Makes: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1-1 1/4 hours
Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
For cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature for 30 minutes
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
For blueberries in syrup
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons Culinary lavender Buy
this product or
2 tablespoons fresh edible lavender flowers
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
10 oz blueberries (1 pt)
Special equipment: a 9- by 5- by 3-inch metal loaf pan
Make cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Generously
butter and flour loaf pan, knocking out excess flour.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat
together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric
mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes in
a stand mixer or 5 with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well
after each addition, then beat in zest and vanilla. Reduce speed to
low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning
and ending with flour and mixing until just incorporated.
Spoon batter into loaf pan and bake until golden and
a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering,
1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then invert
onto rack and cool completely.
Prepare blueberries in syrup:
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until
sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and
stir in Culinary Lavender, then steep 30 minutes for Culinary
lavender or 40 minutes for fresh. Pour syrup through a fine-mesh
sieve into a bowl, discarding lavender. Stir in lemon juice and blueberries.
Spoon berries and syrup over slices of cake just before
serving.
Cooks' notes:
Cake can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then wrapped tightly
in plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Lavender syrup (without berries) can be made 2 hours ahead
and kept, covered,at room temperature. Add berries just before serving. |