Lemon & Lavender Syrup Cake

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1/3 + 1/8 cup rice bran (or other mild) oil

• 1/2 + 1/8 cup raw sugar

• 2 large free range eggs

• 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)

• zest from 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup ground almonds

• 2/3 cup white flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the syrup

• 1/2 cup raw sugar

• 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)

• zest from 1 lemon

• Optional: 4 - 5 large, vibrant lavender blossoms (see recipe notes at bottom)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 22cm cake tin with baking paper.

2. Place the oil, sugar and eggs into a bowl and quickly beat together with a wooden spoon. Add the lemon juice and zest, and mix it in. Tip in the ground almonds, and sift in the flour and baking powder. Gently fold together until just mixed. Pour into your lined cake tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until just cooked ~ a skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean.

3. While the cake is baking, place the syrup ingredients into a small pan, stripping the lavender bracts from its center spike as you add it.

4. When the cake has almost finished baking ~ or has just come out of the oven ~ begin to gently heat the syrup ingredients, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the syrup to the boil and simmer for just 20-30 seconds. Immediately remove from the heat so it doesn’t overcook and become thick.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and poke lots of holes all over the top of it, using a skewer. Spoon the hot syrup and all the lavender pieces over the hot cake, allowing it to soak through.

6. Let the cake cool in the tin, and serve with dollops of Greek yoghurt or labneh.

Recipe notes

• If you are using lavender in the syrup, you have a couple of options. You could use it as is, breaking the fresh bracts off the stem. If you use it this way you will end up with slightly chewy sweet pieces of lavender on the cake top ~ which I always enjoy. If you prefer, you could partially dry the buds before using to release the oils, giving you a less chewy flower bract. To do this, place the lavender blossoms onto a small piece of baking paper on a tray and put them into the oven while it is preheating. Just have the oven on 100C while you do this. Keep an eye on them and take them out once they just begin to feel dry - this won’t take long at all, maybe 10 minutes. Set aside, and turn the oven up to 180C so you can preheat it for the cake.

• You can pour the syrup through a sieve if you don’t want the lemon zest and lavender pieces in it, but the lavender flavour will be much more pronounced if you leave it in, and personally I really like the chewy pieces of tangy sweetness on top.