Not every flower is edible but the lavenders grown in Lavender Farms are. The varieties we grow here, like Hidcote, Munstead, and Lady, all belonging to English lavender varieties (Lavandula angustifolia) are said to be the best edibles.
In this light, we come up with recipes that will delight you during your visits here. Aside from using lavenders as a simple decoration in your plate and add to chicken and pork, we continuously create recipes to entice your choosy stomachs. Lavender is a member of the mint family, and thus, the taste is a bit minty. People who tried it for the first time will describe it as “herbaceous,” “woody,” “earthy,” “smokey,” and “apple-like” at the same time. Take note, we do not use pesticides on flowers we plan to cook, so you will get its natural, distinct, pungent aroma 100%.
We can use flowers and leaves fresh in cooking. We can also use the buds and stems as long as they are dried. We grind them into sugar and infuse cream to them to make ice cream, or use it in simple butter cookies or any baked goods.
You can make your dry blend, depending on how strong the floral favor you like the cookies or the cake to taste.
Consider these tips if you will use lavender in cooking:
- If your lavender is dried, dip it in a few drops of full-fat milk for 30 minutes. This allows the lavender and the essential oil to distribute evenly in your cake or bread.
- Dried lavender is more concentrated; thus, if you are baking with a fresh one, use twice the amount as you would if dried.
- Do not overdo the amount of lavender.
Lavender combines well with other flavors, so you can make a bread or cake with other ingredients of your choice like honey, strawberries, blueberries, pears, lemon, orange, and chocolate.
For this special recipe with lavender, we use chocolate and blueberries as our main ingredients.
Simple Moist Chocolate Cake with Lavender Frosting:
Ingredients for the Moist Chocolate Cake:
- 1 ¾ all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour two pans, nine-inch round.
- In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients (the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).
- Add the eggs. Continue on adding the oil, vanilla, and milk, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer
- Stir in the boiling water last. The batter will be thin.
- Pour evenly into the prepared pans
- Bake for thirty minutes in the preheated oven.
- Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to cool completely.
Lavender Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp dried Lavender flowers blended into powder with granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated Sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp blueberry juice
Directions:
- In a food processor combine the 2 tbsp of granulated sugar with the 2 tsp of dried lavender buds. Process until a fine powder is formed. Set aside.
- Place softened butter, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of the stand mixer.
- With a whisk, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- Add 1 tbsp of blueberry juice and the lavender sugar mixture.
- Add powdered sugar, a half-cup at a time, and whip at medium speed.
- Continue adding powdered sugar.
- Pour berry juice in small amounts, mixing slowly to create the perfect shade of purple that you want.
- Buttercream should be thick and easy to spread at the same time.
Spread the cream on the cake, feeling expert!