Salted Honey Lavender Cake (Print Version)

Light cake with floral lavender and salted honey drizzle, ideal for spring gatherings or tea time.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1/3 cup honey
09 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 - 2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

→ Salted Honey Drizzle

11 - 1/3 cup honey
12 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
13 - 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and lavender buds. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in honey and vanilla extract.
05 - Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two batches, alternating with milk. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared cake pan and smooth the top surface.
07 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Combine honey and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in flaky sea salt.
09 - Once cake has cooled completely, drizzle salted honey mixture over the top. Allow drizzle to set for 10 minutes before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The lavender flavor is sophisticated but subtle—it tastes like elegance without any soapy edge that makes you question your choices.
  • That salted honey drizzle transforms everything, hitting you with sweet and salty in a way that makes people ask for seconds before they finish their first slice.
  • It's genuinely medium difficulty, meaning you won't need a pastry degree but you'll feel accomplished once it comes out of the oven.
02 -
  • Lavender flavor gets lost if you bake the batter too long or at too high a temperature—450°F is way too hot and will kill the floral notes completely, so trust the 350°F.
  • Underbaked cakes look beautiful when you slice into them, but this one needs full baking because the structure depends on it, even though the crumb stays tender.
  • If your honey drizzle hardens too much before you pour it, just rewarm it gently for 30 seconds; if it's too thin, you've added too much butter and should start over with the proportions.
03 -
  • If you can't find culinary lavender, don't substitute with decorative lavender from a craft store—order it online or check specialty baking sections; the flavor difference is real and it matters.
  • Mix the lavender buds into your dry ingredients by hand rather than grinding them, as grinding releases oils that can make the flavor too intense.
  • The drizzle tastes best applied to a completely cooled cake, but looks most beautiful if you use a fork to create thin streams rather than pouring it all at once.
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