I wanted to make a loaf cake with all the flavors of spring, and lemon and lavender seemed right. I had culinary lavender in my pantry and tons of lemons, so I was all set. I used coconut yogurt for this cake to keep it dairy-free, and it also made it uber creamy. I also used all-purpose flour, but you could swap gluten-free flour if you choose.
The cake is just citrusy enough with lemon extract and zest. If you prefer a mild citrus taste, then you may choose to leave out the glaze. But the glaze is wonderfully sweet with lemon juice, honey and powdered sugar: a dreamy icing that you could either brush or pour on the cake.
I recommend a stand mixer for this recipe, though a hand mixer would work, too. A stand mixer is easier since you mix ingredients in stages. Additionally, you could use either a bundt or a 10”x3” loaf pan. The other necessary tools are a sifter, a saucepan and a wire rack. Leave a comment below if you try it, and enjoy!
Citrusy, floral, and sweet: this cake has all the flavors of spring!
2 Hours
1 Hour
3 Hours
Step 1
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Position a rack at the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 325F. Butter and flour your pan.
Step 2
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Step 3
In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer) beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30-45 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and lavender to the bowl and beat until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides intermittently if needed.
Step 4
Add the eggs to the bowl in three rounds, and beat each round of eggs well to integrate. Alternate each egg addition with an addition of the coconut yogurt, finishing with the flour: flour, yogurt, flour, yogurt, flour. Scrape down the sides intermittently if needed.
Step 5
Remove the bowl from the standing mixer and fold in the lemon zest. Carefully spoon the batter into the pan. Leave room between the top of the batter and the top of the pan as the cake will rise. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the cake springs back easily when touched and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Keep the cake in the pan, and transfer it to a cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour.
Step 6
When ready to serve, add the honey to a small saucepan and cook on low until the honey is just warmed through, but not boiling, roughly 30 seconds. Sift the powdered sugar into a separate bowl. Pour the honey and lemon juice over the sugar. Mix well until you have a fully-integrated icing. Either pour over the cake or use a pastry brush to glaze.
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