Lavender Vanilla Bean Cake

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*This post contains affiliate links. Please read disclosure to learn moreWhen I think of june I think of flowers blooming everywhere and people starting to really get into gardening for the summer. So why not enjoy a lovely lavender vanilla bean cake that is light, airy and coated in the most luscious buttercream you will ever have?The lavender in this cake is very subtle and not at all overpowering as it is only found in the buttercream and is nowhere in sight in the actual cake. It's perfect for a cute little tea party or picnic get together.Now if you don't have lavender than that is no problem at all! You can use dried rose petals, hibiscus or you can even use your favorite tea if you want to! Or you don't need to use any floral flavors at all and can just keep it simply vanilla. There is no wrong way to make a cake flavorful and everyone has different taste buds.

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Above are some products that I personally use and recommend for this recipe and to have for everyday use. When I make a cake, I will always use 6 inch cake pans. Now you don't have to use this cake pan size, but if you decide to use a different size than you will have to use some trial and error with the baking time. Baking is a science! So adjusting baking times will always be a given especially since not all ovens work the same way.

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Lavender Vanilla Bean Cake

light vanilla bean cake with a lavender ermine buttercream.

makes one 3-layer, 6-inch cake

cake

• 2 cup cake flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean (scraped)
• 1 1/4 cup milk

buttercream

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp dried lavender
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

cake

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper. in a large bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together. in another bowl, combine the oil, eggs, egg whites, vanilla bean, vanilla, and milk and whisk together. pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until fully combined. place the batter in the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let the cake cool for 10 minutes then carefully remove them from the pans to continue cooling. wrap in cling wrap until ready to use.

buttercream

1. in a saucepan combine the lavender and milk and place over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. turn off the heat and cover with a lid and let stand for 30 minutes. strain out the lavender and place the pot with the milk back on the stove. whisk the sugar, flour and salt in a separate bowl and then slowly whisk into the milk. add the vanilla. turn the heat on to medium/high and whisk the mixture constantly until it starts to thicken, about 8-15 minutes. (this depends on if you have a gas or electric stove top.) once thick, remove from the heat. put the mixture into a bowl. place cling wrap directly over the mixture so a skin doesn’t form. let cool until room temp. once at room temp, place the butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. whip until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. add the flour mixture, a spoonful at a time, into the butter mixture. once the flour mixture is all added, whip on high for about a minute. the buttercream will resemble whipped cream.