How to Make Lavender & Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Elisa Sunga, founder of Cake Picnic, has published a new cookbook titled Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends. This book combines delightful cake recipes with a guide to hosting cake picnics. Among the recipes, she shares a lovely lavender and lemon poppy seed cake, inspired by her visit to a lavender field near London.
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Cake
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1½ cups (340 g) vanilla yogurt, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (132 g) neutral oil
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2⅓ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Lavender Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 6 egg whites
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ to 2 teaspoons lavender extract, to taste
- 1 or 2 drops purple food coloring (optional)
Decorations (Optional)
- Candied lavender
- Fresh lavender sprigs
- Lemon slices
- Candied lemons
- Piped buttercream swirls
- Flower petals
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Cake
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and place parchment paper in two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans. In a large bowl, mix the sugar with lemon zest. Use your hands to blend until the sugar absorbs the oils. Add yogurt, oil, eggs, and salt, and whisk until smooth. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda into the mix and add poppy seeds. Gently fold with a spatula, leaving some flour streaks. Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before removing from pans.
For the Lavender Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Bring a saucepan of water to simmer. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place over the simmering water, not touching it, and whisk until the sugar dissolves and reaches 160°F (70°C). The mixture should feel smooth. Attach the bowl to the mixer with a whisk attachment and beat at high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Lower the speed, add butter piece by piece, and beat until smooth. Switch to a paddle attachment, add salt, lavender extract, and food coloring if used, and beat for another 10 minutes until airy.
Assembly and Decoration
Place the first cake layer on a plate with a small dab of buttercream to hold it. Spread about ½ cup (114 g) buttercream over the layer. Add more if preferred. Position the second layer, flat side up; apply a thin buttercream crumb coat. Chill for 20 minutes. Once set, use remaining buttercream to frost the entire cake. Decorate with your choice of decorations, removing nonedible items before serving.
This recipe is excerpted from Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends by Elisa Sunga, published by Chronicle Books.