Lemon Lavender Cake Food

LEMON-LAVENDER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350, Generously butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• To make cake, strip flowers from lavender sprigs. Place in food processor and add superfine sugar, butter, lemon zest and salt. Process until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer to large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, alternating with one-fourth of the flour, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
• Gently stir in ground almonds and lemon juice.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce overn temperature to 325 and bake until a skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.
• Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan and turn cake out onto a rack.
• Place right side up and let cool.
• Meanwhile, make icing: Sift confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Using wooden spoon, stir in the lemon juice, few drops at a time. Icing should be thick but spreadable. If it is too stiff, add a little more lemon juice.
• Using a knife and dipping it in hot water if it becomes to sticky, spread icing over the cooled cake, making sure that it drips down the sides. Let stand until icing is set, about 1 hour. Decorate with fresh lavender flowers if desired. The cake will keep, stored in an airtight container without the flower garnish, for up to 3 days.

LEMON LAVENDER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) generously.
• Measure 5 tablespoons milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave until warmed through, 30 to 45 seconds. Add lavender buds. Let steep to release their flavor, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk white sugar and butter together in a large bowl until creamy. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice and lemon zest; mix until well-blended. Stir milk and lavender buds into the batter.
• Sift cake flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Slowly fold into the batter, stirring well to prevent lumps. Pour into the greased tube pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• Whisk remaining 5 tablespoons milk, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and confectioners' sugar together in a small bowl to make glaze; drizzle over the cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

LEMON LAVENDER LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 (9 inch) round baking pans. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In medium saucepan heat butter, milk, and lavender over low heat just until mixture is hot and butter is melted. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed beat eggs and sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color. Beat in vanilla and lemon zest. On low speed gradually add flour mixture and mix until blended. Slowly add hot milk mixture and beat until combined.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes then carefully invert cakes onto cooling racks to cool completely.
• For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. On low speed gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in honey and lemon zest just until blended.
• To assemble: Place one of the cooled cake layers top side down on a serving plate and spread about a ½ cup of frosting over it. Top with remaining cake layer top side up and frost the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the frosting. Garnish cake with long strips of lemon zest and some crumbled lavender flowers. Keep cake in the refrigerator and bring out to room temperature when ready to serve.

LAVENDER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners.
• Combine the flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Crack the eggs into a second bowl and add vanilla extract. Measure the milk and half-and-half into a third bowl. In a 5-quart mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides using a spatula. Turn the mixer on first speed, add the sugar, and mix until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Scrape down the bowl. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise and incorporate completely. Scrape down the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the wet. You will start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix the batter until smooth and no lumps are present. Add the extracts and food coloring gel. Mix well using a spatula until all the color is incorporated completely.
• Fill the cupcake liners using a 2-ounce scoop. Spray the cupcake pan with the cooking spray this is done after the liners are filled. Bake until golden brown and fluffy, 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating.
• To assemble: Place a round time #809 into a large piping bag. Fill with Lavender Buttercream and generously pipe onto each cupcake. Garnish each cupcake with 2 rice paper feathers, 1 small fresh lavender petals, and 1 large pearl. Sprinkle with edible glitter.
• In a 5-quart mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and shortening together. On first speed, add the sifted powdered sugar to the bowl in 3 parts. Let each part incorporate into the butter mixture before adding the next. After adding all the sugar, put the mixer on the fourth (highest) speed and mix for 8 to 10 minutes. The buttercream will begin to gain volume and look white and fluffy. Once you bring the buttercream to full volume, add the extracts, liqueur, vodka, and lavender oil and incorporate completely. Add purple food color to desired shade.

LEMON LAVENDER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the lavender sugar: Put the lavender in a food processor or blender on high speed; process until finely ground. Remove 1 tablespoon of the lavender and set aside. Add the palm sugar to the remaining lavender and process to a very fine powder. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
• For the cupcakes: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, honey and 6 tablespoons of the lavender sugar. Add in the eggs and lemon oil and mix until smooth.
• In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and the 1 tablespoon reserved ground lavender. With the mixer on low speed, slowly incorporate half of the flour mixture. Next mix in the lemon juice. (The mixture may look curdled but it is not.) Mix in the remaining flour mixture and then the milk and lemon zest. Continue mixing until the batter is totally smooth.
• Double line 1 1/2 standard, nonstick cupcake tins with liners. Fill the liners with a heaping 1/4 cup of the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool until easy to handle. While still slightly warm, dip the tops of the cupcakes in another 6 tablespoons lavender sugar. Place on baking sheet and let cool completely.
• For the lemon frosting: Melt the white chocolate over a double-boiler. Allow to cool slightly but don't let the chocolate set.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip together the cream cheese, butter, lemon oil and sea salt. Slowly add in the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth. Spoon the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and refrigerate until set.
• Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and garnish with the edible flowers.

LAVENDER-LEMON TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8 by 3 3/4 by 2 1/2-inch disposable aluminum loaf pans.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a piece of waxed paper. Set aside.
• In a food processor, grind the almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside.
• Combine the remaining sugar and the lemon zest in a mixing bowl. With your hands, rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Add the butter. With a wooden spoon or electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat for about 3 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the lemon juice.
• Add half of the flour and beat in on low speed. Add all of the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour, beating on low speed after each addition just until the ingredients are blended. Finally, add the ground almonds and lavender flowers, again mixing just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon.
• Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool.
• Wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil, the cakes will keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature and for up to 3 months in the freezer.