Category Archives: baking

Candy Cap Mushroom Macarons

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Oh my gosh, you guys. I can’t believe my experiment actually worked. I felt like a chemist in my kitchen yesterday afternoon. Sweet, reminiscent memories of high school and college chemistry classes… not. You know every now and then you have that dream or an idea that has never been done before, no reference to go off of (ie. Google has never even heard of it), so you’re a little nervous but do it anyway? That’s what I did here. And probably what most chemists in the past have done. All of those great discoveries came from experimentation so why not try it and see if it works? If you fail, pick yourself back up and try it again. Yeah!

If you’re still having a hard time getting past the mushroom part, let me assure you (if not familiar)–these are unlike any other mushroom you’ve had in your life. They’re a dessert mushroom, sweet and spicy, evoking a maple syrup cinnamon essence that reminds you of a maple glazed donut bar. I have always wanted to work with candy cap mushrooms ever since I tried them in some ice cream at Humphry Slocombe, back when I lived in California. In fact, most if not all of my candy cap desserts were consumed in the city of San Francisco–Pepples vegan donuts made a candy cap mushroom donut some years ago and I was lucky enough to snag one on a leisurely walk through the Ferry Building after I finished my second half marathon. But that’s another story.

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Since I don’t yet have that pear Kitchenaid Mixer and the ice cream attachment I have been pining after for many months, and am not going to make my own homemade candy cap ice cream version anytime soon, I decided I’d experiment with macarons in the meantime. The candy caps have been in the back of my mind as something to buy as soon as I see it available in a store, and luckily I was able to score some at the local Portland farmer’s market a few months ago. For about 12 bucks, I had enough to get me in some trouble.

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Since my last batch of macarons didn’t turn out exactly how I hoped, I did a bit more research to find a fool-proof ratio’d recipe, one that preferably had equal parts almond flour and powdered sugar. For some reason I’ve found those to work the best, and ones that use more than 2 egg whites. The likely problem with the last batch was that 1. the egg whites sat in my fridge for over a week, 2. there weren’t enough of them to whip into a meringue, and 3. the flour ratios were off. Because this time, I put several different recipe forces together and this is what I came up with. The results were exactly what I had hoped for.

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I’m extremely ecstatic with the results. The meringue came together perfectly, my ideas for mixing in the food coloring ratios (yellow + brown) resulted in the exact color I was hoping for that would represent the color of the candy caps well, they baked at the right temperature so they didn’t get too browned on top and baked thoroughly in the center, they got their “footing”, and they smell like heaven! My entire apartment smelled like maple syrup donut bars and cinnamon with cherries on top. Just kidding about the cherries… can you can tell I’m still glowing over these?

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The filling, surprisingly, was almost the hardest thing to figure out on these. I didn’t want it to overpower the candy caps and distract from their flavor, rather to compliment it, but that’s tricky when most buttercreams and fillings are full of more powdered sugar. So it’s a delicate balance. I decided using some of my saved egg yolks (from separating the egg whites for the meringue) mixed with creamed honey and cream cheese. That was the best I could come up with, but I’m going to brain storm for more filling options in the future with these shells. As I was mixing it all together it was still a bit too runny, so I had to add some powdered sugar to soak up the moisture. I stopped at about 1 1/2 cups, before it got too too sweet. It was still a bit runny, so I stuck it in the freezer to set up a bit before putting everything together, and it helped a little bit but I still didn’t want to overfill the shells so that it would be oozing out. I just dabbed a little bit in there so they would stick together. Again, I need to work on the filling thing. Suggestions are welcome!

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For those of you already familiar with candy caps (or not), familiar with baking macarons (or not), may I highly encourage you to give these a try. If this is your first macaron attempt, you will not be disappointed. I have tried so many different macaron methods and techniques and this is by far a keeper. And you will be so stoked and pumped with yourself if you make them with the candy caps too. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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(Note: if you have never made macarons before and need to get started purchasing the equipment, may I suggest you start here with the following. I have made macarons several times not using my kitchen scale, but I did for these and can tell it makes a huge difference. Therefore parts of the ingredients list is measured in grams. You can use an online weight converter if you wish. For those interested, this is what I use, minus measuring cups and spoons which I assume you may already own. I will add the basic macaron ingredients I use soon, also.)

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Candy Cap Mushroom Macarons

Makes approximately 20-24 regular/medium-sized macarons

For the Macaron:

  • 165 grams ground almond flour (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
  • 165 grams powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons ground dried candy cap mushrooms
  • 4 egg whites, separated and sealed in separate jar 1-4 days prior
  • 150 grams fine or granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • brown and yellow food coloring gels (about 5 drops of each)

For the Filling:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 5 ounces neufchâtel cream cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons creamed honey
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Making the Macaron:

  1. Prepare two insulated baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Place a good handful of the dried candy cap mushrooms in a food processor (I eyeballed what might end up as 2 Tablespoons when it was ground up… it’s ok if you have more or slightly less). Grind until the pieces are as fine as possible. Parts of it may be powdery, parts of it might still be dried mushroom, both are ok to put in the macaron mix. Keep the ground candy cap in the food processor. 
  3. Weigh or measure out your almond flour and powdered sugar. Place both in food processor and pulse with the candy caps until they are fine and fully mixed. If you own a sieve, you can sift them but I didn’t and they came out just fine.
  4. Measure out your fine granulated sugar and have ready. Pour the egg whites and lemon juice into a large stainless steel bowl and under medium speed whisk them until they begin to look more white and bubbly (about 30-60 seconds). Reduce the speed to low and gradually start adding the sugar. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed to medium again and mix until it is glossy and stiff. While they are turning into stiff peaks, I added a bit of the food coloring to get it started and see where I liked it. You can also add it during the next phase while folding the almond flour into the egg whites. It’s up to you.
  5. Gradually add the ground almond/powdered sugar mixture into the egg white bowl and carefully fold the ground almond into the mixture with rubber spatula. Adjust the color here also if you’d like. Keep folding until all of the almond mixture is incorporated and you’ve achieved the color you like. Consistency should be smooth and slightly runny but not too stiff.
  6. With a piping bag already fitted with your tip, spoon the mixture into the bag and evenly pipe mixture out onto your baking sheets. I fit about 20-24 shells on per sheet, counting to about 7 seconds as I piped out each one to help my consistency of sizing. Some may be a bit bigger or smaller than the others, but usually in the end they find their match.
  7. Tap the bottom of each sheet on your work surface to release the air bubbles. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour.
  8. Preheat the oven to 280ºF. Bake the macarons for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Check for doneness by looking at the “foot”, it will be slightly browned but not overly so.
  9. Let cool before you put in the filling. Macarons should release easily from the sheet. Pair up with similarly sized and matching shells.

For the Filling:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks for about 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and creamed honey until combined. Add the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments until you reach your desired consistency. It may be a little runny, so I put it in the freezer to help solidify it a bit. Also, I didn’t end up using all of the filling because there was so much of it once I added in all of the powdered sugar, so you can reserve for another use or try halving the recipe if you’re prefer. 
  2. With a small butter knife, slather on a small amount of the filling on one side of the macaron shell pair and gently press together. Voila!

(Almost Vegan) Everyday Chocolate Loaf Cake

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Ok, let me first start off by saying that you know you have the most badass kittens ever when they behave during a food photography shoot while blasting some ZZ Top on the record player (ie. not jump on the kitchen table full of delicately placed reflector boards, powdered sugar and cake crumbs everywhere). They’ll tear up practically everything else in the apartment they can get their hands on (although they haven’t broken anything yet… knock on wood!), whether it be shredding a roll full of toilet paper, a candy wrapper or clothing tag, but when it comes to mommy’s kitchen baking projects, they are practically angels. Sweet little angels.

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And then they curl up with me on the couch as I edit the photos and write this blog post. Man, am I the luckiest kitty mama ever or what? I really need to get on sharing more photos of those rascals. Gee whiz. But in the meantime, we have more important issues to discuss. Like this (nearly vegan) Everyday Chocolate Loaf Cake. Very serious, important issues.

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I think this is, by far, my favorite photo shoot I’ve ever done. It helps that I finally found some decent photography backdrop equipment and tools (thank you Goodwill and recycled/reclaimed lumberyards!). I finally got around to thumbing through this book From Plate to Pixel  by Helene Dujardin a few weeks ago and man, it has me ridiculously inspired. Her food photography is definitely at the highest esthetic level in my opinion, and exactly what I strive to achieve as far as color, depth of field, texture, and style go. I love it. It’s practically my new bible.

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I found this loaf cake recipe while fiddling around on Foodgawker last night and was instantly frothing at the mouth, and luckily already had all of the ingredients on hand. However I decided to be a bit adventurous and make it almost vegan. Almost vegan because I subbed out the butter for canola oil, and made up my own almond “buttermilk” with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. But I didn’t leave out the (one) egg. I wasn’t in the mood to fool around with it further. Striving to leave the main integrity of the cake to stand up alone, I didn’t want to compromise the texture or flavor too much. Sometimes I think butter tends to dry out cakes too much, which is part of the reason I have favored vegan baking for many, many years. Canola or coconut oil is always a great option when you crave that moist texture, especially when it comes to loaf cakes. They can dry out pretty fast if you’re not careful. But this turned out wonderfully. The only thing I might change next time I make this is to add some chocolate chips to the batter to enrich the chocolate flavor and add some melty goodness to the mix. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly encourage you to give this a try. There’s a reason it’s called an “everyday” loaf cake–more than likely you already have all of these ingredients on hand to many any day, everyday! Oh, and this would be a delicious snack with some peanut butter spread on top. Jus’ sayin’.

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 (Almost Vegan) Everyday Chocolate Loaf Cake

Adapted from the original recipe in At Home With Magnolia 

Makes one 9x5x3-inch loaf cake

  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with coconut or canola oil, set aside.
  2. In a measuring cup, pour out your almond milk and stir in the cider vinegar and lemon juice. Set aside to curdle for at least 5 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the sugars and the oil on medium speed until combined and slightly fluffy. Add the egg, then the almond “buttermilk” and vanilla.
  4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Fold with a spatula (otherwise you may dust your entire kitchen with cocoa powder!) until well-blended but not over mixing. Scrape the batter down into the bowl, ensuring all ingredients are well incorporated.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes (may be 50-60 mins depending on how hot/cool your oven runs). Insert a toothpick into cake to check for doneness. Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto your serving platter. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Mango Macarons with Coconut-Lime Buttercream

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Another macaron baking adventure! Yes, but this time I tried a twist on things. I decided I wanted to try a fruity and tangy Spring/Summertime themed combination, and start with mango as the base shell. For the filling, I originally thought lime would be the best, but then after pondering it further, mango and coconut go extremely well together also. I polled my Facebook group during the heat of the moment indecision making process that was going on in my kitchen to see what they thought. Coconut or lime?
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I’m kinda silly sometimes when I ask for other peoples’ opinions cause I end up kinda just doing what I felt from my gut all along. Most people voted for coconut, but I couldn’t let go of the lime idea. So I incorporated both!

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I used this book to guide my basic recipe, but honestly the last two times I’ve followed her recipes from this book, I haven’t been very happy with the results. The flavors are great, but the macaron shell itself has always turned out a bit funky. Very moist and the shells don’t come out even and smooth. I’m not sure what the deal is, but maybe I should take the time to investigate this piece of advice (if I can even find it there…). I’m up for the possibility that maybe it was just the fact that I did something a bit different to the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture. For the mango flavor, I purchased this freeze dried mango at Trader Joe’s thinking since it lacked moisture, I could just put it through a food processor to turn it into a dried mango flour. And it was a miracle! It worked!

For the filling, I searched all over the place for ideas on a not-too-sweet lime/coconut buttercream. I ended up just winging it and making up my own. Using cream cheese with a bit of butter and some powdered sugar did the trick just fine.

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I’m so excited that I discovered freeze dried fruits to put into macarons! How genius! I can’t wait to discover more to play with (blueberry, pineapple, strawberry), and finally discover the perfect ratio so they consistently turn out great! These were still delicious even though they weren’t the “perfect” macaron. The mango flavor came through very well… it was mouthwatering. I just wanted to eat one after another after another. Give this a try if you’re feeling adventurous… ;)

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Mango Macarons with Coconut-Lime Buttercream

Makes approximately 10-12 small/medium macarons

Adapted from Macaroon by Parragon Books

For the Mango Macaron:

For the Coconut-Lime Buttercream:

  • 3 oz. neufchâtel cream cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 1/2 lime (or more depending on how thick/thin you’d like the filling to be)
  1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Place the freeze-dried mangos in a 7-cup (or more) food processor and pulse until they become finely ground into a powder. Add the ground almonds and confectioners’ sugar, continuing to pulse and blend until most of the chunks are gone and finely ground. 
  3. Place the egg whites in a large stainless-steel bowl and whip until holding soft peaks. Gradually beat in the superfine sugar to make a firm and glossy meringue (stiff peaks). Beat in the orange food coloring gel to give a bright orange color.
  4. Using a spatula, fold the mango-almond mixture into the meringue 1/3 at a time. When all the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, continue to cut and fold the mixture until it forms a shiny batter with a thick, ribbonlike consistency. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water.
  5. Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip. Pipe 20-24 (depending on how much batter you ended up with–the original recipe claims you can get about 32 individual shells out of the batter, but I didn’t find that to be the case unfortunately) small circles onto the prepared baking sheets. Tap the sheets firmly onto a work surface to remove air bubbles. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes up to 1 hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, rotating half way through the baking cycle. Be sure to keep a close eye on them toward the end as they brown quickly. It’s a fine line between baking them long enough so they’re not doughy and gooey in the center, but not so they look burnt on top.
  7. Cool for 10 minutes. Carefully peel the macarons off the parchment paper and let cool completely. Mine weren’t completely done after I pulled them out, so I popped them in the oven again for about 5-7 more minutes.
  8. Prepare the buttercream cheese filling: in a medium-sized bowl, whip the cream cheese and butter together until thoroughly combined and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar 1/3 at a time. It may be very dry and thick. If you’ve already zested your lime, squeeze in the lime juice now. Then add your lime zest and coconut flakes! Voila.
  9. Sandwich pairs of macarons together with the coconut-lime buttercream.

Mint Brownies with Cream Cheese & Strawberries

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You ever have those days when you want to bake something but you’re not quite sure what it is you’re in the mood for? You know, those unfortunate indecisive baking days when you just can’t figure it all out. And you want to try to use what ingredients you already have on hand at home because you’re too lazy to go to the store (more like you’ve already been to the store 4 times this week and you dread stepping foot in one again unless you really need a block of cheese or milk or something, something you can’t live without). Well, I had one of those days yesterday.

I’ve been wanting to make brownies for quite awhile, since the last time I made them was here, but with a twist. If I’m going to bake something, unless I’m really craving it, I’d prefer to invent something new rather than reinvent the wheel, so-to-speak. Anyway, I consulted my Facebook followers and asked what I should bake. Always a good strategy when you need some random, thoughtful ideas. Someone suggested strawberries, and I realized I already had a bunch in the fridge. And some cream cheese. And some mint. Because mint and chocolate are always a great combination together, especially in Spring time when the weather starts to warm up. So, there you have it. I decided to combine all of those things together and I now introduce to you these Mint Brownies with Cream Cheese and Strawberries!

I halved the original “Salted Caramel Brownie”, took out the salted caramel part, and didn’t make them gluten-free this time. Then I made a little cream cheese whipped frosting, spread a bit of reserved brownie on top, topped it with sliced strawberries, then baked it. The only thing I would do differently next time is not bake the strawberries in the brownie. They turned out a bit watery and made the brownie a little too moist, plus it really changes the strawberry texture. Still good, just not ideal. Additionally,  I would have probably prolonged the baking time 5-10 minutes longer because a few areas came out gooey. They were cooked, and maybe it had something to do with the watery strawberries, but could’ve gone in longer. I just thought for sure they were done baking because the cream cheese part started to brown. Oh well. The fun lessons you learn in baking! Anyhow, needless to say these turned out rather delicious despite the baked strawberry part. The mint brownie with the cream cheese was awesome, just like a black-bottomed cupcake!

Mint Brownies with Cream Cheese & Strawberries

Makes 9 brownies in an 8″ baking dish

Adapted from my previous GF Salted Caramel Brownies & Scientifically Sweet 

For the Brownie Base:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Cream Cheese Swirl Topping:

  • 5 ounces neufchâtel cream cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 8-10 medium-sized strawberries, sliced into 1/8-1/4″ thick slices
  • freshly chopped mint, for garnish once baked and some extra minty flava (optional)
  1. Spray an 8×8” baking pan with cooking oil, and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper (it’s ok if the paper sticks out and over). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter on low-medium speed with a hand-held or stand mixer until creamy.
  4. Add the sugars, beating until they are well incorporated.
  5. Add the sour cream and peppermint extract, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one is added.
  6. Add the sifted dry ingredients, beating until just combined.
  7. Reserve 1/2 cup of the brownie mixture to swirl on top of cream cheese in a bit.
  8. Pour batter into baking pan lined with parchment paper.
  9. To make the cream cheese swirl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar until glossy, then beat in the egg yolk until just blended. Pour cream mixture over brownie batter.
  10. Dollop or pour reserved brownie mixture in a zig-zag pattern and using a knife draw swirls in the batter. Layer the sliced strawberries on the top of the cream cheese (or not and wait until they are done baking) and bake until slightly puffed and gooey inside, about 45-50 minutes.

Lemon Poppyseed Layer Cake with Lavender Buttercream & Lemon Curd

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Ever since having finally purchased two more 9 inch cake pans to be able to make a proper layer cake, I have been jonesing to make one! Every now and then, I end up craving a lemon poppy seed muffin (like the awfully delicious ones you can buy in bulk at Costco?), and this was the case last week. Surprisingly enough, I had never baked with poppy seeds before. I bought them in bulk at Whole Foods a few months ago so when the inspiration hit me, I had them on hand. And luckily in this case, I was prepared.

So, a lemon poppy seed layer cake it was. But what kind of frosting? Lavender, of course! What better Spring-like combination than lavender and lemons? So I raided my entire kitchen for everything lavender I own: lavender simple syrup, dried lavender buds, lavender sugar, and lavender bitters. I toyed with the idea of putting lavender sugar in the cake batter, but quickly came to the conclusion that separating the two to have their own distinct flavors come through would be best. I adapted my buttercream frosting recipe from Sarah Magid’s Organic and Chic, which came out just fine other than it was quite a warm day on the afternoon I made this, so it was a bit more runny than usual. I added a ton of powdered sugar to it to thicken it up, which made it almost too sweet, but I really loved the idea of a buttercream so I went with it. It worked out just fine, but if I had had more room in my fridge, I probably would have refrigerated the cake so the icing would have set in place a bit faster. Next time, I think I’ll try this buttercream recipe.

So I divided the two 9′in cakes in half, to make four layers total. I decided an extra little kick of lemon flavor would be great to balance out the lavender, so I purchased some premade lemon curd at the store (totally cheating but who cares? I totally wasn’t going to make the lemon curd from scratch too…) For the frosting, I also made it very lavender-y with the lavender sugar and lavender bitters in place of the vanilla extract. Have I mentioned how much I love bitters? I recently started reading this and I am so into it. I want all the bitters. GIVE THEM TO MEEE.

I reserved a bit of the frosting and added more purple food coloring to it for a little extra decoration, although the frosting was a bit melted. Oh well! It still tasted delicious. I used a few leftover edible paper butterflies on the top of the cake, as well as some crystallized violet flowers for an extra touch of pretty Spring vibes.

I was very pleased with how this cake turned out, but next time I’d try a different frosting. So glad I used the lavender flavor and some lemon curd, though. This is a wonderful Spring-time (post-Easter although I know it could very well pass as a lovely Easter cake) dessert or birthday cake. Or maybe for Mother’s Day! Whaddya say?

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Lemon Poppyseed Layer Cake with Lavender Buttercream & Lemon Curd

Adapted from Heather Christo Cooks and Organic and Chic

Makes one 4 layer 9″ cake

Serves 8-10

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest, (skin of 3 large lemons)
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 8oz jar Lemon Curd (store bought or homemade)
  • 1 recipe of lavender whipped buttercream (recipe follows)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat the butter, sugar and zest together until they are light and fluffy.
  3. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients and set aside. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, combining thoroughly in between. Add the vanilla extract and the lemon juice, (it may look curdled, but it’s not!) Add one third of the dry ingredients, and then half of the buttermilk. Repeat, adding another third of the dry ingredients, and then the other half of the buttermilk. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients, and mix the batter until all of the ingredients are completely combined and the batter is light and fluffy.
  4. Prepare two 9” pans with baking spray. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans. Bake the cakes on a middle shelf for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool before removing from the pan. When the cake is completely cool, slice each cake round horizontally in half to create four cake rounds total.

To make your Buttercream:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup lavender sugar (alternatively: crush 1 Tablespoon of dried lavender buds
    with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor pulse with 3/4 cups of white granulated sugar)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons lavender bitters
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar, used to thicken the frosting if too thin
  1. Cream the butter on medium speed until soft. Add the lavender sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the milk, the flour and the lavender bitters, whisking until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup of milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the mixture comes to a low boil. Then reduce the heat to low and keep whisking for a few more minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.
  3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, but keep stirring to release the heat (you can also place the pan over a bowl of ice water to help stop the cooking process and allow the mixture to cool).
  4. Once the milk mixture has thickened, set it aside to cool at room temperature, or stick it in the freezer for about 5 minutes to speed the process.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter and lavender sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add powdered sugar or more lavender bitters to achieve the desired consistency.
  6. Spread a nice thin layer of lemon curd on your first cake layer, then frost with the lavender icing, top with another cake layer, and continue doing this until you have frosted all your cake layers and have topped it with the lavender frosting.

If you have cake decorating skills and supplies and you want to flex your muscles, go for it! I’d love to see your lavender cake creations. A simple sprinkle of dried lavender buds goes a long way, too! Enjoy and please let me know what you think.

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