Lemon Lavender Loaf

 

I absolutely love all things lavender!  The scent, color, and flavor it adds to tea, baked good and ice cream.  Drying in my kitchen is lavender that I grow in my garden.  Lemon Lavender Loaf was calling to be made.

 

This loaf cake/bread is light, moist and just perfect with a cup of tea.  Topped with a very light drizzle of lemon/icing sugar glaze, it is sweet and tart at the same time.

 

Lemon Lavender Loaf Cake





 



Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup softened Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 3 Eggs (I used duck eggs)
• 3/4 cup Plain Yogurt (I bet that lemon yogurt would be good too)
• Juice from one Lemon (1 Tablespoon)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Lemon extract
• Zest from one Lemon (about a heaping teaspoon)
• 1 Tablespoon dried Lavender (food grade)

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• Juice of half a lemon (or add more to the consistency you wish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease one 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter.  Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each egg until it is fully incorporated.
5. To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the yogurt and mix it all together just until all ingredients are incorporated
6. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extracts and the lemon zest and beat on low just until blended.
7. Gently fold in the lavender.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. ( NOTE:  the original recipe said to bake 45 minutes but I found that that was not nearly long enough.  You will want to watch and judge how your oven bakes.)
9. Cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
10. For the glaze, put the confectioners sugar in a small bowl and add the lemon juice a little at a time until a drizzle/pouring consistence is reached.  Then drizzle over the cooled cake.

 

Enjoy!

 

Until next time,

 

Jennifer