Lavender Earl Grey Cake

Make Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325º and make sure eggs and butter are out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
2. Heat milk to steaming, add tea and lavender and remove from heat. Let steep and cool to room temperature. Once cool, remove tea bags from milk, and strain to remove lavender buds and reserve.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a larger bowl, beat sugar and butter together until combined well, add oil, and beat for another 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition adding vanilla with the last egg.
5. Add lavender tea steeped milk mixture to wet ingredients and beat well until fully combined.
6. Stir in half of dry (flour) mixture until partially combined, add second half and beat until smooth and glossy.
7. Divide batter evenly between two greased and floured or parchment lined 8” round cake pans. Bake in center of oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Loosen edges of cakes with a butter knife, then turn onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

How to frost cake

1. Select a cake plate, or other surface, and spread a thin layer of icing on it. This will “glue” your cake to the plate, preventing sliding.
2. Level first cake layer by slicing any high parts off horizontally if necessary. Brush away crumbs, and place top side up on cake plate.
3. Spread a thin layer of icing (¼ to ⅓ inch thick) on first cake layer.
4. Level the second layer if necessary, and place on top of iced layer, top side down.
5. Ice with a thin layer of crumb coat, let crust (dry slightly), and repeat with a thicker layer of top coat, smoothing as desired.