Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake
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This is the lightest and most delicate cake you’ve ever tasted. Lavender angel food cake is airy, aromatic, and the perfect final note for afternoon tea, a light summer meal, a garden party, or just a simple Sunday afternoon. It’s heavenly.
Lavender lemon angel food cake is light, fluffy and so delicious. It’s covered in an easy-to-make meringue frosting and sprinkled with lemon zest and lavender flowers. It’s beautiful and a surprisingly easy dessert to make.
What is angel food cake?
Angel food cake is a sponge cake. It’s incredibly light, since it uses no butter, and has an airy texture that comes from lots of whipped egg whites. For this lemon lavender angel food cake, you will need 12 egg whites (+ an additional 4 egg whites to make the frosting).
Angel food cake has a sweet taste on its own, and in this case, is complemented by zesty lemon and gentle, floral lavender.
Ingredients to make lemon lavender angel food cake
For the lemon lavender angel food cake you’ll need:
- Egg whites: You’ll need 12 egg whites to make this angel food cake. Make sure they’re at room temperature, and save the egg yolks for another use! You’ll whip the egg whites to create the light-as-a-feather texture of this cake.
- Cream of tartar: If you’ve never used cream of tartar before, it’s a powder similar to baking soda. You’ll need 2 teaspoons for the angel food cake. The cream of tartar will help stabilize the egg whites and increase their volume.
- Sea salt: Add ½ teaspoon to balance the flavors and help bind things together.
- Granulated sugar: Slowly add the 2 cups of sugar to the recipe. Add 2 tablespoons at a time to the egg whites and continue to whip the cake batter until all the sugar is combined and stiff peaks start to form.
- Dried lavender: You’ll add 1 ½ teaspoons of dried lavender to the batter, and mix until just combined.
- Lemon oil: For this lemon lavender angel food cake recipe use 1 teaspoon of food-grade lemon oil. If you have lemon essential oil in your house (say, for a diffuser), do a quick search to see if it’s ok to consume before adding it to the recipe.
- Zest from 1 lemon: Using a microplane, zest one whole lemon. This will give a bright citrusy flavor to the cake.
- Cake flour: Using 1 ⅓ cup of cake flour will help produce a fine and delicate crumb. All-purpose flour will give a different texture to the cake; angel food cake is one of those recipes where cake flour is best.
What to do with leftover egg yolks
If you haven’t made lemon angel food cake before, you might be surprised about the number of egg whites you have to use. They are what gives the cake its light as air, cloud-like fluffiness.
Whatever you do, don’t throw away the delicious yolks! They’ll keep for 4 days in your fridge so you’ll have time to use them in another recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- Make some tangy lemon curd (you could serve this with the lemon angel food cake for big-time bonus points!)
- Add some to your morning omelet to make it extra tasty.
- Make a traditional Caesar salad dressing.
- Start your Sunday with some delicious eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce. This smoked salmon eggs benedict is delish!
- Make some homemade mayonnaise.
- Make strawberry ice cream!
What can you do with culinary lavender?
This lavender angel food cake is your answer. And after you’ve made this, be sure to make my lemon lavender shortbread cookies and my blackberry lavender soda.
Although all lavender is technically edible, culinary lavender has a much less perfumey or soapy aroma. All you’ll be baking with are the lavender buds (not the stems, leaves, etc.).
Culinary lavender pairs nicely with citrus, like lemon, as well as other fruits like blueberries and oranges. It’s floral and slightly sweet, making it a perfect addition to baked goods, drinks, and meat rubs. Promise: this lavender angel food cake makes for a truly delicious teatime experience or a light dessert during the beautiful spring and summer seasons.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use cartoned egg whites to make angel food cake and/or meringue?
Check the carton for any notes or disclaimers about using cartoned egg whites for recipes like these, the cartoned version may not be able to whip up to stiff peaks. You can absolutely experiment with them if it’s all you have on hand; however, there’s a chance they won’t create the consistency that you need to make angel food cake or meringue. Fresh egg whites work best.
Can I use lavender from my garden?
All lavender is edible; however, specific varieties of lavender are best for cooking (so you avoid the soapy smell and taste). English lavender is a popular type to cook with, for instance. Fresh lavender from the garden is a great option to decorate the cake with; however, dried lavender is best for cooking/baking.
Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon oil?
Lemon oil has a higher concentration of lemon flavor, but you can absolutely substitute lemon extract for lemon oil.
Can I freeze lemon lavender angel food cake?
If covered, the cake will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. Otherwise, wrap the cake or store it in an air-tight container in the freezer for a couple of months. Only store in the freezer if you haven’t already iced the cake.
Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake
- 12 egg whites (at room temperature (Reserve egg yolks for another use. See blog post for ideas.))
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried lavender
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 ⅓ cup cake flour
Meringue Frosting
- 4 egg whites
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- A pinch of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon oil
Instructions
For the Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the room-temperature egg whites in a large bowl and add the cream of tartar and sea salt. Using electric beaters, beat the egg whites until they are frothy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, while continuing to beat the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until all the sugar has been added and they form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Add the lavender, lemon oil, and lemon zest and beat just until they are combined.12 egg whites, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons dried lavender, 1 teaspoon lemon oil, Zest from 1 lemon
- Hold a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of beaten egg whites and add ⅓ cup of the cake flour. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour into the egg whites. Repeat with the remaining cake flour, ⅓ cup at a time.1 ⅓ cup cake flour
- Pour the cake batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan onto a wine bottle (or something similar.) Note: some angel food cake pans have feet to hold the cake upside down while it cools. If yours does, use them rather than a wine bottle. When the cake is completely cool, run a knife around the outside to loosen it, remove the bottom of the cake pan, and gently coax the cake out and onto a serving platter.
For the frosting
- In a double-boiler, or using a heat-proof bowl over a pot of water, add the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Bring the water to a boil, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the other pot or bowl. Using an electric beater, beat the frosting until the sugar has dissolved and the frosting is hot. Remove from the heat and continue to beat until the frosting has cooled and is thick, about 5 minutes. Quickly beat in the lemon oil and salt.4 egg whites, ⅔ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon lemon oil, A pinch of sea salt
Assemble the Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake
- Once the cake has cooled completely (at least 2 hours) spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake using a rubber spatula. You can sprinkle a little lemon zest and lavender flowers over the top, if you’d like.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Cartoned egg whites should NOT be used in meringues or angelfood cakes as the heating during pasteurization changes their physical properties and they will never beat up to the proper stiffness the same way fresh egg whites do. The outside of the cartoned eggs even has a small note on it to this effect! I discovered this recently after an unfortunate angelfood cake failure. Use the freshest eggs possible and the 3 bowl method to separate the egg whites from the yolks ( 1 bowl to place yolks, one bowl to place whites, and one bowl to use as you separate the two) to be sure no trace of yolk gets into the whites causing failure of the whites to whip up to a good stiffness! Great sounding recipe — can’t wait to make it for this upcoming holiday weekend!!
Thank you for the advice!
Can I substitute lemin extract for the lemon oil?
I would think that would work. 🙂
Why most the frosting be heated in order to make it?
Since the frosting contains egg whites, heating it makes it safe to eat and store. 🙂
Hello,
I was wondering if reducing the sugar content will affect the outcome. Using 1 cup instead of 2.
Thanks!!
It will! Egg whites need a lot of sugar to stiffen when whipped. In this recipe, the sugar is for the egg whites, not just the sweetness. I know it seems like a lot but you don’t want to reduce the amount.
I have made this recipe and the entire family loves it. I did not have lemon oil so used a bit more lemon zest to compensate. It was delicious. I made it again today for my daughter’s birthday. Will be making ice cream with the egg yolks to go with the cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe. The cake is beautiful as well as delicious.
That makes me so happy to hear!!!
Hi there. This looks awesome but I was wondering if one could use the cartoned 100% egg whites found at the grocery store rather than cracking 16 eggs and then finding a use for all the yolks left over.
Thanks.
I have never tried the recipe using cartoned egg white so I can’t say for sure it will work. I did a quick Google search and it sounds like some people have had success whipping cartoned egg whites and some people have had them fail. If you’re up for experimenting, I’d say to give it a go. Make sure you let them come to room temperature first. 🙂
I haven’t made *this* dessert with the cartoned whites,but I’ve made similar ones (including other angel food cakes) with them and it’s been fine. They may take a lot of whipping, though, and much better to use a stand mixer than a handheld.
That said, YMMV depending on brand, and make sure your bowl and whisk are scrupulously clean.
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting us know!
My question as well! Thanks for asking and the replies that follow. I’m going to try it this weekend but will leave off meringue frosting as my guests don’t care for it. Also, I have some Lemon oil from Sorrento that is just screaming to be used!
This looks amazing! Any recommendations for making this dessert at 9,000 feet elevation?
Thanks, Vicki!
I hate to say this, but I don’t. I live feet from the ocean so don’t have any experience with cooking at high altitudes. But … I found this article that might help
🙂
Can this be made the day before. Does it need to be refrigerated
The cake can definitely be made the day before. Do leave the frosting off until the day you plan on serving it as it gets sticky when it’s left for a few days. It’s not a terrible thing, but you probably wouldn’t want to serve it to guests that way. When you make the cake, let it cool completely then cover it with plastic wrap and leave it on your counter. 🙂
Your recipe looks wonderful, but there is one troubling aspect – the lemon oil. The link for the lemon oil links to Amazon for Now Lemon Oil which is an essential oil. Essential oils should never be ingested unless under the direction of an aromatherapist. If you rrad further down on the page it even says that this oil should be diluted with a carrier oil. There is no oil in the recipe, therefore it cannot be properly disbursed. I will make this, but will use a food grade lemon flavoring.
I’m so happy you brought this to my attention. I investigated a little further on the company’s website, and it looks like you’re right. While they say their oils are processed in a manner that they could be edible, they have not been certified food grade so they don’t sell them to be eaten. I’ve updated the link to a lemon oil that is definitely good grade.
I’m wondering about subbing out the sugar in the frosting for honey. Is that something you have tried before?
I haven’t tried that, but I would probably work. I might be tempted to go the Italian route and make a syrup from the honey first. If you Google Italian meringue you should be able to find a recipe and swap the sugar for honey. Hope that helps!
This sounds so delicious, I’ll have to see if I can find a gluten free Angel food recipe? Either that or just tough it out, Lol.
I wish I could tell you that this would work with gluten-free flour, but I haven’t tested it out. I bet you could find a gluten-free recipe and then use these flavors as inspiration!
So, I noticed in the frosting directions it says to add lemon oil but I am not seeing lemon oil in the frosting ingredient list (it is in the cake list and I added it to the cake)? Made the cake and ready to frost but not sure how much lemon oil to add! 🙂 Looks and smells amazing. Thank you!
So it does! Thank you for catching that and letting me know. I put 1/2 teaspoon f lemon oil in the frosting, jsut for sme extra lemony flavor. 🙂
Happy cake eating!
I really want to do this cake? always loved angel food cake but lemon version is even better. But is there anything I can substitute the cream of tarts with sth els like for example cornstarch or powder sugar????❤
If you don’t have cream of tartar you can leave it out. It helps the egg whites to rise but it will still work without it.
I hope you like the recipe … it really is delicious. 🙂
Have you tried it on roast potatoes? It’s pretty amazing. ?
A lavender farm I went to once said to use it anywhere you would use rosemary. I love it!
Oh my gosh lavender is one of my favorite herbs to cook with. This cake is gorgeous!
Thank you so much! I love it, too. So pretty and delicious!