i love lavender-trimming day
delicate buds
not yet spent
but
given their pollen
to the bees
at the ready
for
culinary cajoling
i bundle the limping stalks
tacking my baker's rack
with
lines of purple
a
scent of Provence
filling the air
i toss the dried buds
in everything
from
simple syrup to custards
aioli to bitters
shortbread to biscotti
i especially love it
in this cake
lemon-lavender cake
(this is a riff on a classic 1-2-3-4 cake)
Cake
1 cup unsalted butter--room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbs lemon zest
juice of 1 large lemon
1 generous tsp dried lavender buds
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each
addition. Stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula and resume beating until the mixture looks like
buttercream frosting. Meanwhile…in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice and buttermilk together. With the mixer on low, alternately mix in
the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, in 3 additions. Do not over-mix, just allow the ingredients to come together. Stir in the lavender. Pour into 2 loaf pans that have been coated in pan spray. Bake at 325 F for approximately 50 mins. Check for doneness after 40 minutes. Cake is fully baked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.When cool, pour glaze over
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs cream
Juice of lemon (more or less to your taste)
Stir together and pour over cooled cake.
i've linked my cake up to this great weekly party
