Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons dried lavender buds*
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 lemon (2 tsp. zest, 3 Tbsp. juice)
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 - 6 tablespoons whipping cream
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl combine flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Place sugar and lavender in a blender or food processor; blend until combined.
In an extra-large bowl beat butter with a mixer on medium 30 seconds. Add sugar mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape sides of bowl; beat 2 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beating on low after each addition until well combined. Stir in lemon zest and juice.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Frost and decorate using Lemon Buttercream Frosting. If you don't want to decorate the cake, halve the frosting recipe.
Lemon Buttercream:
In a large bowl beat butter with a mixer on high 30 seconds. Reduce speed; gradually add 6 cups of the powdered sugar, beating continuously. Beat in lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat in remaining 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in enough whipping cream (4 to 6 Tbsp.) to make frosting spreading consistency. To tint the frosting purple use a 2:1 ratio red to blue liquid food color (6 drops red and 3 drops blue for X cups frosting).