This lavender lemon cake is moist, fluffy, and gluten free. It’s made with fresh lemon juice and dried lavender, making this the perfect cake for spring!
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Spring is here, so of course we had to make something with a bit of lavender and lemon. While making this cake, we knew we wanted it to be gluten free, but still have a perfectly moist interior. So instead of all-purpose flour, we swapped it with almond flour and added a bit of Greek yogurt to give it that extra bit of moisture.
Instead of making this a layer cake, we set out to create something that’s a bit more delicate and goes great with afternoon tea. The whipped eggs whites give it that fluffy texture similar to that of a classic sponge cake. And to keep it simple, we dusted it with a bit of powdered sugar to keep it light and elegant.
The best part is that it only takes about one hour to make and it’s a nice treat to have on hand when having guests over for tea or coffee. We hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- Butter: You only need about 1 tbsp to grease the pan. The cake itself doesn’t have any in it.
- Eggs: You’ll need 4 large eggs with the yolks and whites separated into bowls.
- Granulated Sugar: ⅓ cup is the perfect amount for this cake. There’s just enough to give it some sweetness and texture without it being overly sweet.
- Dried Culinary Lavender: You’ll need 1 ½ tsp.
- Fresh Lemon Zest and Juice: You’ll need 1 tbsp each of zest and juice. 2 lemons should be enough to get this amount.
- Greek Yogurt: This gives the cake a bit of extra moisture so it doesn’t turn out dry.
- Almond Flour: Instead of regular flour, we use almond flour to make our lavender lemon cake gluten free. It also helps to make it soft and light.
- Baking Powder: This helps to lift the cake along with the whipped egg whites.
- Salt: This enhances the other flavors.
- White Vinegar: Just ½ tsp is enough to stabilize the egg whites when whipping. It’s not 100% necessary, but it does help the whites to keep their fluffiness.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: We like to use vanilla bean paste in this recipe because it has a stronger flavor than extract. Plus, the little flecks inside add a nice touch to the cake.
- Powdered Sugar: Dust some on top for an elegant finished look.
How To Make This Lavender Lemon Cake
For some, making a cake with whipped egg whites seems like a daunting task, but it’s much simpler than you might think. Below are pictures to guide you through the process so you know exactly how the cake should look as you’re making it!
Step 1: Whisk your wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately then combine them with a whisk until it becomes a thick paste. We mix them separately at first to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Step 2: Beat the egg whites until you get soft peaks (pictured below). Notice how it droops a bit in the photo. Once it gets to this stage, stop whipping.
Step 3: Gently fold the whites into the rest of the batter until your cake batter looks thick and fluffy and everything is evenly incorporated.
Be careful not to deflate the eggs as your mixing or the cake will be flat and less airy.
Step 4: Transfer the batter into a prepared 8 or 9 inch (20-23 cm) cake pan, evening out the top with a rubber spatula.
Step 5: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once your cake is all baked, cool it in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack. Then remove the parchment paper and wait for it to cool completely before dusting it with powdered sugar. And that’s it! Super simple and easy to whip up in one hour!
A Few Tips
- Separate the eggs while they’re still cold. They’re much more delicate at room temperature and you risk the yolks getting into the egg whites. And any bit of yolk that gets left in the whites will prevent them from whipping properly.
- After you’ve separated your eggs, be sure to cover them with plastic wrap or foil. If the yolks are left in the open air, they tend to turn into a thick gel which makes it annoying to get out of the bowl.
- Gently mix the egg whites into the batter. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the ingredients. Mixing too vigorously could deflate your eggs causing the cake to be less airy and tall.
- Don’t tap your cake pan! As mentioned in the last point, we don’t want to deflate the egg whites since they give the cake texture and lift. Once you’ve transferred your batter into the cake pan, avoid tapping it on the counter as this could flatten your eggs.
- Measure your almond flour properly. We strongly advise you to use a kitchen scale particularly when it comes to baking. We use one in all our baked recipes because it yields more accurate results than cups do. If you don’t have one on hand, the best way to measure your flour is by fluffing it up with a spoon before spooning it into your measuring cup. Then level it off with a straight edge. Otherwise, you’ll end up packing too much in the cup causing your cake to be dry.
FAQ
Yes, you can swap it out using the same amount. It will still yield a moist cake.
Of course! Use the same amount of vanilla extract as you would the paste. Just be sure that you’re using pure vanilla extract and not the fake stuff.
– Mortar and Pestle (optional): This is to grind the lavender which releases the oils and prevents you from biting into bits of lavender buds. You can also use a small food processor or blender to grind up the buds.
– Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer: Whipping your egg whites will be way faster and easier than whisking by hand.
– One 8 or 9 inch cake pan
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you like lemon cakes, try our Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake. It’s one of the most popular recipes on our site!
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Lavender Lemon Cake
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- 8 or 9-inch (20 or 23 cm) Round Cake Pan
Ingredients
- Butter or nonstick spray for greasing the pan
- 135 g (1 ½ cups) almond flour spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs separated, room temperature
- 67 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar divided
- ¾ tsp dried culinary lavender*
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 60 g (¼ cup) full-fat plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- ½ tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8 or 9-inch (20 or 23 cm) cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, half the sugar, lavender, lemon juice, lemon zest, and Greek yogurt until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, whisking until combined. It will resemble a thick paste.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), beat the eggs whites on medium-high speed until foamy.
- Add the vinegar and vanilla bean paste.
- With the mixer still on medium-high speed, add the remaining sugar 1 tbsp at a time and continue beating until soft peaks form. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure no excess liquid is left at the bottom.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just combined. This could take a minute or two to fully incorporate everything together. Be careful not to overmix or mix too vigorously as this may cause the eggs to deflate. Once everything is combined, the batter should look thick and fluffy.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing out the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Once cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with a cup of tea! Enjoy!
Notes
- Lavender: If you don't mind pieces of dried lavender in your cake, no need to grind up the buds. Otherwise, we recommend using a mortar and pestle to crush them up.
- Separate the eggs while they're cold. If you do this at room temperature, the yolks might get into your egg whites and you won't be able to whip them properly.
- Avoid tapping your cake pan after you've transferred the batter into it. Doing so could deflate your eggs and give you a flatter less airy cake.
Harley says
I just made this for my wife, added white chocolate curls to the top. It was absolutely amazing, thank you so much!
fancifuleats says
Thanks for sharing! So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Love the addition of white chocolate curls. 😊
Zairah says
This recipe is absolutely fabulous! I made it for the closing night performance of a play I was in for my cast and crew- it was a big hit. My director is gluten free so I’m always trying to find exceptional recipes like this so she can enjoy baked goods too. The lavender flavor is quite light but, in my opinion, serves to make the lemon flavor shine so much brighter. I think I’ll make this recipe again as a mini birthday cake for her!
fancifuleats says
Wow, thank you so much for sharing! Glad you all enjoyed it! 😊