I haven’t had much luck with growing any living things lately. I planted some herbs and lavender seeds couple months ago, the herbs sprouted but didn’t survive, the lavender is growing but very slow. Then my daughter’s last little neon tetra died (we started with six fishes)……What am I doing wrong ??? Feeling kind of frustrated, I went and purchased a whole bunch of plants…..herbs, tomato, kale and lavender, hoping for better luck with some already-grown plants. Out of all of them, I like lavender the best ! It is in my favourite colour (purple, of course) and I love its smell, so soothing and relaxing. I have always wanted to bake with dried lavender too. Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I thought it would be a perfect time to try. It has a strong flavour, so use very sparingly. (I added a little too much the first time and my cake tasted almost medicinal ! So I had to cut it down and remake the cake.) Make sure you get dried lavender that is for culinary use only. I wouldn’t recommend making your own, as some plants may have been treated with pesticides. I decided to make a naked Lemon Lavender Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Naked cakes are very popular these days, but my primary reason was my terrible decorating skill ! With a naked cake, I can get away with the imperfection ! Secondly, I prefer cakes with less frosting (though my daughter would disagree), I can enjoy more of the cake itself rather than just butter and sugar. So, here it is, my Mother’s Day celebration ! A cake with bright lemon flavour and a subtle touch of lavender. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, myself and all the wonderfull moms in the world ! 

Oh, you probably were wondering about my daughter’s fishes. Well, I told her we will get some more later, but she may want to pick something other than the tetras, cause they just don’t live very long and I really don’t enjoy scooping out dead fishes…..Lol
Makes one 6 inch cake

For the lavender sugar

• 0.75 g (about 1 teaspoon) dried lavender flowers, food grade only 
• 150 g granulated sugar 
• 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)

Scrape vanilla bean and pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until blended

For the cake

• 4 eggs (separated)
• 150 g lavender sugar (use 30 g for the meringue)
• 75 g all-purpose flour
• 75 g cake and pastry flour 
• 3 g baking powder 
• 2 g salt 
• 30 mL lemon juice (use 5 mL for the meringue)
• Zest of one lemon 
• 30 mL vegetable oil 
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F 
2. Lightly grease two 6″ round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper
3. Sift together flours, baking powder and salt, set aside
4. In a mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks and 120 g of lavender sugar until pale
5. Add 25 mL of lemon juice, lemon zest, oil and vanilla, mix until blended
6. Gently fold in flour mixture
7. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and 5 mL of lemon juice until frothy
8. Increase speed to high and slowly add in 30 g of lavender sugar
9. Whisk until medium peak is formed
10. Gently fold meringue into cake batter, 1/3 at a time, do not over mix
11. Pour into baking tray and bake for about 20-22 minutes
12. Cool completely before frosting 

    

    

    

    
    

For the cream cheese frosting

• 250 g cream cheese
• 60 g unsalted butter (softened)
• 120 g icing sugar (sifted)
• 30 mL lemon juice
• Zest of one lemon
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract 

1. Beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy
2. Gradually add in icing sugar
3. Add lemon juice,lemon zest and vanilla, mix until blended and smooth
4. Keep in refrigerator until use

To Assemble

1. Spread frosting between two layers of cake and on top (If the frosting is too firm to spread, you can put it in a bowl, then a hot water bath for a minute or two, just enough to soften) 
2. Lightly frost the sides, smooth with a spatula 
3. Keep in refrigerator