Blackberry and lavender flavors come together in this superbly moist and tender blackberry lavender cake. The reverse creaming method guarantees a soft crumb and the lavender milk and soaking syrup promise an aromatic, but not overpowering flavor. This cake is the perfect dessert for any special occasion!
I’ve never been a fan of lavender flavored food. Lavender scented candles? Love them. Lavender lotion? Bring it on. Lavender the color? I love you and you’re gorgeous.
But I think lavender flavored desserts taste like hand soap.
Today I’m eating my words… and another slice of this blackberry lavender cake! It’s buttery soft with a tight crumb, blackberry filling, cream cheese frosting, and delicate flavor of aromatic lavender. Not hand soapy in the slightest. It’s actually become one of my favorite spring dessert recipes. (And makes for one of the prettiest Easter dessert recipes, too!)
If new cake flavors excite you, you are definitely going to enjoy this cake!
Video Tutorial: How to Make Blackberry Lavender Cake
Icing on the Cake Cookbook
This lavender jewel comes from Tessa Huff’s newest cookbook Icing on the Cake. (Page 60) For those not familiar, Tessa is the baker behind Style Sweet CA. Her blog and books are full of dessert and artful frosting decoration—I learned a lot of my skill from her. Even if you’re not a baker, her photography alone is true eye candy. I’m genuinely a huge fan and the only thing sweeter than her creations is Tessa herself. She’s simply wonderful and inspires us all to “live out our pastry dreams!”
It’s my duty to bring you the best of the best and I say with pure confidence that Icing on the Cake is my new favorite book. It’s a masterpiece created for dessert lovers and bakers of any skill-set. With multiple photos for each recipe, she walks us through every single detail, every swipe of frosting, and every turn of the mixer. Her creations are delightful and epic, combining classic flavors with creative colorful design. Each page has a pop of whimsy, as if you were turning the pages of a dessert fairytale. There’s cakes, macarons, pies, and plenty of other desserts to keep your sweet tooth satisfied. Her chocolate banana pie is next on my baking list and if you ever wanted a small, medium, and large batch recipe of vanilla buttercream, this book includes each.
If you’re passionate about pretty desserts, Icing on the Cake belongs on a pedestal in your kitchen. I’m proud to share the book with you today, including a recipe that’s—quite frankly—one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten. Tessa is a cake mastermind!
This is a very special cake with several different parts. Each takes time to build and prepare, so I encourage you to read through the directions before starting. Each step is totally worth it! Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day… but this lavender cake can be!
5 Parts to Blackberry Lavender Cake
- Lavender Milk – To help flavor the cake.
- Lavender Soaking Syrup – To help flavor the cake and keep the layers extra moist.
- Cake – Tessa uses the reverse creaming method and it yields the softest, most springy cake crumb. One of the best textured cakes I’ve had and I know you’ll love it too.
- Blackberry Jam – Layer the cake with sweet blackberry jam. Paired with lavender, this is an absolutely mouthwatering flavor duo.
- Cream Cheese Buttercream – A light and creamy blend of vanilla buttercream and cream cheese frosting complements the cake without overpowering the delicate flavor.
Lavender for Baking
First, let’s discuss the best lavender to use for baking. I’m new to baking with lavender and wasn’t sure what to purchase when I started. However, a quick search pulled up this wonderful multi-use dried culinary lavender. It’s edible and a wonderful addition to homemade desserts, drinks, essential oils, and more. I actually just used it for lavender scones, too!
Lavender Milk
Pieces of dried lavender don’t leave an ideal texture in the baked cake, so let’s infuse the liquid ingredient (milk) with plenty of lavender flavor. Bring milk to a simmer, then let it steep with a couple teaspoons of dried culinary lavender. Strain the lavender through a fine mesh strainer, then let the milk cool completely before using in the cake batter. I recommend doing this in advance. If you remember, start it the night before. You can also prepare the lavender syrup ahead of time. More on that below.
There’s a fine line between pleasant lavender flavor and eating potpourri. For a light and lovely lavender flavor, stick with the recipe below! And if you don’t have a fine mesh strainer, pick one up. You need it to sift the dry ingredients, as well as for the lavender milk and lavender syrup.
Reverse Creaming Method
Have you ever heard of the reverse creaming method for cakes? Instead of starting with the creaming butter and sugar together, the reverse creaming method begins with the dry ingredients and ends with the eggs. Tessa says that she favors this method when she’s looking for a lighter, more springy crumb. This cake is tight like pound cake, but it’s not dense. Rather, it’s velvet soft. I’m a fan!
The keys to reverse creaming are to (1) cube the butter and soften to room temperature and (2) slowly stream the egg mixture into the batter at the very end.
And, like most cake recipes, be careful not to over-mix.
Lavender Soaking / Simple Syrup
The secret to ultra moist cake is to brush it with a simple syrup before frosting. The syrup soaks down into the crumb, keeping the cake tender and moist for days. You can do this with mostly any cake recipe and you can even flavor the syrup, too. Today we’ll simmer the syrup with culinary lavender, then let it cool completely and strain it before using.
Make sure you level the cakes before brushing them with lavender soaking syrup. Leveling the cakes slices off the uneven domed tops, which guarantees a stronger and sturdier layer cake. You can level the cakes with a cake leveler, but I just use a serrated knife. It’s convenient and easy.
I used a pinch more lavender than what Tessa’s recipe called for. Like the lavender milk, you can prepare the soaking syrup ahead of time.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
Tessa combines vanilla buttercream and cream cheese frosting together. I did this with my lemon cake and coconut cake, too. The frosting glides on seamlessly and even holds its shape with simple piping. I brought this cake along to a beach weekend with some friends and everyone not only complimented the delicious cake, but the tangy, sweet, silky soft frosting too. Keep this frosting recipe in your back pocket because it’s definitely one of the best parts!!
How to Assemble & Decorate Blackberry Lavender Cake
I bet you’re wondering about that blackberry jam?! We’ll use it when we assemble this lavender cake. Tessa teaches us how to make the most beautiful pattern that can only be seen when you cut into the cake. First, make “dam” around the outside, the same way to start to fill chocolate raspberry cake. Next, pipe a bullseye with the frosting, and then fill with blackberry jam. A large round piping tip is helpful for the frosting.
Blackberry jam is commonly found at most major grocery stores, but if you can’t get your hands on it, any flavor jam would be great or you could even try lemon curd.
Make sure you swipe a thin layer of frosting on the layers first. Otherwise, the jam could create a soggy cake. Apply a crumb coat all around the cake, then refrigerate. If you’re not familiar with a crumb coating, see my naked cake recipe and video. It’s simply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake that catches all the crumbs.
In the introduction to her book, Tessa says that if a portion of a recipe decoration doesn’t inspire or excite you, leave it off. Her blackberry lavender cake features a glorious flower crown and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it justice. Instead, I divided the frosting in half and tinted half light purple using 2 drop of this mauve food coloring. Using an icing spatula, I covered the crumb coat with the light purple frosting and added simple piped border around the top.
Decorate the lavender cake however you feel inspired and don’t forget to check out Icing on the Cake! Lovely cake, lovely book, lovely inspiration. And now I’m looking forward to more lavender flavored desserts!
More Lovely Layer Cakes
- Pistachio Cake
- Birthday Cake with Buttercream Flowers
- Vanilla Naked Cake
- Checkerboard Cake
- 1st Birthday Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
Blackberry Lavender Cake
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 22 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Blackberry and lavender flavors come together in this superbly moist and tender blackberry lavender cake. The reverse creaming method guarantees a soft crumb and the lavender milk and soaking syrup promise an aromatic, but not overpowering flavor.
Ingredients
Lavender Milk
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
Lavender Syrup
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
Cake
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (295g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, diced & softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Buttercream & Assembly
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 5 and 1/2 cups (660g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 – 1 cup (120ml-240ml) blackberry jam
- optional: purple or mauve food coloring
- optional: blackberries for garnish
Instructions
- Make the lavender milk: In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and immediately add the lavender. Set aside to steep for 20 minutes. Strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, then discard the lavender. Cool milk completely before using in cake batter. Can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Make the lavender syrup: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the lavender. Simmer the syrup for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and steep until completely cool. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, then discard the lavender. You will use this “soaking syrup” in step 8. Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to use.
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Stir the sour cream and cooled lavender milk together until combined. Set aside.
- Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Or if using a handheld mixer, any large mixing bowl.) With the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients together on low speed for a few seconds to gently combine. Add the butter, vanilla, and about 1/2 of the lavender milk/sour cream mixture. Mix on medium speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk the eggs into the remaining lavender milk/sour cream mixture. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the egg mixture in 3 additions, mixing for about 15 seconds after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl, then mix for about 15 more seconds until batter is completely combined. Avoid over-mixing. Some small lumps are OK.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. If desired, weigh them to ensure accuracy. Bake for around 20-22 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before leveling and frosting.
- Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Generously brush lavender syrup on the top of each cake. I use every last drop!
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be spreadable and creamy, not runny. If desired, divide frosting in half and tint half light purple. I used 2 drops of this mauve food coloring.
- Assemble and decorate: Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread a thin layer of white frosting on top. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I used Wilton 1A piping tip) with 1/2 cup of white frosting. (Or use a zipped-top bag with the corner snipped off.) Pipe a ring around the outer top edge of the cake to create a “dam.” Pipe a second ring of white frosting a couple inches in from the outer ring to create a “bull’s eye.” Spoon and spread blackberry jam in the gaps. Top with 2nd cake layer and repeat, then place 3rd cake layer on top. If there’s any remaining, spread a thin layer of white frosting all over the top and sides of cake to create a crumb coat. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Finally, spread the purple frosting all over the top and sides. I use and recommend an icing spatula to apply the frosting. If there’s any extra frosting, pipe decor on top. I piped a swirled border with Wilton 1M piping tip. Garnish with blackberries.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, brushed with syrup, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. When ready to decorate, let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 15 minutes, then give it one more mix with the mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute before frosting cake. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before brushing with syrup, decorating, and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Icing on the Cake Cookbook | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Culinary Lavender | Fine Mesh Sieve | 8-inch Round Cake Pans | Cake Stand or Cake Turntable | Pastry Brush | Food Coloring | Piping Bags (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1A Piping Tip | Bench Scraper | Icing Spatula | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- 9-inch Cake Pans: This recipe uses three 8 inch cake pans. If desired, you can prepare three 9 inch cake pans in step 3 instead. Bake time will be about the same, but keep a close eye on the cakes at 20 minutes and check for doneness with a toothpick. 9-inch cakes will be a little thinner.
- Cupcakes: You can use this recipe for lavender cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 19-21 minutes. Yields about 2-3 dozen. Brush cooled cupcakes with lavender syrup and fill with blackberry jam, if desired.
- Cake Flour: If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, use this cake flour substitute.
- Cream Cheese: Use brick cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. Not a fan of cream cheese frosting? Frost with this vanilla buttercream instead.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
Reprinted with permission from Icing on the Cake Cookbook by Tessa Huff
Reader Comments and Reviews
Forgot to give it 5 stars as well!
Let me tell you, this is the best cake EVER! I entered into a baking contest with this cake at my church and out of 21 beautiful cakes, this one won first place! I swear by Sally’s recipes. It has given me the confidence to start selling my sweets!
Forgot to give it 5 stars!
I made this last year and it was wonderful! Great place to start baking with lavender.
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe! I made it for a birthday celebration and it was a hit. The flavors meld so well together and the lavender is subtle and the perfect amount. Simply delicious!
Is black berry jam important in this cake or can it go with out the black berry jam? We can’t get to a place to get black berries/black berry jam.
Hi Tanay, you could use another berry jam, like blueberry or raspberry for a different flavor in this cake.
I am making this cake for a party of 18 at Easter, and I’m wondering if I should do 1.5x the batter and just make a slightly taller 9” round 3-layer cake. Thoughts? Thanks so much in advance for the guidance!
Hi Suzanne, That would be too much batter for three pans. Overfilling your cake pan will lead to the cake not baking properly, it will be too heavy to rise and will likely overflow. If you do make 1.5 times the batter you could try dividing it between 4 cake pans instead. The layers will still be slightly thicker so may take an extra few minutes in the oven.
Excited to try this recipe for my sister’s birthday. I can only find lavender extract paste and don’t have time to wait for the dried lavender to arrive. Could I substitute the paste?
Hi Ashley, we haven’t tried that substitution to know exact results. If you wish to try it, you can add the lavender paste directly to the cake (instead of simmering it with the milk) when you add the vanilla extract. You could also try adding it to the simple syrup, too. Please do let us know if you give it a try!
This recipe sounds amazing! Planning to give it a try for my partner’s birthday. I have one question though: my oven is pretty small and can’t fit three cake tins inside at once. Would it be possible to bake this in batches? And, more specifically, would you recommend mixing the batter in its entirety and then baking one by one, or rather mixing 1/3 of the batter at a time (weighing out the ingredients accordingly)? I’ve seen very mixed opinions on this online.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Oxana, you can absolutely bake the cake in batches. We recommend mixing the batter all at once. Then, you can bake the layers one at a time, leaving the remaining batter at room temperature (we usually just cover the mixing bowl with a clean towel). Hope this helps and that that cake is a big hit!
If you live in a dryer climate I recommend using clear wrap to keep the batter from drying out!
This is my absolute favorite recipe, and I’ve made it many times. The flavors are just so good! The only thing is that after I cut the domes off the cakes they end up pretty thin. Is there anything I can do, to either modify the recipe for thicker layers or to get the cakes to be more level? Thanks!
Hi Ari, what size cake pans are you using? If you’re using 9-inch pans, switching to 8-inch pans will definitely help the cakes bake up thicker.
I use 8 inch pans for this recipe. I’ve made it 8+ times (it’s so good!) and the layers are always a little bit thin. Maybe I can do something else so the domes don’t need to be cut off as much? Or just make more batter? Thanks!
Hi Ari, we’re so glad you’re loving this cake! The layers aren’t especially thick, but make sure that your baking powder is fresh (we find it starts to lose its power after about 3 months or so) for optimal rise. While you could try adding just a bit more batter to your pans, you don’t want to fill them more than 2/3 of the way full—they could overflow or bake unevenly with too much added batter in the pan. Hope this helps!
I did not have eight inch pans so I made Sally’s Best Vanilla Cake and used the filling, frosting and the lavender syrup from this recipe. It was a standout – less lavender without the lavender milk, but was great. Cake held up extremely well in the fridge overnight. Can’t wait to make this the way it was intended. only thing I would change next time is I would use a higher quality blackberry jam than what I had – mine was smuckers and sort of meh!
can i add food coloring to this cake and if so how much?
Hi Gemma, feel free to add a few drops of gel food coloring to the batter.
Hi Sally! I made this recipe a couple of summers ago and would love to make it again. Are there any adjustments that could be made so that it could be made using 6-inch cake pans?
Hi Mackenzie, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Or, you can make the recipe as is, fill your cake pans about half way, and then use the leftover batter for cupcakes. Happy baking!
i have done that before just make it two layers instead of three.
WOW! I made this cake with fresh blackberries from my yard in San Francisco (just squished them through a strainer) because they’re in season and I saw comments about this cake being too sweet. I am a sweet tooth so I thought the frosting was great, but I can totally see how it would be too sweet for others. I took the cakes out at 19 minutes and they were perfect. I forgot to brush all 3 cakes with the simple syrup, but I remembered in time to brush the top one and sides of the layers. The lavender flavor is subtle and delightful, and I don’t think it would be too much applied to all 3 layers. Why make this cake if you don’t adore lavender?! Absolutely amazing, especially for summer, thank you!
After steeping the lavender in the milk, I only had about 2/3 c milk left. Is that correct or do I still need 1 full cup?
Im giving this recipe a thumbs down. Firstly the layers baked out really shallow, and I would suggest doubling this recipe. Secondly, so much time and cost to steep the lavender buds and you cannot even taste even a hint of lavender in the final product. I would suggest buying some concentrated lavender oil and adding it to the icing instead. The cake itself was moist and tasteful.
This cake was amazing! The flavours work really well together. I did swap the frosting from this recipe with the not-so-sweet whipped frosting and found the sweetness to be perfect.
The one issue I do keep having though is that the texture of my cake always turns out dense and almost gummy whenever I use the cake flour substitute. I live in Australia where cake flour is very hard to come by and somehow using cornflour doesn’t seem to be working. I did heat a slice up in the microwave for a couple of seconds and the texture was melt-in-your-mouth soft. The frosting completely melted of course, but I assume that is what the cake was supposed to taste like in the first place. Has anybody else had this issue? Is there a huge difference in texture if using regular AP flour instead? I would love to make this again but am reluctant to go through all that effort for it to turn out dense again.
Hi Gita, we’re so glad you enjoyed this cake! Is it possible that the batter is being over mixed? That’s often the culprit for overly dense cakes. Are you sifting the all purpose flour and cornstarch together when making the cake flour? Sifting not only mixes the two ingredients together appropriately, it aerates the mixture so the consistency is similar to real cake flour. You could certainly try using all purpose flour instead, but the cake will taste quite dense that way, too. Our post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will also be a helpful resource for you. Thank you again for giving this one a try!
Just made this cake for the second time. I made a 4-layer 6- inch cake and this time I filled and iced the cake with blackberry mousse.
I’ll be delivering it to a friend for her birthday and can’t wait to hear how her family likes it.
Hi Gita, I live in Australia too and find both Coles and Woolworths now usually stock cake flour. Also supabarn. Hope that helps!
Hi Sara, I live in Australia too. What’s the brand name of cake flour you said available in Coles and Woolies. Thanks.
I made this for a bridal shower with peach filling and everyone loved it! It is a very unusual, elegant cake. The only thing I would say is I found it a tad on the sweet side. The cake itself was very tasty but with frosting and syrup was a bit too sweet. I can see making this again but with either a dusting of confectioners sugar or a light drizzle of lemon glaze. I also would have increased the lavender but mainly bc I prefer intense flavors. Will definitely make this again but with a few tweaks.
I want to make this cake for a friend’s birthday this Friday, and I was wondering if I could use fresh lavender instead of the dried. It is in season here and I would love to support our local supplier. TIA.
Also, I was hoping to convert it to gf with some almond flour for extra protein as he is training for an upcoming race. Any suggestions?
Hi Cynthia, dried lavender is best for this recipe, though you could use fresh too. Rinse them well before using. If you’re interested in drying, though, look up a quick tutorial for drying lavender at home—it’s pretty easy! As for the almond flour, we don’t recommend it for this cake. We haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this cake, so unfortunately we can’t provide any advice here. If you do decide to give anything a try, you may have more luck with a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. Almond flour has very different baking properties and isn’t always a 1:1 substitution.
I made it into a single layer thick cake. I halved the syrup as I had less surface area and I skipped the icing. OH MY WORD. This cake is wonderful. The subtle flavour of lavender is incredible. I also added 1 tsp of lemon zest. It’s amazing. My husband said this is probably his favourite cake. Thank you! Brilliant recipe!
recipe was great I’m sure! sadly as soon as i assembled everything the cake layers started sliding off 🙁 not sure if it was the soft filling or the fact that i my cake layers themselves didn’t get much rise. still tasted amazing!
We love this cake so much! After looking at your cake pan conversion post, it appears that I can simply cut this recipe by one-third to make three six-inch cakes?
Hi Jodi, if you don’t want to do that, you could also use the recipe as is, filling the pans 2/3 way full and using the leftover batter to make some cupcakes. Enjoy!
I adore honey-lavender and wanted to know if I can substitute honey for sugar in the simple syrup. What ratio of honey to water would I need to get the same consistency of syrup? Thank you!
Hi Reshma, we haven’t tested a honey lavender simple syrup but there are many tutorials with good reviews on other recipe websites. Let us know if you give one a try with this cake!
My mom made this cake for my birthday. Genuinely one of, if not the best cake I’ve ever had in my life.
Delicious cake. I loved the lavender flavor and thought it was perfectly flavored with the amount of lavender called for in the recipe. I had leftover Swiss meringue buttercream from a wedding cake so used it rather than cream cheese icing.
I pressed my blackberry jam through a fine mesh strainer to make sure I didn’t have any seeds. I then used a small amount of the seedless jam to color my icing.
This cake was a hit and I look forward to making it again.
I made the cake for my daughter’s graduation from NYU/Stern as their color is purple. This cake was amazing!!!! Everyone loved it and it was delicious. My only mistake was buying a bag of lavender on Amazon that was so huge I could make lavender cakes for the rest of my life and still have some left.
I made this cake and found the lavender flavor to be too strong. I used the recommended dried lavender and followed the directions exactly. If I were to do it over, I would use a culinary lavender extract in the milk adding a little at a time and taste testing a tiny bit to make sure it is not overwhelming. I would do the same with the lavender syrup. For any others who also found the lavender flavor to be too strong but do not have lavender extract, maybe they could reduce the steeping time or the amount of dried lavender.
How would I adapt the recipe for a 9” x 13” cake pan? Does it need any adjustments? Thanks!
Hi Erin! The batter, as written, should fit well into one 9×13 pan. Additionally, here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hi, could you substitute dried rose petals for the dried lavender in this recipe? Would the amounts be similar? Thank you!
Hi Libby, we haven’t tested that but would love to hear how it goes if you do!
Can’t wait to make this recipe! How does the frosting in this recipe compare to your Not So Sweet frosting or your Vanilla Buttercream?
And by compare I mean in terms of sweetness.
Also, which frosting (this cream cheese frosting, buttercream, or your Not So Sweet) would hold up better for piping?
Hi Abby, a regular vanilla buttercream would be the sweetest and thickest (for piping) option of the three. The blackberry cream cheese frosting here would be in the middle in terms of sweetness, and is a little less thick but still sturdy enough for non-intricate piping like you’ll see on the top of the cake. The not-so-sweet whipped frosting is the lightest of the three in terms of taste and texture, but still pipes very well. Let us know how you like the cake!
Wonderful recipe. the cake was light and had the perfect lavender flavor. I did come up short on the amount of frosting though even though I was careful to not put too much in the middle. Probably a recipe and a half would’ve given me enough for pretty decorations.