Lemon Lavender Bundt Cake

Once again, after returning home from Dubai and with new spices in hand, I was on the lookout for recipes in which to use them.  I had used the hot paprika already, but had yet to use the lavender.  This had to change, and the Lavender Lemon Bundt Cake was the perfect inspiration!

Bundt Cake

It's been ages since I have made a cake - it's not something I tend to bake because I don't like to have it tempting me in my house (or my office!).  Something about this Lavender-Lemon bundt cake however, called to me.



The Necessities (adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

• FOR THE CAKE
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. dried lavender flowers
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest (extract if you have it)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest

The Ingredients

Lavender from Dubai - How Pretty!?

I first beat the butter until it was creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds.  I added the sugar and lavender and continued beating it until it was light and fluffy - about 5 minutes.

Sugar and Lavender

Creamed butter...

Once fluffy I added the eggs, beating them until fully incorporated.  I then slowly added the dry ingredients that I had combined in a separate bowl, and alternated it will the yogurt.  I made sure each added bit was completely mixed in before adding any more.  Finally, I added the lemon zest and folded it in, trying to make sure it spread evenly throughout the batter.

Adding some lemon zest...

I spooned the batter into the bundt pan, making sure I had greased and floured the pan higher than the batter line.  I popped it in a 325 degree oven for an hour, and once it was done, I allowed the it to sit right-side up on a wire rack for 15 minutes to cool.

Prepared pan...

Allowed to cool out of the pan...

While it was just about done, I needed to prepare the finishing touch - the glaze.

The Necessities...

• 2 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Glaze Ingredients

I warmed the honey in a saucepan until it was nice and runny.  I added that to a small bowl with confectioner's sugar and lemon juice and stirred it up nicely.  When the glaze stirred to a clear color I brushed it over the entire cake.

Nice and Shiny!

After the cake was completely cooled, about 2 hours, it was time to get testing.

Piece of Cake ;)

The cake was fresh and delicious, light and fluffy - I swear cake flour really makes such a BIG difference!  I highly recommend using it in pastries.  The lemon flavor was definitely a bit stronger than the lavender, which could have been a bit stronger.  The cake itself was easy to pull together and reminded me why cakes are so worth making!

Do you use Cake Flour?  What's your favorite recipe to use it in?