This Honey Lavender Cake is a simple loaf cake celebrating the sweet and floral combination of honey and dried lavender. Perfect for warm summer gatherings and Mother’s Day brunches, you will fall in love with this sweet little cake.
I do understand that lavender desserts is a divided category. Some people are just not a fan. But if you found this cake, the good news is, you probably are!
Personally, I’m a HUGE fan of all things lavender: desserts, soaps, decor, you name it. Since my first trip to a lavender field, I’ve been obsessed. But, really, I just like to use herbs and interesting flavors into my baking.
Like this grapefruit rosemary cake or lemon and blueberry tart with thyme, using an unexpected herbal note is an easy way to make a statement!
Key Ingredients
The great thing about this cake is it only takes a handful of kitchen staples for the base, so you can make this cake anytime! A few notes on some main ingredients below:
- All-purpose flour. Because we are making a more sturdy loaf cake, I am using an all-purpose flour instead a cake flour that I typically use in layer cakes.
- Whole milk. Use full-fat whole milk, not 2% or reduced-fat versions, for the best texture.
- Honey. Use a quality honey because this is our biggest favor in the cake! Even better, check your store for a local honey!
- Dried lavender. You will need to look for a culinary or food-grade dried lavender. This type of lavender flower has less oil and aromatics than varieties used for scents or perfumes.
Substitutions
Not a big lavender fan? Skip it and make a wonderful honey cake!
Making the Cake
My first attempt at making this honey lavender cake wasn’t so great! Originally, I made these in teeny-meeny versions for farmers markets. But to scale it to a larger loaf cake, it wasn’t a simple multiplication. I had too much sugar in combination with the honey, so the cake was too sweet and browned too quickly.
Plus, too many eggs made the cake really dry and dense. Ratios corrected and now we have a moist but sturdy loaf cake with the right amount of sweetness!
Tips for making this cake?
Cream the butter and sugar well. Don’t skimp on how long you spend whipping your butter and sugar. Letting this whip to very light and fluffy will provide a more light and fluffy cake! Really give it the 5-7 minutes to whip – and it’s longer than you think!
Alternate adding the flour and milk. A traditional method for cake making is to alternate adding the flour and milk. The theory is to add each addition on a very low speed and let the ingredients nearly mix in fully before adding the next ingredient.
Alternating will allow the ingredients to absorb without over-mixing the flour or causing the batter to split. It’s how I learned to make cakes, and there’s no going back now!
Create the perfect crack. This is an optional trick, however, if you really want a nice loaf cake crack down the center of the cake, you can encourage where the cake will split with a bit of butter.
First, create a little groove with a butter knife. Then, place some softened butter in a piping bag, or in a Ziploc bag, and pipe a line of butter right down the center of the cake, about 1/2″ from the full length of the pan. As the cake bakes, and the butter sinks into the batter, it will encourage the split to happen right where you piped it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for a food-grade or culinary grade dried lavender. Avoid ones made for beauty uses or fresh lavender stems.
This cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you are sensitive to the flavor of lavender, you can decrease the amount to 2 teaspoons and remove it from the glaze for a more subtle flavor. Or remove it all together for a honey cake!
Honey Lavender Cake
Equipment
- 9" x 5" Loaf Pan*
Ingredients
- 240 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons dried lavender*
- 141 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 40 g honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened, optional
Honey Glaze
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender*
- 56 g confectioners' sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Set aside.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slightly crush the dried lavender in your hand and mix into flour.240 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender*
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-mixer, whip together butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. About 5-7 minutes.141 g unsalted butter, 200 g granulated sugar
- Add eggs on low one at a time. Then add honey and vanilla extract.2 large eggs, 40 g honey, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Alternating ingredients, add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add 1/2 of the milk. And continue alternating until all ingredients are just incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are mixed. Pour into prepared loaf pan and smooth with spatula.1/2 cup whole milk
- If desired, place softened butter in a ziploc bag with the corner cut. Pipe a straight line down the middle of the cake to encourage a center split.1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Bake for 55-60 minutes. Begin checking cake at 30 minutes, if cake begins to brown, lightly place a sheet of aluminum foil over pan until cake is baked through and a toothpick comes out clean. Note: do not secure foil, allow it to tent lightly over pan.
- When cake is cool enough to handle, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Honey glaze. When cake cools, make glaze. Gently warm the water, honey and lavender over the stovetop or microwave until honey is fully runny. Whisk into confectioners' sugar and spread over cooled cake. Let set before slicing.2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon dried lavender*, 56 g confectioners' sugar
Notes
- *Use a food-grade or culinary-grade dried lavender.
- **This is too much batter if you have a smaller 8.5″ x 4″ tin, leave some batter out to only fill 2/3 of the tin.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
