Lavender Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs. organic culinary lavender
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups lavender sugar (or regular sugar)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 large egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Lavender Syrup:
1/3 cup organic culinary lavender
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water

Cream Cheese Buttercream Icing:
9 oz. white chocolate
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice


Prep. time: 2 hours
Yield: 8 servings

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350º and place the rack in the middle of the oven. With vegetable shortening, grease the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with waxed paper or parchment, and grease again.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk and lavender to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the lavender.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and lavender sugar for about 5 minutes on medium speed, until fluffy. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Combine egg whites, lavender milk, and vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add 1/2 of the lavender milk, and stir. Repeat until everything is combined. Scrape the bowl and beater often.

Pour the batter into prepared pans and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto the rack, remove paper, and let cool completely.

Lavender Syrup:
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine lavender, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil; boil several minutes until mixture becomes thickened. Cool and strain.

Cream Cheese Icing:
Place the chocolate in a glass measuring cup. Microwave on HIGH in 15-second bursts, stirring in between, until just melted. Cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the cooled chocolate until incorporated. Beat in the butter and lemon juice.

Assembly
Sprinkle one cake layer liberally with syrup and frost the top with icing. Top with the second cake layer, sprinkle with syrup, and frost the top and sides with icing.


Source

Modifications:
We plan to use a cake recipe from Magnolia (chocolate) and use dark chocolate chips in the icing.