Lavender Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Two days ago it was 60° and sunny. While I was out running errands, I stopped at Whole Foods to replenish my stash of dried culinary lavender. Lavender is one of my favorite spring/summer flavors and the beautiful day had me inspired. Then yesterday we got 8 inches of snow, trampling my hopes for an early spring. Even though nature had different ideas, I decided to think spring and make a lavender pound cake. Pound cake is probably one of the easiest baked goods. To quote Gordon Ramsay in the Amazon Alexa ad, its name is the recipe. One pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. I decided to take the traditional recipe and mix it up a bit. I threw in some lavender and a lemon glaze because I love the lavender citrus combo.

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Lavender Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Prep Time

35 minutes

Cook Time

70 minutes

Servings

10" cake

Ingredients

Lavender Pount Cake

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp dried, culinary lavender
• 3 sticks unsalted butter softened
• 1 lb sugar about 2 cups
• 1 lb eggs about 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 lb all purpose flour about 3 cups
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Lemon Glaze

• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• pinch of salt

Prep Time 35 minutes Cook Time 70 minutes Servings 10" cake Ingredients Lavender Pount Cake 1 cup milk 1 tbsp dried, culinary lavender 3 sticks unsalted butter softened 1 lb sugar about 2 cups 1 lb eggs about 8 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 lb all purpose flour about 3 cups 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Lemon Glaze 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice zest of one lemon pinch of salt

Instructions

Lavender Pound Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Lightly grind the lavender in a mortar to release the oils. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is steaming but not boiling. Remove the milk from the heat and add the lavender. Let the lavender steep for at least 30 minutes, longer for a stronger lavender flavor. After steeping, strain out the lavender and set the milk aside.
3. Cream the butter with a mixer until it is lighter in color and fluffy. Add the sugar and cream together until the mixture is again light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between. Mix in the vegetable oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and lavender flavored milk to the batter, mixing until just combined between additions.
4. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10" bundt cake pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a long toothpick/skewer comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then remove the cake from the pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
5. After the cake is completely cool, place parchment paper under the rack and pour the lemon glaze over top. I collected the glaze that dripped onto the paper and poured it back over the cake for a second layer, but this is optional.

Lemon Glaze

1. Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Adjust the flavor to your liking. To make the glaze more lemon-y, add more zest instead of juice so the glaze isn't too thin.