A million years ago when I still lived in Jersey City, there was a bakery that had the most delicious donuts with a lavender frosting. Since then I’ve wanted to try my hand at baking something with lavender, and finally took up the challenge for my daughter’s Easter party this year with this cake. The difficulty? Figuring out just the right amount of lavender as to not overwhelm the other flavours. I mean, you don’t want your guests to feel like they are eating their body wash! Even after the jam was done, I was a bit nervous because my husband wasn’t entirely convinced. But once assembled and balanced with the cake and buttercream, it was absolutely divine–husband very much approved.
Note: This is for a “naked cake,” so if you’d like to fully frost it, you’ll need to double the buttercream recipe.
Cake:
- 1 cup of oil
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups of super fine sugar
- 2 tablespoons of Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
- 150 grams of plain greek yogurt
- 3 3/4 cups patisserie/cake flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Jam:
- 3 cups of fresh blackberries
- 35 ml of sugar
- 1 tablespoons of creamy honey
- Juice of 1 large lemon, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon of dried lavender
- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, more if necessary
Frosting:
- 35 grams of all-purpose flour
- 100 grams of super fine sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 125 grams of sweet butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorations:
- Blackberries
- Edible flowers (I luckily found mine through my local supermarket–Delhaize online for those of you living in Belgium)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
I like to make the jam the day before, but if not, make it first to ensure it cools completely. Add all the jam ingredients in a pot over medium-high heat. Depending on how juicy your blueberries are (hopefully you are making this in season!) they will start breaking down immediately. As soon as they start to boil, turn the heat down to medium and begin smashing them with your wooden spoon (note: it will get stained!) Continue to cook until it reduces a bit and starts to thicken. Then remove from heat and add about 2 tablespoons of the chia seeds. Leave for half an hour and if it hasn’t thickened more (the chia seeds literally soak up the jam) add another tablespoon. It doesn’t need to be thick like marmalade, but just not too runny. Let cool completely in the fridge. Before using, taste and if the lavender flavour is a bit too intense, just add a little more lemon juice.
Next in a large bowl combine the oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean, yogurt, and buttermilk. Next place a colander over the bowl and sift in all of the dry ingredients. With a silicone spatula gently fold everything together until just combined, so that you don’t take the air out. Now pour the batter into the cake pans (I prefer silicone since they pop out easily) and place into the oven. Check them after about 15 minutes to ensure they aren’t browning too quickly and adjust as needed (you may need to turn them if one side is cooking faster or place a sheet of baking paper on top to slow down the cooking, etc.) After about 30 minutes check again. They will be done when they are lightly browned and no longer wiggling in the center. Remove and let cool.
While the cake is baking, start the frosting. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and milk in a medium-sized pot over low-medium heat. Whisk continuously to ensure it combines well–and most importantly–doesn’t burn. It’ll start to thicken and bubble and once it starts to bubble up and grow, remove from the heat. Scrap the pudding out onto a plate and quickly cover with plastic wrap (or a ziplock bag as I’ve done before!) and set aside to completely cool.
Once the pudding has cooled, you can finish up the frosting. In a large bowl beat the butter for a minute or so until smooth. Then add the pudding a spoonful at a time, finally ending with the vanilla. Mix for another minute or so until it is well incorporated and fluffy.
Now assemble the cake. Cute the top off each layer to make flat. Place one on a cake stand or plate then smooth the jam in a nice even layer. Then take the other layer and flip upside down and spread a thin layer of the buttercream. Carefully place the top cake layer on the jam with the frosting side down. Don’t worry if a little jam comes out the side as it will just add a little color to the buttercream when you smooth it along the sides. Next add the rest of the buttercream in a few dollops on the top of the cake. Coat it well then take a bit and spread just a thin layer around to keep the cake from drying out. If you don’t want it to be a “naked” cake, just frost it as usual.
Decorate as you like. I was surprisingly able to find edible flowers through my local supermarket, but you can also keep it simple and just top with fruit.
This kind of buttercream tastes best if eaten right away or within a few hours. Otherwise you have to put it in the fridge, then leave it out for about 20 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Sol i papar 