You can now buy dried edible lavender. Check online if you cannot find it locally.
Serves 8
- Unsalted butter, for the cake pan
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 tablespoon edible dried lavender
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mild-flavored olive oil
- Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Confectioners’ sugar, to dust
- Sprigs of fresh lavender, to serve
Put the granulated sugar and lavender into a food processor and whizz until the lavender has broken down. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Stir in the lavender sugar. In a pitcher, mix the eggs with the yogurt and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the wet ingredients. Add the lemon zest and juice, but don’t over-mix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is coming away from the inside of the pan and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn it out, peel off the paper, and set on a wire rack until cold. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving and decorate with sprigs of fresh lavender.
Recipe reprinted with permission from “Simple” by Diana Henry. Published by Mitchell Beazley.
