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A simple tea cake which can be thrown together in a few minutes. An aromatic spin on a classic lemon tea cake. With sharp notes of sweet lemon and a subtle lavender flavour.

This is one of the simplest cake recipes I have under my belt, and therefore this recipe gets made quite often! It only takes a few steps and is completely foolproof.
Simply:

Whisk eggs
Mix together flour, sugar, milk, eggs, and butter
Mix in lemon juice, zest, lavender, and vanilla extract
Bake at 180c/355f for 35 mins
Mix icing ingredients together in a bowl
Drizzle Icing on cake

What you’ll need:

Cake

250 grams self raising flour
210 grams sugar
3 large eggs
100 ml milk
100 grams melted butter

Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1.5 tbsp dried lavender
1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing

80 grams icing sugar
1/2 tsp dried lavender
Juice of half a lemon

EQUIPMENT

large mixing bowl
Loaf pan (24cmx13cmx6.5cm)
Kitchen scales

Step by step video

Can I use vanilla essence instead of vanilla extract?

Yes absolutely. Vanilla essence/ imitation vanilla isn’t as strong as vanilla extract. Therefore I suggest doubling the amount for this recipe:

Use 2 tsp vanilla essence

Can I use pre-bottled lemon juice? Can I leave out the lemon zest?

I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice as this will give you the best flavour, there is also no replacement for lemon zest unfortunately as lemon zest gives the cake the strong citrus flavour, without the bitterness found in the lemon juice itself.

What’s the best way to zest a lemon for this recipe?

I simply used a vegetable peeler, and then sliced a few of the bigger pieces in half. You can also use a cheese grater.
Its all about your personal preference. If you prefer smaller, or unnoticeable pieces I’d suggest using a grater to help make the zest pieces as small as possible.

Tips

Make sure to purchase and use culinary lavender. Dried lavender can easily be found online, just make sure it’s the culinary variety. Lavender is safe to consume, however, I wouldn’t suggest purchasing dried lavender from your local art supply store or florist as lavender is also commonly used for craft projects and DIY beauty products. If you do, check the packaging – it should be labeled as “culinary” if it’s safe to consume.
Add icing to the cake straight away. Adding the icing to the cake when it’s hot out of the oven will allow it to melt and absorb some of the icing into the cake – extra flavour and moisture!

The rundown

Lightly beat eggs, just enough to break yolks
Add flour, sugar, milk, eggs, and butter to a large mixing bowl and mix until a smooth batter is formed
Add lemon juice, zest, lavender, and vanilla extract to the batter and combine

Grease loaf pan and spoon in cake batter, bake at 180c/355f for 35 mins
Mix icing ingredients together in bowl
Add Icing to cake fresh out of the oven

Lemon & lavender tea cake

A simple tea cake which can be thrown together in a few minutes. An aromatic spin on a classic lemon tea cake. With sharp notes of sweet lemon and a subtle lavender flavour.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Servings 1 Cake

Equipment

Mixing bowl
Loaf pan (24cmx13cmx6.5cm)
Kitchen scales