Lavender Tea Bread
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This Lavender Tea Bread is a moist, sweet tea loaf, perfect for afternoon tea or for celebrating lavender season. Rich with butter and vanilla cream, this floral loaf cake is simple to make and one of the loveliest lavender recipes for spring and summer.
If you love the flavor of lavender, you'll also adore this creamy and delicious Honey Lavender Ice Cream. For a smaller floral bake, my Lavender Earl Grey Teacakes are a beautiful companion recipe to this loaf.
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What I Love About This Tea Bread
Tea breads have long been part of British and Irish baking traditions, from Irish barmbrack to other simple loaf cakes served in thick slices with tea. This version is a softer, sweeter take - somewhere between a traditional tea loaf and a floral loaf cake.
What I love most is its delicate lavender flavor, buttery crumb, and the hint of vanilla that makes it feel especially lovely for afternoon tea. Serve it plain, glazed, or with a little butter, and don't forget a hot cup of tea alongside.
For another lovely lavender treat, try my Earl Grey Lavender Tea Latte, a warm and comforting drink with the same floral notes.
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Tips for Baking With Lavender
I most often use dried culinary lavender in this recipe, which is easy to keep on hand and works beautifully year-round. Fresh lavender is lovely too when it's in season.
For the best texture, chop or crush the lavender buds before adding them to the batter. A light hand is best - enough to give the loaf its floral character, but not so much that the flavor overwhelms the bread.
Key Ingredients
Lavender is, of course, the star, but one of the ingredients that makes this loaf especially delicious is vanilla creamer. I first used it when I ran out of milk, and the added sweetness and vanilla flavor made the bread even better. If you don't have creamer, you can substitute milk, half-and-half, or cream. If using plain milk, I like to add a little extra sugar to balance the flavor.
Lavender Tea Bread FAQs
I've tested this recipe using both a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Both work equally well. The baking time in an 8 x 4-inch pan, in my oven, was 47 minutes.
Like rosemary leaves, lavender buds are often a bit coarse. Chop or crush the buds with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor until coarsely ground.
Lavender Tea Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk or vanilla creamer *
- 1-2 tablespoons dried lavender 1 tablespoon fresh lavender
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Glaze
- ½ cup sifted powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray with cooking spray or butter, then flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8½x4½-inch loaf pan.
- Combine the vanilla creamer or milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until it just begins to simmer; remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer or stand mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the batter is light and fluffy; stir in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternately with the lavender cream until just blended; pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Let cool in the pan a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.
- Make the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and water until the desired consistency is reached. Spread the glaze over warm or cool cake. Cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Milk vs Creamer: If you want to make your own, we have a recipe for a Homemade Vanilla Creamer. Otherwise, a store-bought vanilla creamer is wonderful too. No creamer? Substitute with milk, cream, or half and half. I do like to add an additional ¼ cup of sugar if I'm using milk.
- Loaf Pan Sizes: You can use a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or an 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan. Both work equally well. Baking time in an 8 x 4-inch pan, in my oven, is 47 minutes.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
More Tea Cakes and Loaf Recipes
- Simple Blueberry & Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd
- Easy Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
- Best Moist Almond Cake
- Lemon Pound Bundt Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake
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Just for this, I'm growing lavender this year!
Haha! When my lavender isn't blooming I visit a culinary lavender farm for the same reason!