkled over milk in a saucepan.
  • Whisk the lemon juice into the lavender milk, and let sit for 15 minutes to curdle.

Prepare the cake pans.

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper in the bottoms of the pans, and spray the paper with non-stick spray.  The baked cakes are sticky, and you should not skip this step of lining your pans with parchment paper.

Rub the lemon zest into the sugar.

  • Measure the sugar into a large bowl, and zest the lemons over the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar to really infuse the lemon flavor.
  • Lemon zest sprinkled over a bowl of sugar.
  • A bowl of lemon sugar with a white spoon.

Sift the dry ingredients.

  • Set a fine mesh strainer over the lemon sugar, and sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then whisk together the dry ingredients with the lemon sugar.

Whisk in the liquid ingredients.

  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the lavender-lemon milk, eggs, egg whites, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk by hand until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Bake.

  • Divide the batter between the pans.  Bake for 25-27 minutes, until a cake tester in the center of the cakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched.  Set the pans on a wire rack, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely.
Inside view of a lavender lemon cake.

Lavender Lemon Buttercream

  • Use a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder, to crush the lavender until powdery.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the crushed lavender for one minute until smooth.  Scrape the bowl down.  With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.  Add the lemon extract, vanilla and lemon zest.
  • Beat on medium high for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally, until very light and fluffy.  Add the milk as needed for desired consistency.
  • Place one of the cooled cakes on a cake board. Spread with a layer of the buttercream. Spread half the lemon curd over the buttercream. Stack the next cake on top, and repeat with another layer of buttercream and lemon curd. Stack the last cake on top.
  • Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and chill the cake for 30 minutes. Frost all over with a final coat of buttercream.
Lavender sprinkled on top of a lavender lemon cake.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does lavender taste like?

When baking and cooking with lavender, less is more. The flavor can be quite potent, and if you overdo it, the lavender will overwhelm, rather than enhance your dish. Too much lavender will add a soapy flavor to your baking, but just the right amount adds wonderfully subtle floral notes of herbs and mint. If you’re not sure you’re going to like it, I’d suggest starting with less than the recipe calls for, and adding more later.

Where can I buy culinary lavender?

You can purchase culinary lavender online, or find it in your local tea and spice shops, as well as specialty grocery stores.

What else can I use lavender in?

Besides today’s lavender lemon cake, I also have recipes for lavender lemonade honey popsicles and lavender ice cream.

Can I substitute lavender oil or lavender extract for the dried lavender?

You probably can, but I can’t say how much you should use, since I’ve never baked with lavender oil or extract.

Do I need to use cake flour?

I’ve only made this recipe using cake flour, and it produces a very light, fluffy cake.  All-purpose flour will not give you quite the same result, but should still be fine.  Be sure to sift the flour to get out any lumps.

Do my ingredients need to be room temperature?

It’s a good idea to set out your dairy products (eggs, milk, sour cream) an hour or two before you mix your batter, to let them come to room temperature.

How many lemons do I need?

Lemons can vary in size, as well as how much juice they contain.  You might need 3-4 small lemons to get 1/2 cup of juice for the cake batter.

Why don’t you use lemon juice in your lemon buttercream?

Lemon juice is very acidic, and you run the risk of curdling your buttercream if you add too much juice. If that happens, there’s no saving your buttercream. To be safe, I only use fresh lemon zest and lemon extract in my buttercream.

Can I make this into a lemon poppy seed cake?

For a lemon poppy seed cake, add two tablespoons poppy seeds to the dry ingredients.

Since you live in Denver, will this recipe work if I don’t live at high altitude?

It’s possible you could make this cake without any changes if you live at a low altitude, but you may need to increase the leavening and decrease the flour a little for perfect results. This article on high altitude baking can guide you on specific adjustments.

Can I cut this recipe in half?

Yes, you can easily adjust this recipe to make half the batter, and bake it in three 6-inch pans.

How should I store leftover cake?

This cake will stay moist for days if stored in an airtight container or cake carrier.

How did you cover the cake in sugar?

For a sparkling sugar crust, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup coarse white sparkling sugar or decorator’s sugar. After frosting the cake, and before the buttercream crusts over, scoop of handfuls of sugar and gently press it into the sides of the cake. Gather up what falls off and continue to sprinkle it over the cake until it’s covered.

A slice of lavender lemon cake on a plate.

You Might Also Like

  • A jar of homemade lemon curd with lemon slices scattered around.
    Lemon Curd
  • A lemon poppy seed crumb muffin on a plate.
    Lemon Cream Cheese Crumb Muffins
  • Lemon crumb bars, cut diagonally.
    Lemon Crumb Bars
  • Lemon cake decorated with dried lemon slices.
    Lemon Cake

Favorite Products


Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!

Three slices of lavender lemon cake on plates.

High Altitude Lavender Lemon Cake

Heather Smoke
A light and fluffy lavender lemon cake, with fresh lemons and edible lavender flavoring the cake and buttercream.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 10 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 mins
Cook Time 27 mins
Cool Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings16

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
  • Spice Grinder or Mortar & Pestle

Ingredients
 

Cake

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tsp dried edible lavender
  • ½ cup lemon juice (about 4-5 small lemons), fresh or bottled
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • zest of 2 small lemons
  • 2 ¾ cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites (save the yolks for another use)
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream

  • 1 tsp dried edible lavender
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
  • ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • 2-4 tbsp milk or cream, if needed
  • ½ cup lemon curd

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Pour the milk into a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lavender, and let steep and cool for about an hour at room temperature.  Strain out the lavender bits and discard, so that you just use the lavender-infused milk.
    Whisk the lemon juice into the milk, and let sit for several minutes to curdle.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper in the bottoms of the pans, and spray the paper with non-stick spray.  The baked cakes are sticky, and you should not skip this step of lining your pans with parchment paper.
  • Measure the sugar into a large bowl, and zest the lemons over the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar to really infuse the lemon flavor.
  • Set a fine mesh strainer over the sugar, and sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then whisk together the dry ingredients with the lemon sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the lavender-lemon milk, eggs, egg whites, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk by hand until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Divide the batter between the pans.  Bake for 25-27 minutes, until a cake tester in the center of the cakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched.  Set the pans on a wire rack, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely.

Buttercream

  • Use a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder, to crush the lavender until powdery.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the crushed lavender for one minute until smooth.  Scrape the bowl down.  With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.  Add the lemon extract, vanilla and lemon zest.
  • Beat on medium high for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally, until very light and fluffy.  Add the milk as needed for desired consistency.
  • Place one of the cooled cakes on a cake board. Spread with a layer of the buttercream. Spread half the lemon curd over the buttercream. Stack the next cake on top, and repeat with another layer of buttercream and lemon curd. Stack the last cake on top.
  • Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and chill the cake for 30 minutes. Frost all over with a final coat of buttercream.
Keyword High Altitude Cake, Lavender, Lemon Cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/

Filed Under: Cakes

Previous Post: « High Altitude Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls
Next Post: Small Batch Ruby Chocolate Truffles »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. La Table De Nana

    August 26, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    5 stars
    It's beautiful!

    Reply
    • Monica

      June 24, 2022 at 11:55 am

      5 stars
      I made this as my wedding cake and people loved it! I am making another for out first anniversary Monday. Thanks for such an incredible cake!

      Reply
      • Heather Smoke

        June 24, 2022 at 3:48 pm

        This makes me so happy to hear! Happy anniversary!

        Reply
  2. Kinga

    August 28, 2018 at 6:41 pm

    Like all your cakes. Looks and sounds amazing.

    Reply
  3. Unknown

    May 18, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    I only have a hand mixer, is that okay to use?

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      May 19, 2019 at 4:46 pm

      A hand mixer is fine for the cake – although I didn't even use a mixer for the cake, I whisked it by hand. For the buttercream, a stand mixer is best since I whip my buttercream for a good five minutes, but you can still use a hand mixer, although your arm might get a little tired. 😉

      Reply
  4. Krystle

    February 24, 2021 at 9:40 am

    Hi! Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? I was going to make a different recipe that called for yogurt, but I saw yours and want to try it instead!

    Reply
    • Heather

      February 24, 2021 at 11:55 pm

      Yes, plain, unflavored Greek yogurt can be used instead of sour cream.

      Reply
  5. Theresa

    October 29, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    5 stars
    I made the cake and frosting and they were absolutely phenomenal! Thank you for the really lovely recipe. 💖

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      October 30, 2021 at 6:21 pm

      I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      Reply
  6. Marinell

    May 10, 2022 at 8:50 am

    I haven’t tried it yet, do I need to alter anything for not being in a high altitude location for baking?

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      May 12, 2022 at 11:11 am

      You’ll probably need to slightly decrease the flour (by a couple of tablespoons) and slightly increase the leavening. I’d suggest you check out this article for guidance: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking

      Reply
    • KRISTEN

      August 15, 2022 at 10:13 am

      Hi there, I just pulled cake out of oven and it smells amazing! The center is sunk a bit. Is there something I might have done wrong. I combined all as referenced. Batter was a little lumpy but thought that might be normal with whisking time. Any I sight greatly appreciated!

      Reply
      • Heather Smoke

        August 15, 2022 at 12:16 pm

        What altitude are you at?

        Reply
  7. Erin

    June 4, 2022 at 1:58 pm

    If I only have two 8” pans or two 9” pans, how long should I bake this?

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      June 5, 2022 at 5:53 pm

      I couldn’t say for sure, since I haven’t tested it. Just keep an eye on it for doneness!

      Reply
  8. Angela

    October 13, 2022 at 11:23 am

    Hello Heather. I’m just a regular home baker here, not used to making cakes from scratch but your lavender lemon cake recipe sounds amazing and I would love to try it out for a special family event. Question, do you know how this cake holds up to stacking multiple tiers, as in a 3-level, 3-tier cake? I had some concerns about it holding up since it turns up light and fluffy. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      October 13, 2022 at 8:48 pm

      Angela, it will probably be fine, as long as you’re supporting all the tiers with a good support system of dowels and cake boards.

      Reply
  9. Ellie

    November 7, 2022 at 2:21 pm

    Hi Heather! This cake sounds amazing! Is it possible to make it into cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      November 7, 2022 at 4:44 pm

      Ellie, I usually have to tweak my cake recipes a little to make them bake just right as cupcakes. I’d suggest using this lemon cupcake recipe, and you can certainly do the step of steeping the lavender in the milk first.
      https://curlygirlkitchen.com/lemon-cupcakes-high-altitude/

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome

I'm Heather, and welcome to my Colorado kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes, baked goods and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something delicious with me!

A graphic on how to make perfect American buttercream.
A graphic on how to stack, fill, crumb coat and frost layer cakes.

Recipe Index

  • Breads, Biscuits, Muffins and Doughnuts
  • Breakfast
  • Brownies and Bars
  • Cakes
    • Buttercream
    • Cake Decorating
    • Classic Cake Flavors
    • Holiday Themed Cakes
  • Candy and Snacks
  • Cheesecakes
  • Christmas and Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Cakes
    • Christmas Cookies
  • Cookies
  • Crisps, Crumbles, Cobblers and Puddings
  • Cupcakes
  • Drinks
  • Halloween
  • How To Guides and Resources
  • Ice Cream and Frozen Treats
    • Frozen Custard
    • Ice Cream Sandwiches
    • No Churn Ice Cream
    • Popsicles
  • Jams and Sweet Sauces
  • Pies and Tarts
  • Savory
A graphic on how I improved my food photography with Foodtography School.
A graphic on how to make flaky pie dough.

Recent Posts

  • High Altitude Raspberry Vanilla Cake
  • High Altitude Baked Chocolate Espresso Donuts
  • High Altitude Heart Shaped Chocolate Bundt Cake
  • High Altitude Homemade Graham Crackers
  • High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes
  • High Altitude Red Velvet Cake Whoopie Pies
  • Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
  • High Altitude Chocolate Sheet Cake
  • Rose Petal Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
  • Homemade Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts

Archives

  • about
  • faqs
  • recipes
  • portfolio
  • work with me
  • contact

Footer

I'm Heather, and welcome to Curly Girl Kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something sweet with me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Privacy Policy

About

FAQs

Work With Me

Contact

Copyright © 2023 Curly Girl Kitchen on the Foodie Pro Theme

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy Policy