If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living in an area that has four seasons, is not to get too excited at the first warm, sunny day. Mother nature always seems to bring several more weeks of frost and a few days of snow. This year the trees, tulips and daffodils were in full bloom while several inches of snow fell. What finally gets me in gear are the few, short weeks that our lilac bushes bloom. The blossoms are a sight to behold and their scent is intoxicating. What I love most is that the blossoms are edible, enhancing baked goods, pastry creams, sorbets, syrups and flavored sugars. Lilacs add subtle floral notes to this cake’s moist, tender crumb, making it perfect for spring and the warmer weather ahead.
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Lilacs grow into huge bushes, lush with hundreds of blossoms that exude the most heavenly scent and range in color from white to purple to pink. Although originally native to Asia and Europe, they are part of New England’s heritage, with mentions by both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington in their personal gardening notes. Lilacs are a cold climate plant, needing a period of cold-initiated dormancy to flower, so cold, snowy winters bring an abundance of blossoms in spring.
Rich and buttery, this cake can be flavored a dozen different ways. Following a few simple steps will make the difference between a heavy, dry cake and a finely textured crumb that sings with flavor and perfection through the last bite. First, only butter will do and the ingredients should be top notch and as fresh as possible. The eggs and butter should be room temperature or they will seize and separate when mixing. (Microwaving the butter usually has sub-par results.) Creaming the butter and sugar thoroughly is the most critical step in making an exceptional pound cake. A good stand mixer is your best friend, the workhorse that can take on the task of beating/creaming the butter for the mandatory 5-6 minutes necessary to aerate it to a creamy, light consistency that is pale – almost white in color. During the final step of mixing in the dry ingredients and the sour cream, give the mixer a rest and keep it on low speed. I usually remove the bowl when there are a few streaks of flour left and manually fold it in. Overmixing at this point will deflate the batter, reversing all the work done in the previous step, resulting in a tough, dense crumb.
Thoroughly greasing and flouring the pan will avoid the heartbreak of a perfectly made cake that is destroyed trying to get it out of the pan (yes, I’ve shed a few tears over ruined cakes). I rotate the cake halfway through baking and start testing the cake with a cake tester about 12 minutes before the recipe’s baking time. As soon as it comes out clean, I remove it from the oven.
Place the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly. Then place a wire rack over the top and invert the cake, gently allowing it to release from the pan. (Removing the cake too early or allowing the cake to cool too long in the pan can cause it to stick to the pan.)
One bite into this cake will make all that fuss and bother when making it was so worth it. A delicate, tender and buttery crumb highlighted by the subtle, floral nuances of the lilacs. Enjoy!
| Servings |
| 12-16servings |
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- 3 cups (405 g) cake floursifted
- 1/2cup (55 g) almond flour
- 1/2 tsp saltkosher or sea
- 1 1/2cups (340 g) butterunsalted
- 2large lemons - zestfinely grated (use juice for glaze, see below)
- 2 tsp lemon extract or emulsionfor lemon oil, see notes below
- 2 1/3cups (465 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3cup (65 g) lilac sugar *see recipe & notes below
- 6large eggsroom temperature
- 1cup (250 ml) sour cream
- 1/3cup fresh lemon juiceuse lemons from cake recipe
- 1/2cup (100 g) lilac sugar *see recipe + notes below
- confectioner's sugaroptional for dusting
- bundt, tube or loaf pan10-inch (12-cup)
- Lower your oven rack to one position below middle position and preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Thoroughly grease and lightly flour a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt or loaf pan.* (Take care to grease all the nooks and crannies or the cake make stick to the pan.)
- Resift the flour, almond flour and salt together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standard mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed, until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest, lemon extract and lilac sugar and beat on medium speed for an additional minute. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1/3 cup at a time, beating for 30-45 seconds after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary. After all of the sugar is added, beat the mixture on medium-high speed for 5-6 minutes, until fluffy and lighter in color, (Beating the mixture for this lenth of time is important step in creating a light and tender crumb after being baked.)
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not beat the mixture, mixing just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Gently spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, leveling the top with a spatula.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a cake tester/ toothpick stuck in the thickest part comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Take care not to overbake. The top may crack slightly which is normal and will not be visible once the cake is inverted.
- While the cake is baking, make the glaze. In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice and lilac sugar together. Continue stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Keep covered when not stirring so it doesn't dry out.
- Remove the cake from the oven when done and place the pan on a wire rack for 5-7 minutes to cool slightly. (Removing the cake too early or allowing the cake to cool completely in the pan, may cause it to stick to the pan.) Place a wire rack on top of the pan and invert. Slowly and gently lift the pan upwards to remove the cake. Place the rack with the cake over a baking sheet.
- Stir the glaze a few times. While the cake is still warm, use a pastry brush to completely coat the cake with glaze (including the center tube portion). Besides adding more flavor to the cake, the glaze will help to keep the cake moist. Allow to completely cool.
- Transfer to a serving platter or cake stand. Dust with confectioner's sugar, if desired. Use a serrated knife to cut into slices and serve. Seasonal berries are delicious with this cake. Store covered, at room temperature, for 2-3 days.
Substitutions -
Lemon oil - (food grade only) to substitute natural essential oils for an extract, start by using ¼ teaspoon essential oil in place of 1 teaspoon of an extract. Some essential oils such as clove and peppermint are particularly potent. We recommend starting with less and adding more to taste.
With LorAnn’s super strength oils, natural essential oils are about 3 to 4 times stronger than alcohol-based extract flavorings (an extract is a flavor diluted in alcohol or a combination of alcohol and water).
Floral Sugars - any edible flowers can be substituted when making flavored sugar. Special care should be taken to assure the flowers are both edible and free of pesticides and insects.
*Measuring the flour (without a kitchen scale) - how you measure the flour can affect the finished product as flour does pack down. One cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4.25 ounces. A cup of flour scooped with a measuring cup can weigh significantly more, especially when the recipe calls for several cups of flour.
Flour measurements in all of our recipes are taken by the following method:
1. fluff up the flour
2. sprinkle it with a spoon into your dry-cup measure (measures exactly a cup at the top)
3. scrape off the excess with a straight edge.
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- ¼-½cup lilac blossoms½ cup fresh or ¼ cup dried *
- 1cup sugargranulated
- Place sugar and lilac blossoms in food processor. Pulse 5-6 times, then grind 1-2 minutes or until pulverized. *
- Store in an air tight container in a cool, dry, dark space for up to one year. Canning jars make perfect containers. If there is any clumping, shake container to break up clumps, or pulse a few times in food processor prior to using.
*Fresh blossoms - If using fresh blossoms, make sure they are completely dry after washing. After grinding, allow flower sugar to air out for 30 minutes before storing in an air tight jar for at least two weeks before using. If there is any clumping, shake jar to break up clumps, or pulse a few times in food processor prior to using.
One cup fresh lilacs equals approximately 50-60 blossoms (one cluster).
*Drying fresh blossoms - To dry fresh blossoms, remove the flower clusters/ spikes from the branches. Rinse gently in cool water, then shake gently to remove excess water. Place on double layer of paper towels for 30 minutes or until water has dried.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (This next step can be done before or after drying the blossoms.) Remove each blossom from its sepal (the green part of the cluster). Whether the stamen and stigma (the center part of the blossom) remain intact is not important. Although time consuming, drying the blossoms is well worth the effort.
Place the blossoms or clusters in a single layer on the parchment lined baking/ cookie sheets. Place in a warm, dry space away from direct sunlight. Allow to dry thoroughly, at least two days or longer, depending upon the humidity level.
When completely dried, store in an air tight container in a cool, dry, dark space for up to one year.
Equivalents - Use ½ cup dried lilac blossoms in place of 1 cup fresh lilac blossoms.