This beautiful Lavender Lemon Cake with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting is very moist and tender, bursting with floral lavender and tart lemon flavors. The PERFECT spring cake to celebrate all the spring get-togethers or to end the Mother’s Day brunch with a sweet floral note!!
About this Lemon Lavender Blackberry Cake
This is the best lavender lemon cake with a blackberry cream cheese frosting recipe ever! This two-layered olive oil lavender cake is super moist, has a tender and spongy texture, and has a subtle lemon lavender flavor. Think of a springtime cake, a cake for Mother’s Day brunch, or even a special cake for celebrating a friend’s birthday!
I baked this Lemon Lavender infused cake for a friend’s 40th birthday party. We celebrated two birthdays of two beautiful friends. It was cozy and all girls. We ate some appetizers, wore colorful sweaters, danced to the tunes of some peppy Bollywood songs, and ate cake. It was just perfect. Why do you need a big crowd when just a handful of friends can make you equally or even more special?
And you know what is more special?! Baking a cake from scratch. It may take a little longer and be a little more difficult, but the result is deliciously worth it!
I had offered to bring the cake (that’s the standard sign-up for me) and I was thinking of baking something special for these two girls. I had this dried culinary lavender; I had bought to bake lavender shortbread cookies but never got a chance to do that. So, thought of baking a cake with lavender and lemon instead. I wanted to leave my comfort zone of baking tea cakes and baking something fancy. If you have been following me, you know my forte is baking tea or snack cakes without using butter or eggs like these Tutti-Fruitti Cake or even a Tutti-Fruitti Vegan Cake or a Semolina Coconut Cake
So, for me going out of my comfort zone is baking a frosted cake. Glad that I did that. I baked this beautiful two layered lavender-lemon cake and frosted the cake with a flavorful blackberry jam and cream cheese frosting. I even piped a bit of flowers on the top.
How to Use Culinary Lavender in Spring Cakes
The subtle floral scent of lavender is purely addictive. I begin to see more and more use of lavender in cocktails, syrups, cakes, and cookies, etc. And that’s so very exciting! For someone like me who loves mild and floral scents like lavender and rose water and always looking for ways to incorporate those flavors into my baked goods such as these rose cardamom shortbread cookies or even a vegan rose latte, I was so excited to bake this lavender cake.
The best ways to have the maximum amount of lavender flavors imparted into the cakes is to coarse ground them or infuse your wet ingredients with it for sometime. Make sure that you are using the lavender flower bud. The buds give that pleasant floral notes of the lavender flower.
Best part is lavender pairs so wonderfully with lemon. Just like rose water blends well with cardamom and pistachio. No wonder the Persian Love Cake Recipe is very popular.
What is the difference between culinary lavender and regular lavender? Not much really. I bought dried edible lavender from Whole Foods. Most of the leading grocery chains carry edible lavender. If you want to know more about culinary lavender, this site gives a lot of information.
What You Will Need to Make this Easy Olive Oil Cake with Lavender and Lemon
A complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Butter Milk – Butter milk makes the cake airy and spongy. You can use store bought buttermilk or can make buttermilk at home. See Notes section on how to make buttermilk at home.
Granulated Sugar – White sugar sweetens the cake.
Light Olive Oil – Use good quality, pure olive oil. In absence of olive oil, any light oil can be used.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda– Dry leavening agents used to increase the volume and lighten the cake’s texture.
Lemon Extract – Use a good quality, pure lemon extract.
Dried Lavender – Use certified organic, 100% raw lavender flowers that are made for baking and cooking.
All Purpose Flour
Cream Cheese – Use full fat cream cheese for frosting
Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar is used to make the frosting
Blackberry Jam – 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.
Step-by-Step Process to Bake the Lavender Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
1. Lavender Syrup
Bring water, lavender and sugar to a simmer. Strain the lavender through a fine mesh strainer, then let the syrup cool completely before using it in the cake batter.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Prepare the pans
Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with oil. Line the pans with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
4. Combine the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Infuse the sugar with lavender and lemon zest
In a blender add the sugar, lemon zest, and dried lavender. Pulse for a minute or two.
6. Beat the oil, lemon extract and sugar
Into the lemon lavender sugar bowl, add olive oil, and lemon extract and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy.
7. Add the buttermilk
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined after each addition. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the lavender infused milk.
8. Combine the wet and the dry
Mix the dry ingredients with the wet and mix on low speed just until incorporated. It’s okay if there are a few lumps, you don’t want to overmix the batter. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl in between additions to ensure the batter mixes evenly.
9. Bake the lemon lavender olive oil cake layers
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Cool the cakes
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
11. Beat the cream cheese and blackberry jam for frosting:
To make the frosting, in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lavender buds on medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 2 minutes. Add lemon extract and blackberry jam. Mix well.
12. Assemble the cake
Place one of the cake layers right-side-up on a large plate. Use an offset spatula or a butter knife to spread a thick layer of frosting, 1/2 to 1 cup, evenly over the layer. Top with the remaining cake layer, placed up-side-down, so the top of the cake is smooth and flat. Check that the cake layers are centered and that the top of the cake is level. Gently adjust accordingly.
13. Apply the crumb coat on the Lavender Spring Cake
Spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula or the straight edge of a large butter knife. Use the spatula to spread the frosting into a thin, even layer. You should be able to see the cake through the frosting.
14. Refrigerate the cake and frosting
Place the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes for the frosting to set. Cover the bowl of frosting.
15. Frost the cake:
Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Stir the frosting a few times to smooth it out again. Spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sides of the cake as before, this time leaving a thicker layer of frosting. Use the offset spatula, a large spoon, or the back of a butter knife to smooth the sides.
Substitutions, Tips and Tricks
You know when your lemon lavender cake is ready when the edges of the cake pull away from the sides of the pan, and the center of the cake should spring back when gently poked with your finger.
I always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. If you scoop the flour then you may overpack the flour into the measuring cup resulting in a drier, denser cake.
Ensure that all ingredients wet & dry are at room temperature before beginning.
Cake layers must cool completely before frosting.
Blackberry cream cheese buttercream can be made a day ahead, however, it must be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Before icing cake layers, let the frosting sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften then re-whip with an electric mixer to fluff it back up.
More Eggless Cakes
Olive Oil Dry Fruits Snack Cake
Banana Bread Recipe with Nutella Swirl
Eggless Dates and Persimmon Coffee Cake
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING FROM MYYELLOWAPRON, MAKE SURE TO POST IT AND TAG ME SO I CAN SEE ALL OF YOUR CREATIONS!! #MYYELLOWAPRONCAKES AND @myyellowapron ON INSTAGRAM!
Lavender Lemon Cake with Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Organic Dried Culinary Lavender crushed
- 3 cups All-purpose flour (360g)
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Sugar (100g)
- 2 tablespoons Lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon extract
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Milk Whole milk
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk See Notes section on how to make buttermilk at home
- 1 cup Light olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Lemon extract
Cream cheese Blackberry Frosting
- 12 oz Cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Room temperature butter
- 1/4 cup Blackberry jam
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon Dried lavender crushed
Instructions
Step 1
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with oil. Line the pans with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
Step 2 – Lavender Infused Syrup
- Simmer water, sugar, and crushed lavender till the mixture boils. Switch off the heat and let the lavender steep for about 30 minutes. Strain.
Step 3 – Prepare buttermilk
- Add vinegar to the milk and set it aside for 30 minutes. The milk will curdle naturally and make buttermilk
Step 4 – Sift dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl add the sugar, lemon zest, and dried lavender. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes with your fingertips
Step 5 – Mix Wet ingredients
- Into the lemon lavender sugar bowl, add olive oil, and lemon extract and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy.
- Stir in the buttermilk
Step 6 – Mix the dry ingredients with wet
- Pour the dry ingredients into the oil and sugar mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated. It’s okay if there are a few lumps, you don’t want to overmix the batter. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl in between additions to ensure the batter mixes evenly.
Step 6 – Bake
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Step 7 – Make cream cheese frosting
- in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon extract, powdered sugar, and lavender buds on medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 2 minutes. Add blackberry jam. Mix well.
Step 8 – Frost the cakes
- Place one of the cake layers right-side-up on a large plate. Use an offset spatula or a butter knife to spread a thick layer of frosting, 1/2 to 1 cup, evenly over the layer. Top with the remaining cake layer placed upside-down, so the top of the cake is smooth and flat. Check that the cake layers are centered and that the top of the cake is level.
- Spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula or the straight edge of a large butter knife. Use the spatula to spread the frosting into a thin, even layer. You should be able to see the cake through the frosting.
- Place the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes for the frosting to set.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Stir the frosting a few times to smooth it out again. Spread a generous amount of frosting over the top and sides of the cake as before, this time leaving a thicker layer of frosting. Use the offset spatula, a large spoon, or the back of a butter knife to smooth the sides.
