About me

Lavender Cake with Berry Filling

One day, my friend and I went to a small cafe, talked a lot about everything, as usual, the day was warm in every way. I was drinking coffee, and my friend ordered a lavender cake dessert. She was brought a slice of cake of an incredible lavender color. Trying it, she was ecstatic about its taste. I couldn't resist and also tried this cake and was equally delighted! Just an incredible cake with the taste and aroma of lavender. It certainly doesn't resemble a classic dessert, but that's the whole secret, I love unexpected flavor combinations. Of course, at home, I started looking for the recipe, pondered for a long time about how much lavender to use. I found that perfect taste that I liked so much. I'm sharing it with you, try this fantastic cake!

For the sponge cake:

Eggs

4 eggs

Sugar

3/4 cup

Flour

1 1/4 cups

Baking powder

3/4 tsp

Lavender

2 tbsp

Lilac or pink + blue food coloring

For the filling:

Frozen berries

about 2 cups

Sugar

1/3 cup

Cornstarch

1 1/2 tbsp

For the cream:

Cream cheese

2 cups

Heavy cream (30%-33%)

2 cups

Powdered sugar

1 cup

Let's prepare the sponge cake for the lavender cake with berry filling. Separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Divide the sugar in half, sprinkle one part into the whites and the other into the yolks. Beat the whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form.

Thoroughly mix the yolks with the sugar using a whisk until the mixture whitens. Then add the lavender, ground in a coffee grinder, to the yolks and mix.

I bought the lavender from an online store, you can easily find it on websites that offer various spices and food additives.

Now add a few drops of food coloring, achieve the desired color, and gradually add the whites, stirring gently each time. The mixture should remain airy.

Add the flour with the baking powder, also gradually and mix gently.

I baked the cake layers in two 7-inch diameter rings. I lined the bottoms with foil, no need to grease anything. Divide the batter in half and transfer to the pans. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, check for doneness with a toothpick.

While the lavender sponge cake is baking, let's prepare the berry filling. I used a mix of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackcurrants. Pour the berries into a saucepan and immediately add sugar and cornstarch. Mix well to prevent lumps from forming later.

Place the berries on the stove and heat while stirring. When the berries are fully heated and have released juice, I slightly blended them with a blender. If the berries are not large, this step can be skipped.

Continue heating the berries, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, but it should not be too thick. Turn off the heat, transfer the berry filling to a suitable container, and let it cool completely, it will thicken slightly when cold.

Now let's prepare the cream. Place cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy cream in a mixer bowl. Whip until fluffy, starting at low speed to combine the liquid cream with the thick cheese, then increase to maximum for 1 minute, and the cream is ready.

Mixers vary, so monitor the consistency of the cream. Once the ingredients have combined into a dense fluffy mass, stop.

Remove the sponge cakes from the pans, cut them in half. I trimmed the tops slightly to level them and reveal the color.

I assembled the cake in a ring for convenience, or you can assemble it without a ring. Place the first layer, optionally soak it. Spread a layer of cream, I used a pastry bag, smooth it out. Pipe more cream around the edge to create a border, and add the filling in the center. Place the next layer on top and repeat the process exactly, then soak, cream, border, filling.

How to prepare the soak? I took 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar, combined in a saucepan, brought to a boil, and cooled.

Cover with the final layer and refrigerate for 3-6 hours to soak and set.

Store any leftover cream in the refrigerator.

Remove the cake from the ring, if not using acetate, run a knife around the circle between the cake and the mold, carefully remove the ring and cover the cake with remaining cream.

I added a few drops of food coloring to the cream, giving it a light lilac shade.

Smooth the surface of the cake with a spatula. If desired and if there is enough cream, cover the cake with a second layer of cream. Chill the cake for 30 minutes to allow the first layer to set, then apply the second layer of cream and smooth the surface.