Lemon Pound Cake With Lavender Glaze

I have not been baking almost at all this summer! First we were gone on our vacation, and then it has been soooo hot lately – the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven! But this past week I dusted off my stand mixer and finalized this lemon pound cake with lavender glaze recipe. I couldn’t be more excited to be back in the kitchen and sharing this recipe with you!

Lemon pound cake will always remind me of my brother. When we were kids and went to Starbucks he would always order a slice of lemon pound cake. Always! I love lemon pound cake in the summer especially, because it’s a lighter and brighter flavor.

I was originally going to do a traditional lemon glaze on this cake, but felt like it was lacking that special something. Last week a friend and I were discussing our love of lavender lattes, and it suddenly hit me! Lavender! The lavender flavor in this glaze is subtle, but pairs perfectly with the lemon. This would be a perfect brunch recipe – traditional enough to be enjoyed by everyone, but unique enough to be special.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 lemons, zested
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1 Tbs dried lavender buds (I just used lavender from our garden)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9×5 loaf pan, and lightly dust with flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, flour through salt. Set aside.

Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each in until just incorporated. Add the vanilla and zest of two lemons.

Add the sour cream and flour mixture to the creamed ingredients, alternating between the flour mixture and sour cream. Mix until just incorporated, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

While the cake cools, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, add the milk and lavender. Bring to a simmer, and then remove from heat. Let steep for 10 minutes, and then remove the lavender through a strainer. Whisk in the powdered sugar, salt and lemon juice until all the sugar is disintegrated.

When the cake has cooled, turn it onto a serving platter and cover with glaze, letting the glaze drip down the sides of the cake as well. Garnish with dried lavender while the glaze is still setting if desired. Allow the glaze to set for about 10-20 minutes, and then serve!

If you love lemon and lavender, be sure to also check out these Lavender Lemon Vegan Macarons from my fellow food blogger at Pies and Tacos!