Gluten Free Lemon Cake With Honey Lavender Whipped Cream

Lately I have realized that like many other people, I might have a problem with gluten. I know what most of you will think when I say that, "is everyone gluten intolerant?", but the answer is no, not everyone is gluten intolerant. The problem with gluten in present day is that it is filled with chemicals, therefore things we should not be putting in our bodies. Your body is only as good as the way you treat is, so everyone should treat it that way. With that being said, you don't need to deprive it of all of the delicious foods there are out there, because I know I am not about to deprive myself. While at New Seasons a couple of weeks ago at their wine night, there was a vendor their who caught my attention. The first part that I loved was that it was a charming little stand with a 1950's vibe. The second part that caught my attention and immediately helped me fall in love, was that their cake mixes are gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free and vegan! All in all, anyone can eat these, and once I tried the sample, I wanted to buy every kind that was available. The first kind of mix that I bought from Julie's Original was their white cake mix. Julie actually happened to be at the stand, so I decided to pick her brain about different recipes she had for this particular mix. She told me about how to transform it into a lemon cake, since that is what she had to sample that night. One element that is so great about her cakes are that all you have to add to the mix, is a non-dairy milk and oil. Below I will have directions how to make the cake, and how to make the whipped cream!

As you can see, the packaging for this cake mix is so delightful to look at and just makes me want to bake in a cute polka dot apron. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To the mix, I added 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil and 1 1/2 cups of soy milk (we ran out of our usual coconut almond milk). I wanted to have this be a lemon cake so I added 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and the zest of one lemon. If you want it to be a basic white cake, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla instead of the lemon extract and zest. Once those are added to the mixing bowl with the cake mix, beat for 15 seconds or until all blended and smooth. I wanted to make this into a two layer cake, so I divided the batter two 8 inch circle pans, and did not grease them. My pans are non-stick, therefore they don't need to be greased.

Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until cooked all of the way through. Stick a toothpick in the middle to check if they are finished or not. Mine took about 32 minutes.

After the cakes are finished baking, let them rest and cool. While those are cooling, start making your honey lavender whipped cream. In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of dried lavender. Allow this to heat for about 30 minutes on medium-low heat.

Once this is done cooking, use a fine mesh sieve to strain the lavender out. Allow your lavender cream to cool. You will add 4 tablespoons of honey, zest of 1 lemon, and juice of 1 lemon to the lavender cream. Beat this all together with a electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Now you are ready to assemble the cake! For mine, I laid down one layer on my cake stand, then spread a layer of the whipped cream on top, making sure there was an even amount. Then, set your second layer of cake on top. Your extra whipped cream will be used as a substitute for frosting on the cake!

Enjoy everyone!