Honey Lavender Orange Loaf Cake

This simple honey and orange loaf cake recipe is drizzled with a lavender simple syrup. Plus, recipe includes tips for making a great loaf cake and advice on how to adapt your cakes based on the fruit and florals you have on hand.

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The large majority of my recipe ideas come from me trying to figure out what to do with random ingredients that are left hanging out in my fridge or pantry. Being a recipe developer, I’m often left with deli containers filled with small scoops of custards, syrups, or ganaches that I’m continually working to repurpose. I am also passionate about cooking and baking with as much in-season produce as possible, a habit that regularly leaves me buying more fruit than I need just because they are in season and oh so pretty. This is how this honey lavender and orange loaf cake came to be. A scrap bake at its finest.

You guys know how much I love teaching fundamental baking. For so many, baking can be scary and rigid and needs specific ratios and times in order for things to turn out correctly. While this is somewhat true, once you understand the roles that ingredients play in a product, baking can be creative and inspired and uniquely your own. I’m so passionate about this idea, that I wrote an e-book on it and I teach virtual baking classes to help you gain confidence and learn how to adapt baked goods to suit your refrigerator.

a very simple loaf cake

Loaf cakes are a great back-pocket bake. Because of their shape and density, they hold moisture well and last a bit longer than individual bakes, like cookies and brownies. They are also a great travel bake—it’s easy to wrap a slice up and take it on the road with you. They are also fairly straightforward, utilizing ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, like flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. This makes them the perfect vessel for flavor adaptation.

how to adapt your loaf cakes

You can definitely use this recipe as is and it will turn out beautifully. The honey lavender syrup complements the floral orange flavor in a way that shouts “spring is here”! But because I’m invested you experimenting and playing with flavors in your kitchen, here are a few ways you can adapt this recipe.

The fruit

Citrus is a great baking fruit because you’re able to use all of the components: fruit, zest, and juice. You can easily substitute another citrus fruit, like lemon or lime, in place of the orange in this recipe. You can also fold in whole fruits, like raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries. Simply omit the orange zest, replace the orange juice with milk or buttermilk, and fold your berries in just before pouring the batter into the pan.

The syrup

You can swap the lavender for pretty much any herb or flower that you like. If you want to omit the honey flavor, make a sugar syrup by replacing the honey with sugar and simmering until all of the granules have dissolved. Soaking a cake in a flavored syrup contributes both moisture and flavor to your final baked good.

a few other scrap-baking projects to explore:

Fig Butter and Bleu Cheese Rugelach

Bananas Foster Eton Mess

Caramel Brownie Ice Cream

Floral Strawberry Poptarts

Yield: makes one 9x5" loaf cake
Author: Anna Ramiz
Honey Lavender and Orange Loaf Cake

Honey Lavender and Orange Loaf Cake

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 25 M
Inspired by Violet Bakery's Lemon Drizzle Loaf, this citrus pound cake is soaked with honey lavender syrup.

Ingredients

for the honey lavender syrup
  • 1 cup of honey
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp lavender buds
for the cake
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (85 g) honey
  • 1 large orange, zested
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup (220 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tbsp whole-milk, plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup honey lavender syrup

Instructions

to make the honey lavender syrup
  1. Combine honey, water, and lavender in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture is bubbly and fragrant. Remove from heat, cool, and strain out lavender buds. Store syrup in the fridge for up to a week.
to make the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small measuring cup, whisk together yogurt and orange juice and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar, honey, and orange zest. Cream for 3-4 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the yogurt/orange juice mixture. Mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well-mixed. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until cake is deeply golden brown and a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Prick the warm cake with a fork and pour honey lavender syrup over the cake. Let cool completely before removing from the baking pan and slicing.

Notes:

This recipe makes more honey lavender syrup than you need for the recipe, but that's okay because it's so versatile. I love to add it to cocktails and I drink it in my iced coffee all summer long.

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Lavender Wild Berry Muffins

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Growing up, some weekday mornings were far more special than the others. My mom is a teacher, and somehow in her mad rush to get my sister and I up, dressed, fed, and out the door, she occasionally found the time to bake muffins for breakfast and those were the very best mornings. You knew it was muffin day right when you opened your eyes because that freshly baked smell wafted through the house, greeting you as you rolled out of the bed. My absolute favorite muffins were these little wild berry muffins, the dry ingredients coming in a little pouch tucked in next to the cornbread mix on the bottom row of the grocery store shelves. I’ve also always wondered how likely it was that a packaged muffin mix actually used wild-grown berries, they probably should have been named mixed berry muffins, but the word wild made them feel even cooler. Regardless, we would split open the warm muffins, slather them with butter, and then wrap them in paper towels to eat in the car on the way to school. What a great way to start the day.

These are the muffins I make when I want to pretend I’m back in elementary school, eating muffins in the backseat. You can mix in any berries you want, wild or otherwise, frozen or fresh, just make sure that you go heavy on the berries. My ideal muffin is just a scoop of berries, barely bound together by batter. Most muffins are made using a liquid fat and the blending method, with the primary focus being moisture and tenderness. These muffins, however, are made using room temperature butter and the creaming method, like a cake, making them a tall and fluffy bakery-style muffin. I like to sprinkle them with just a bit of crunchy demerara sugar, but they would also be great with a crumb topping or even no topping at all. Don’t forget to finish them with a big pat of butter and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

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Lavender Wild Berry Muffins 

Yield: 15 muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1/2 cup (110 g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (95 g) brown sugar

1 tbsp dried lavender

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (60 g) whole milk

2 tbsp whole milk yogurt 

1 1/3 cup (about 200 g) mixed berries, frozen or fresh

demerara sugar for sprinkling, optional

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. 

  2. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and lavender and rub with your fingers until fragrant and set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add a tablespoon of the flour mixture to the berries and toss to coat. In a glass measuring cup, combine milk and yogurt. Set all of this aside for now. 

  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar and lavender mixture. Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy and no chunks of butter remain. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

  5. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and mix until smooth and homogenous. 

  6. With the mixer on low speed, alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the milk/yogurt mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients (dry-wet-dry-wet-dry). 

  7. When the last of the dry ingredients have been added, remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides to ensure everything is well-combined. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the berries until they are evenly distributed. 

  8. Use a large cookie scoop to portion batter into your prepared muffin cups, sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are tall and golden brown, and a knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool slightly and then enjoy warm, split open and slathered with lots of butter and flaky salt. 

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Blackberry Lavender Clafoutis

I have spent the last few days cramming clothes into suitcases and figuring out which cookbooks I can’t live without for the next 3 months (hint: it’s a lot!) because tomorrow morning, my little Nissan and I will be heading north to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee! I will be spending the next three months cooking and baking my little heart out at an award-winning resort restaurant to complete my externship and finish pastry school and I AM SO EXCITED! Lucky for me, my cousin and his wife are the most wonderful, gracious friends and they are letting me move in as their summer roomie. I will be spending the summer hiking through the mountains, exploring the wild foods of Tennessee, and working and day and night to learn everything I can about fine dining kitchens. It’s going to be such an adventure!

That being said, this will be my last traditional recipe post on the blog for a little while. I am going to take the summer to be completely present and focus 100% on my internship, so I won’t be dedicating as much time to developing and photographing new recipes. Not to fear, I am not going away completely! I will still be writing regular blog posts and sharing all that I am learning both in and out of the kitchen. I am looking forward to coming back in the fall, freshly inspired and full of new skills and knowledge to share!

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a classic French clafoutis with a summer twist

To me, this blackberry lavender clafoutis feels like that perfectly warm, beginning of summer day. It’s refreshing and bright, but not overwhelming and it wets the appetite for all of the sunshine and berries that summer has to offer. Traditionally a clafoutis is somewhere between a cobbler and custard, but this one leans a little heavier towards the cobbler side- meaning a little cakier and a little less custard-like. I adapted this recipe from Yotam Ottenlenghi’s newest book “Simple” and you can interchange the blackberries and lavender for whatever fruit or herb you have an abundance of. (Some other ideas: blueberry + thyme; strawberry + basil; strawberry + rose; plums + thyme; peach + lavender; peach + basil, the possibilities are endless). This is a perfect, low-maintenance dessert to throw together for your next backyard grilling party. It pairs beautifully with ice-cold rose, summer sunsets, and lots of friends.

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Yield: makes one 9" clafoutis
Author: Anna Ramiz
Blackberry Lavender Clafoutis

Blackberry Lavender Clafoutis

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min
A clafoutis traditionally falls somewhere between a cobbler and a custard featuring a thick, eggy batter blanketing bright, fresh fruit. This blackberry lavender clafoutis feels like that perfectly warm, beginning of summer day.

Ingredients

  • 7 tbsp brown sugar, divided
  • 1 tbsp water
  • splash (1-2 tbsp) red wine
  • 2 tsp lavender
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 12 oz blackberries
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 7 tbsp heavy cream
  • pinch of salt
  • Ice cream, for serving

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat 4 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp water, along with the blackberries and lavender. Simmer over medium heat until sugar is melted and mixture is starting to bubble. Add wine and lemon juice and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Pour blackberry mixture into the bottom of a 9” cake pan and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium speed until frothy and then increase speed to high, whipping to form stiff peaks. Transfer egg whites to another bowl and then return bowl to mixer. (There is no need to wash the bowl out).
  4. In the bowl of the mixer, combine egg yolks, 3 tbsp brown sugar, flour, vanilla, heavy cream, lemon zest and salt. Whip until pale and thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add egg whites to egg yolk mixture in two batches, folding gently using a rubber spatula. (A few egg white streaks are okay).
  6. Pour batter over the blackberry mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and baked through. Remove from oven and cool slightly (about 5 minutes) before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes:

If you choose to riff on this recipe and use a more delicate herb like basil, wait and add it when you add the wine and lemon juice so that it doesn’t get overcooked.

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Tag @gatheredatmytable on instagram and hashtag it #gatheredatmytable