Lavender Champagne Cake with honey cream cheese frosting

I have absolutely no chill when it comes to this cake.

Zero.zilch.nada.

It’s amazing. And that’s a bold statement. But so amazing that I ate it for breakfast before Mr. LTSL was even awake. I wish I was lying but #RealLife.

And I would only make it for the specialist of occasions … you know, like Friday night.

Kidding … kind of.

 

But it’s mother’s day weekend and we gotttaaa celebrate mama!! Also, this mother’s day is super-extra-special aannnnd we need cake.cake.cake.!

First, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the people mamas out there, all the expecting mamas out there, all the adopting mamas, all the pet mamas, and all the women who are holding it down!!

I have no words for my mom, seriously she’s my everything – she loves cake, her laugh is infectious and her kindness can put mother Teresa to shame (not true, mother Teresa wins life … by Mama LTSL comes a very close second).Don’t get me wrong though, her sass is something similar to Queen Bey’s Lemonade video. I’ll just warn you, don’t mess with mama’s family – she’ll juice you!!

Now that we’re all afraid of my mom – let’s talk cake!! More specifically naked cake … such as this one. Funny story, a couple years ago for my bridal shower I wanted a naked cake – something with fruits and fresh flowers, simple but elegant. I walked into a bakery and simply asked Hi, do you guys do naked cakes – the kind baker responded, why – yes, I’ve done a few ass cakes over the years.

I looked at my mom – my mom looked at me and we walked out pretty much peeing our pants.

  

But this cake. AHH – the lavender makes it taste like spring, the honey cream cheese frosting is sweet but not too sweet and it’s sooooo preeeetttyyyy!! Also, champagne. YYYEEESSS! We’re winning folks, simply winning all of the golden stars.

Lavender Champagne Cake with honey cream cheese frosting

• 3 cups all-purpose flower
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ tbsp. dried lavender
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups champagne
• Prepared cream cheese frosting
• 1 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans (or 1 10 inch and 1 8 inch because you realize your 9 inch pans are at your parent’s house after making the batter *rolls eyes*).

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder sea salt, lavender and lemon zest .

In a mixing bowl beat butter and sugar 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and beat in the eggs one at a time.

Beat in flour mixture and champagne in three alternating additions, starting and ending with flour to prevent curdling.

Pour batter into pans and bake 35 minutes.

Let cool.

In a small bowl, combine can of cream cheese frosting and honey.

Once the cake has cooled, cut each cake in half horizontally and frost the middle. Stack each layer and repeat, only frosting the middle ( that’s why it’s called a naked cake heh. without any bums in sight).

Honey Roasted Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Pecan Brittle

Like most holidays eater weekend means …

An extra day off – yay!!

Tons of food – yay!!

Tons of easter/bunny/spring themed snacks – yay!!

And chocolate – yaaaaay! Yaaaaayyy!! Yaaaayy!!

And naps, there are bound to be a couple naps!

Again, this year we’ll be doing our annual Easter egg hunt for my parents – seriously, this is the best thing ever. Often my parents would forget where they hid the candy, normally turning into a huge mess, so one year – I think my brother and I were probably in our early 20’s- we turned the tables, and decided to hide candy for my mom and dad.

Best.idea.ever.

I’ve never seen anything as funny, and they totally get into it. ahhh parents, gotta love them!! Speaking of parents, I feel like I haven’t been home in forever – seriously, I live less than an hour away, and the last time I saw them was like a month ago. It.breaks.my.heart.

But also, real life … I guess. So I’m even more excited than ever to be spending the weekend with them!! Also, there’s nothing like mom’s home cooking in exchange for making her Easter bread…. And carrot cake.

DEAL!!

Take a lookie look at the cake I got for you today – carrots, cinnamon pecans, annnddd ohhh look at that cream cheese frosting! Sooo … a muffin with frosting?! – pretty much, at least that’s how I was able to justify it when I ate it for breakfast – plus carrots, nuts, dairy in the frosting …. I’m pretty much eating kale.

Honey Roasted Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Pecan Brittle

1 1/2 cups + 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil ( divided 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp – 2 tbps)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ cup brown sugar

6 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 ½  cups flour

¾  cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. + 1 Tsp ground cinnamon (divided 1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

¼  tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

2 large carrots peeled ( 1 finely grated – 2, coarsely chopped)

1 tin pineapple rings

2 Tbsp Honey

Prepared cream cheese frosting  (or you can make your own … )

  

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine chopped carrots, 2 tbps oil, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tsp cinnamon and pineapple rings. Roast for 30 minutes. Once finished removed from oven.

Lower the oven to 350 oc and allow carrot-pineapple combo to cool.

Grease and flour  one large 12-inch round baking pan or two 9-inch round baking pans.

In the bowl of a large stand mixer, mix together 1 ½ cup + 2 tbsp oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined and smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients flours, remaining cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves, ginger until combined.

Add cooled carrot-pineapple mixture to a blender, and blend to a thick paste ( it should resemble apple sauce) – you may have to add a little bit a water to help the process.

Combine all wet and dry ingredients.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. In the meantime, prepare cinnamon pecan brittle

 

Cinnamon Pecan Brittle

1 egg white

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together egg white, honey, salt and cinnamon.

Toss nuts in the egg white mixture to coat.  Pour nut mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, until nuts are browned.

Allow nuts to cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

 

Assembling the cake

Once cake and brittle has cooled, level off both carrot cakes and break apart brittle.

Divide each cake horizontally (leaving you with 4 or 3 cakes depending on the size of pan used), between each layer, slater on the prepared cream cheese frosting, top with next later of cake. Repeat for all layers. Top the last layer of cake, with your brittle.

Happy Easter everyone!!