On Easter my friends and I have a tradition of dressing up in head to toe in full pastel and going to the drag queen brunch at Kit Kat Lounge. Everyone in the neighborhood puts on their Sunday best with full bonnets, skirts, lace etc. There’s unlimited mimosa’s and we dance until the sun goes down. (Aka 7pm when we finally die from the unlimited mimosa’s). We made our reservation in January this year because that’s how excited we get over this brunch, but sadly this year its cancelled. Because I can’t decorate myself in pastel this year, I decided to make this pastel lavender blackberry cake instead.
The cake starts with a lavender milk and lavender soaking syrup. I learned this method of incorporating lavender from Tessa Huff at Style Sweet. Her book, Icing on the Cake, is amazing! Soaking the lavender in the milk and syrup will add just a touch of lavender to the cake and it won’t be overpowering and soapy. The milk goes into the cake mixture and the soaking syrup is brushed on the cake before the frosting. I bought my lavender here.
The blackberry in this recipe creates not only the filling for the cake but is also used as the dye and flavor for the frosting. The blackberries are boiled down with lemon and sugar to release the juice and to create a syrup. The blackberries are smashed and used as the filling of the cake, while the syrup is saved and used for the frosting. *pro tip there will be extra blackberry syrup and lavender soaking syrup. Both make amazing cocktail syrups!
This is the first cake I have made with cake strips. I’ve always had trouble with my cakes creating a dome shape. I was so happy with the results from using the strips! The cake turned out flat all the way through. You can buy them here!
The cake is finished off with the blackberry frosting and is topped with blackberries around the edge. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Happy Easter!
Ingredients
LAVENDER MILK
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons culinary grade lavender
LAVENDER SOAKING SYRUP
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 2 tablespoons culinary grade lavender
BLACKBERRY FILLING
- 2 cups blackberries, plus more for topping
- juice from ½ lemon
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
CAKE
- 2¾ cup cake flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1¾ cup sugar
- ¾ lavender milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
BLACKBERRY FROSTING
- 1½ cups butter at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons blackberry syrup
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
LAVENDER MILK
- 1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the lavender. Steep for 20 minutes. With a fine mesh sieve placed over a bowl separate the lavender from the milk. Set milk aside and discard the lavender.
LAVENDER SOAKING SYRUP
- 1. In a small saucepan add the water and sugar. Heat on medium and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the lavender. Let steep for 20 minutes. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and separate the lavender from the syrup. Discard the lavender.
BLACKBERRY FILLING/ SYRUP
- 1. Place the blackberries, lemon juice, sugar and water in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until the juice has slightly thickened. 2. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Separate the blackberries from the blackberry syrup. Using the back of a spatula, press the syrup from the berries. Set the syrup aside, you will be using this later for the frosting. 3. Set the smashed berries to the side. You will be using this to fill the cake.
TO MAKE THE CAKE
- 1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 8" cake pans with parchment paper.2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 3. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand up mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat until smooth, around 2-3 minutes on medium speed. 4. In a medium bowl, add the lavender milk, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Lightly whisk. 5. To the bowl of a stand up mixer, slowly start adding in the flour and then the milk mixture, alternating one at a time. Beat the cake mixture until combined, around 1 minute. 6. Add an even amount of mix to both pans. Smooth with a spoon until even. Bake at 350° degrees for 20-25 minutes. The top of the cake should be slightly browned, and a toothpick should come out of the middle clean. Let the cake cool completely.
BLACKBERRY FROSTING
- 1. To the bowl of a standup mixer with the paddle attachment add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. 2. Add the heavy cream and blackberry syrup. Beat the frosting on medium high until light and fluffy, around 2 minutes.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
- 1. Place 1 cake round on the cake stand. Brush on the lavender syrup to the bottom layer of the cake. Add the first layer of frosting on top of the bottom layer. Smooth across. Add the smashed blackberries to the top of the frosting and create an even layer.2. Place the second cake round on top of the bottom layer. Brush the lavender syrup across the top layer. 3. Frost the cake. Place blueberries around the edge of the cake. Using a small mesh sieve, dust the blackberries with powdered sugar. Serve!
I made this recipe and it turned out so tasty 🥰 love this recipe!!