July Recipe: Lemon Lavender Cake

It’s time for another recipe! First, the recipe. Then, me blathering onward about my occasionally questionable culinary capabilities and the memories this particular feast holds for me.

• The Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 tablespoon edible dried lavender (I get mine from Amazon)
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• The Way of Preparing
  1. Food processor needed for this, or a spice grinder.
  2. Oven to 350°F, 177°C, gas mark 4
  3. Process the white sugar and lavender until the lavender is nearly sugar-sized or broken down.
  4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Add the lavender sugar and mix well.
  6. Whisk together the yogurt, butter, and eggs.
  7. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just barely combined.
  8. Add the lemon zest and juice.
  9. Butter and parchment paper line an 8 inch square pan.
  10. Add the batter to the prepared pan.
  11. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until it pasts the toothpick test.
  12. Invert the cake to turn it out, take off the paper while it is still warm and cool on a wire rack.
  13. Dusk with confectioners before serving.
• Notes
  • You can substitute a good olive oil instead of butter.

I can’t have strawberries. I’m allergic. And, at suggestion of my dear friend Chelé, I wanted an alternative to the berry-heavy July recipes that claim patriotic leanings through use of red and blue berries. So, I love a good lavender lemonade and thought it would be a great cake! This is taken from a recipe by a Ms. Diana Henry, with some minor tweaks. I like more lemon and I use melted butter rather than olive oil.

Serve it with some lavender lemonade for some extra punch!

Happy baking!