Lemon Lavender Angel Food Cake is light as a feather, not too sweet, tender and moist. Lemon zest and lavender flowers add a bright and beautiful flavor to this classic cake.
When I created my Classic Angel Food Cake recipe I did extensive testing into the absolute best way to make the cake. Visit that post to see all the details that went into perfecting the recipe.
Tips for making a great Lemon Lavender Angel Food Cake:
- Use fresh egg whites, not pasteurized. Previously frozen unpasteurized whites are fine.
- Use a clean bowl and whisk. A tiny bit of grease will collapse the egg whites.
- Start the whites on medium and increase to medium high after the sugar is added.
- Don’t add the sugar until the whites reach soft peak, then add slowly.
- Use both the lemon zest and juice for a full lemon flavor.
- Adjust the amount of lavender to your taste and based on the potency of the flowers.
- I like to use a hand whisk to fold the flour into the meringue. You can switch to a spatula once most of the flour is incorporated.
- Use a tube pan so the cake bakes from the middle and sides.
- Don’t grease the pan and don’t use a non-stick pan.
- Cool the cake upside down.
Scroll through the process photos to see how to make Lemon Lavender Angel Food cake :
I know it’s a bit of a pain to end up with a dozen yolks left over, but the yolks can be frozen. You can also use fresh frozen whites since they are not pasteurized.
Now that you’ve made this recipe what should you do with the extra yolks? Check out this collection of recipes that use extra yolks for some great ideas.
Since you appreciate the special flavor of lavender, here are some other recipes you might like:
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake
Lemon Lavender Angel Food Cake is light as a feather, not too sweet, tender and moist. Lemon zest and fresh lavender add a bright and beautiful flavor to this classic cake.
Ingredients
- finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried lavender flowers (see note)
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz, 340g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup (4.5 oz,125g) cake flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 large (14 oz, 392g) egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz, 30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz, 30ml) water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have an angel food or tube pan, ungreased, ready for the batter.
- Combine the lemon zest and lavender with 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 10-15 seconds to grind the lavender and mix the ingredients. Add the flour and the salt and pulse 3-4x to evenly distribute the ingredients. Remove the blade and set the bowl aside.
- In a large mixer bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed (#6-7) until very frothy. Combine the lemon juice and water. With the mixer running add the liquid in a slow stream. Continue whipping until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high (#7-8) and continue whipping until stiff peaks are formed. The total whipping time will be about 8-10 minutes.
- Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the meringue and use a whisk to fold in the flour until it's almost incorporated. Sift and fold in the remaining flour mixture in two batches. Fold just until all the flour is incorporated. The batter will still be quite fluffy.
- Scoop the batter into the tube pan and spread to even layer. Rap the pan on the counter a couple of times to dislodge any large air bubbles. Bake until the cake is lightly browned, springs back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and immediately invert the pan over a cooling rack. Leave the pan inverted until the cake is completely cool.
- Run a small spatula or paring knife around the sides of the cake to loosen and release the cake from the pan.
- The cake will keep, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days.
Notes
Adjust the amount of lavender based on the potency of your lavender and your personal preference.
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Yourgelys
Tuesday 10th of January 2023
Sorry I meant batter
Yourgelys
Tuesday 10th of January 2023
Can I use this exact recipe and just use the battery for cupcakes?
Eileen Gray
Wednesday 11th of January 2023
I think it would probably work but I haven't tried it myself. I would use cupcake liners so the batter can grip the paper and rise.
Susan
Monday 9th of January 2023
This came out super moist and fluffy, and very tasty - thanks for the detailed instructions. It is a bit too sweet for my taste, though (This is the first time I tried making angel food cake, and I had forgotten how sweet most of them are). Do you think this recipe would still work if I cut down the sugar amount in the flour mixture? (say, by half?) and/or if I added more lemon juice?
Eileen Gray
Monday 9th of January 2023
Yes, angel food cakes are on the sweet side. But the sugar in the recipe does more than just sweeten the cake. The sugar also tenderizes and moistens the cake. Without any tenderizing/moisturizing fat in the cake this is important. If you reduce the sugar too much the cake will at some point become rubbery and dry tasting. I haven't experimented to see how much you could cut down the sugar without compromising the texture of the cake. If you want to try it I would reduce it slightly and see if you still like the cake texture. As far as adding more lemon juice you could replace the water in the recipe with lemon juice. That could possibly change the texture of the cake because of the extra acidity. But again, I haven't tried it so couldn't say what the outcome would be. If you try making any changes let us know how it worked out. Also, I love eating angel food cake with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened cream to balance out the sweetness. Also some fresh fruit helps balance out the flavor.
Jenny B
Thursday 25th of February 2021
Eileen, I have been recent to sourdough baking and have been using your site almost exclusively and recommending it to a friend who wants to do sourdough since I gave her some starter. I was surprised when I saw that the lemon lavender angel food cake was your recipe as well when I came back to your site to rate it. It is a five star cake, In fac,t it is the best angel food cake I have ever eaten. Thanks so much for your recipes.
Nina
Sunday 27th of December 2020
Hands down my daughter's favorite recipe yet! 5 star