I love culinary lavender. It has a beautiful earthy flavor and so good with the lemon. The purple food coloring is an optional addition. this is a nice snacking or dessert cake. Blooming the lavender in the oil really helps to enhance the flavor and rubbing the sugar and lemon zest is also a nice way to help the lemon flavor shine.

a pretty cake for snacking or dessert!

Yield : 1 9×5 inch loaf

Ingredients:

for loaf:

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons Culinary Lavender
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • Juice of 2 Lemons

for lemon glaze::

  • 1 ½ cups Confectioners Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon
  • 2-4 tablespoons milk, depending on desired thickness of glaze
  • drop of purple food coloring (optional)
  • additional lavender for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F, and spray a 9×5” loaf pan with cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil for about a minute or two. Remove from heat and stir in the lavender. Cover the pot and allow to ‘bloom’ for about 30 minutes. After this time, strain the lavender out of the oil, and reserve the oil.

In a bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest, then rub together between your fingers until the sugar is light yellow in color and very fragrant. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, lemon juice.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together for several minutes lemon zest-sugar mixture, eggs and vanilla. Beat on high for several until light and billowy in texture. With motor running, add cooled oil with bloomed lavender and blend until oil is well incorporated.

Turn mixer on low, add flour combination followed by sour cream- lemon mixture and finishing with flour mixture until batter is smooth. Add the batter to the loaf pan, then bake in the middle rack of oven for 50 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow loaf c to cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully invert it to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before glazing. Whisk together all ingredients for glaze and pour glaze over cake. Garnish with additional lavender as desired. Slice and enjoy!