I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since I started this little blog to share my love of food, photos, and life with all of you! Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Over this time, we’ve laughed, cooked, and made so many happy memories together. To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to share something special – my over-the-top, decadent Chocolate Lavender Cake recipe with Mascarpone Earl Grey German Buttercream! I get giddy just thinking about this moist, rich, aromatic cake that is truly a pleasure for the senses.
This recipe comes from my passion for baking and desire to get creative in the kitchen. Drawing from the wisdom of expert bakers and timeless cake recipes, I set out on a mission to design the perfect chocolate cake. Using the power of math and a touch of creativity, I studied ratios, tested different ingredients, and finally struck gold with this sublime cake. It combines flavors I’ve always loved – herbs, tea, and flowers – into one harmonious dessert.
Why you’ll love this recipe
This cake is all about contrasts – rich chocolate and light floral lavender, moist tender crumb and silky buttercream. With every bite, you get an ethereal experience. The cake itself is moist and fudgy. And the Mascarpone Earl Grey German Buttercream adds a tangy and aromatic element that takes it over the top. Whether you’re celebrating something special or just indulging on a Tuesday night, this cake hits the spot.
Ingredients
Lavender Buds – The floral star that compliments the chocolate. Infused into the batter, they give each bite a lovely aroma.
Cocoa Powder – Deep, intense chocolate is essential for the cake. Cocoa powder brings that rich flavor.
Coconut Oil – Makes the cake ultra moist and luscious with a hint of coconut.
Mascarpone Cheese – The buttercream gets its tangy, creamy velvetines from this cheese.
Earl Grey Tea – Brings a nice earthy, citrusy note to the buttercream that enhances the flavors.
How to Make Chocolate Lavender Cake
- Heat oven to 325°F.
- Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, add in 3 tablespoons of the lavender. Cover and let steep 30 minutes. When done steeping, strain and reserve 320 g (1 1/3 cup) of the lavender water, discarding the rest.
- Line your cake pans with parchment rounds and grease. I always grease, parchment, then grease again. Especially with this cake. It’s wet. And that means sticky. I either use 8″ pans or 4″ pans (if making a mini cake and using my two 4″ pans, I obviously have extra, which I usually use to make an additional couple of 8″ single layer cakes to give to away.)
- Meanwhile, grind the additional two tablespoons of lavender in a mortar & pestle or spice grinder until you have a fine powder. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and lavender powder into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you’re doing it by hand, which I do.) Mix on low or whisk until combined and a nice uniform brown color.
- In a small bowl or 2 cup measure, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. It’s imperative they be room temp, so don’t cheat. If they’re cold, your coconut oil will solidify. And we’d rather that not happen.
- Bring your reserved tea concentrate to a boil. Meanwhile, with the mixer on low, add the egg mixture and the coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Once just combined, scrape down the bottom with a rubber spatula to make sure there’s no dry bits hiding. Then, with the mixer on low, pour in the hot lavender tea, and mix to just combine, scraping down the bottom once again.
- Pour into 8″ cake pans, about half way up. I sit my pans on a scale and do about 20 oz per cake pan among three 8″ pans or 7.25 ounces between seven to eight 4″ to make oodles of mini layer cakes. If I have extra or don’t want to make that many minis, I do a few cupcakes. Do not overfill. It will floff all over your oven. And be a big fat delicious mess. Note: I have never successfully gotten this cake out of a bundt pan. So if you try, you’re braver or smarter than me. Or you have a better bundt pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes for minis and 30-40 minutes for 8″ layers. The cakes are done when a cake tester (read: toothpick or wooden skewer or thin knife) inserted into the center comes out clean (as in no wet cake batter, a few crumbs are kosher).
- Allow cakes to cool in pans on a rack for about 10 minutes, then gently invert the cakes on the racks to cool completely.
- Before icing I wrap fully cool cakes in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge or freezer. If I plan on splitting the layers, I go with the freezer. If not, I chill them in the fridge. Earl Grey frosting recipe follows.
For Buttercream
- Bring milk to a simmer in a sauce pan, add the tea bags, cover, and let steep 5 minutes. Try not to let it go too long or the tea will become bitter. Give it a good stir and remove the tea bags (I give them a squeeze to get all that good flavor out).
- Whisk the cornstarch, sugar, yolks, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer. Once the milk comes to a simmer, whisk a ladle of the hot milk into the eggs. I do about two ladles to temper the eggs and then pour the warm egg mixture into the hot milk, whisking constantly. Cook this mixture at a simmer until thick and bubbly sluggishly. Cook for a full minute to ensure the cornstarch is cooked out.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. At this point you’re either going to need to cool it in the fridge or cool it in a stand mixer. The latter is faster and is what I usually do. To chill in the fridge cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled. To cool in a mixer, mix constantly on medium until the bowl is room temp to the touch. It should not be at all warm. If it is, your butter and cheese will melt when you add them. And it will not be awesome. If you have put it in the fridge, mix for a few minutes on medium until creamy before proceeding.
- Once your pastry cream is cool, add the very soft butter one tablespoon at a time and then do the same with the mascarpone. Add the lemon and salt and whip to thoroughly combine. It should be smooth and creamy. At this point the frosting can be used, refrigerated, or frozen. Bring to room temp and whip until fluffy before using.
Tips
- Make sure ingredients are at room temp for even mixing.
- Grind lavender into a fine powder for best infusion.
- Always preheat the oven and prep pans – parchment, grease, etc.
- Use a scale for precision. Those measurements matter!
Serving Suggestions
- A dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa powder makes for easy decoration.
- Fresh berries on the side or as garnish give a nice fruitiness.
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream pairs nicely.
- Fancy it up with a glass of bubbly or Earl Grey tea.
Substitutions
- Instead of coconut oil, unsalted butter or olive oil also work.
- Sub the buttermilk with yogurt or sour cream.
- Fresh rosemary or thyme can sub for lavender.
- Play around with the buttercream tea – chamomile, chai, etc.
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Stand mixer or large bowl and whisk
- Mortar & pestle or spice grinder for lavender
- 8 or 4 inch cake pans
- Rubber spatula for folding and mixing
FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Bake cake layers and make buttercream a day ahead. Store separately in the fridge, assemble right before serving.
How long does it last?
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it stays moist for 2-3 days.
Can I freeze it?
Definitely – just tightly wrap layers in plastic and freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge before using.
Rich Chocolate Lavender Cake
Rich Chocolate Lavender Cake w. Mascarpone Earl Grey Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoon lavender buds divided
- 250 grams 2 cups all purpose flour
- 520 grams 2.6 cups granulated sugar
- 105 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons 10 g baking soda
- 1 teaspoon 5 g baking powder
- 320 g buttermilk 1 1/3 cup, shaken & room temp
- 2 extra large about 125 g eggs, lightly beaten & room temp
- 150 grams 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted but not hot
- 1 recipe of mascarpone earl grey buttercream recipe below
For Buttercream
- 16 oz whole milk
- 3 earl grey tea bags
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 280 grams 10 oz, about 1.5 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 oz cornstarch
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- 16 oz butter completely soft at room temp
- 16 oz mascarpone cheese
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
- juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F.
- Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, add in 3 tablespoons of the lavender. Cover and let steep 30 minutes. When done steeping, strain and reserve 320 g (1 1/3 cup) of the lavender water, discarding the rest.
- Line your cake pans with parchment rounds and grease. I always grease, parchment, then grease again. Especially with this cake. It’s wet. And that means sticky. I either use 8″ pans or 4″ pans (if making a mini cake and using my two 4″ pans, I obviously have extra, which I usually use to make an additional couple of 8″ single layer cakes to give to away.)
- Meanwhile, grind the additional two tablespoons of lavender in a mortar & pestle or spice grinder until you have a fine powder. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and lavender powder into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you’re doing it by hand, which I do.) Mix on low or whisk until combined and a nice uniform brown color.
- In a small bowl or 2 cup measure, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. It’s imperative they be room temp, so don’t cheat. If they’re cold, your coconut oil will solidify. And we’d rather that not happen.
- Bring your reserved tea concentrate to a boil. Meanwhile, with the mixer on low, add the egg mixture and the coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Once just combined, scrape down the bottom with a rubber spatula to make sure there’s no dry bits hiding. Then, with the mixer on low, pour in the hot lavender tea, and mix to just combine, scraping down the bottom once again.
- Pour into 8″ cake pans, about half way up. I sit my pans on a scale and do about 20 oz per cake pan among three 8″ pans or 7.25 ounces between seven to eight 4″ to make oodles of mini layer cakes. If I have extra or don’t want to make that many minis, I do a few cupcakes. Do not overfill. It will floff all over your oven. And be a big fat delicious mess. Note: I have never successfully gotten this cake out of a bundt pan. So if you try, you’re braver or smarter than me. Or you have a better bundt pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes for minis and 30-40 minutes for 8″ layers. The cakes are done when a cake tester (read: toothpick or wooden skewer or thin knife) inserted into the center comes out clean (as in no wet cake batter, a few crumbs are kosher).
- Allow cakes to cool in pans on a rack for about 10 minutes, then gently invert the cakes on the racks to cool completely.
- Before icing I wrap fully cool cakes in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge or freezer. If I plan on splitting the layers, I go with the freezer. If not, I chill them in the fridge. Earl Grey frosting recipe follows.
For Buttercream
- Bring milk to a simmer in a sauce pan, add the tea bags, cover, and let steep 5 minutes. Try not to let it go too long or the tea will become bitter. Give it a good stir and remove the tea bags (I give them a squeeze to get all that good flavor out).
- Whisk the cornstarch, sugar, yolks, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer. Once the milk comes to a simmer, whisk a ladle of the hot milk into the eggs. I do about two ladles to temper the eggs and then pour the warm egg mixture into the hot milk, whisking constantly. Cook this mixture at a simmer until thick and bubbly sluggishly. Cook for a full minute to ensure the cornstarch is cooked out.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. At this point you’re either going to need to cool it in the fridge or cool it in a stand mixer. The latter is faster and is what I usually do. To chill in the fridge cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled. To cool in a mixer, mix constantly on medium until the bowl is room temp to the touch. It should not be at all warm. If it is, your butter and cheese will melt when you add them. And it will not be awesome. If you have put it in the fridge, mix for a few minutes on medium until creamy before proceeding.
- Once your pastry cream is cool, add the very soft butter one tablespoon at a time and then do the same with the mascarpone. Add the lemon and salt and whip to thoroughly combine. It should be smooth and creamy. At this point the frosting can be used, refrigerated, or frozen. Bring to room temp and whip until fluffy before using.
