Dark Chocolate Lavender Cake with Lavender Buttercream Frosting is a wonderful moist dark chocolate cake with a light floral lavender flavor that is elegant and rich, and incredibly special.
Covered in an additionally elegant Lavender Buttercream Frosting, this dessert is the best!
Once in awhile you find a cake that is almost too elegant to just serve to your teenagers. Almost.
I had a bottle of lavender extract I had been dying to use in a chocolate cake for some time and last week just seemed like the perfect time.
I used an old cake recipe I’ve used time and time again. You know, that one you turn to because it’s perfectly rich, moist and chocolaty and always comes out perfect?
Instead of the vanilla bean paste I usually put in it, I chose the lavender extract this time. It gave it such a wonderful floral hint and was absolutely delicious.
Lavender Buttercream Frosting
I chose a basic lavender flavored buttercream frosting for the top, because it needed something simple and not over powering. I will tell you that this cake would be perfectly delicious WITHOUT the frosting.
An additional idea is to create a light lavender glaze for the top or even a lavender whipped cream and served with a dollop of that.
It may not be needed, but the lavender extract gives the frosting a little something that is just very special.
Why we love this recipe
- rich chocolate flavor
- moist crumb
- light lavender notes, not overpowering
- fairly easy cake, pretty classic
- it tastes amazing!
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredients for Dark Chocolate Lavender Cake are pretty standard.
- Flour – We use all purpose, but using a cake flour would be perfectly acceptable here too. We have not tested this recipe with any other flour.
- cocoa powder – We use this one, but you can use any dark chocolate cocoa powder. We just love this one for the deep rich chocolate flavor.
- vegetable oil – We always just use the vegetable oil in this recipe, however melted butter also works as a 1:1 swap in this recipe.
- granulated sugar – we have favorite sugar brands but you can use any kind of sugar.
- milk – we usually use 2% because its what we always have at the house. I wouldn’t go too much lower than that. Whole milk is perfectly acceptable.
- baking soda
- salt
- Lavender Extract – If you want to try a different extract, that’s possible too. We either use this one or we use this one.
More Unique Cake and Cupcake Recipes
Recipe for Dark Chocolate Lavender Cake with Lavender Buttercream Frosting
Moist Dark Chocolate Lavender Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Lavender Extract
- 8 ounces butter room temp.
- ½ Tablespoons Lavender Extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 Tablespoons whipping cream
- 2 drops Wilton Violet Icing Color
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt together.
- Mix well.
- In another bowl, mix together the oil, milk and lavender extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for several minutes until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared round cake pan.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Use a toothpick or knife in the center to check for doneness. As soon as it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Allow to cool completely before icing.
- Cream Butter until light and fluffy. Beat the lavender extract in until well beaten.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, until well blended.
- Add the whipping cream until you get the consistency you desire. Gently stir in the icing color to get the desired shade you are looking for.
Nutrition
This is simply fantastic! I can’t turn away from how pretty it is. I will just stare at the photo all day.
So much drama in this cake…the colors, the textures, the flavors! Major Yuummm! 🙂 ela
Aw thank you Ela! 🙂 I was so happy with how this turned out. 🙂
Can you make it into cupcakes instead, and flip so, same recipe?
I’m sure you could make this into cupcakes instead, I cannot see why not. I am not sure what “and flip so” means? But yes you can make it into cupcakes.
ARe there no eggs in this?
No, there are no eggs in this cake. It is an eggless cake. The milk and oil keep the cake moist and the perfect crumb. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! I loved this recipe! I made them into cupcakes and I just wanted to say that they should bake for about 25 mins in cupcake tins( for people looking) I also added a little vanilla extract to the frosting and it was so good!