If you’ve never been in the fields of a lavender farm, it will be hard for me to describe that sweet smell for you. It is so far removed from the often harsh, strong lavender of soaps and cleaning products, although I must confess that having smelled growing lavender, I am also a fan of those.
Every week when I do my laundry, I use not only lavender scented detergent, but also lavender scented clothes softener. It reminds me of summer and warm breezes and Jersey Lavender Farm, a working farm we pass regularly when on the island.
One summer, many years ago, we got to know some temporary neighbors who were staying in the house across from ours while their home was renovated. The couple was delightful, just a bit older than we were, and their eldest daughter was working as the cook in The Sprigs, the tearoom and shop attached to the lavender farm. Not every item on the menu included culinary lavender but a fair share surely did.
While we had visited the farm, we’d never been in The Sprigs. Hearing our neighbors talk about the creative ways their daughter was using lavender in baked goods, I was inspired to add it to mine. As long as one is careful not to put too much, lavender adds a delightfully delicate floral aroma and flavor.
This month my Bundt Bakers are baking up cakes with flowers, another opportunity to let lavender shine.
Almond Lavender Plum Bundt
The butter and ground almonds make this cake super rich. Serve small slices with a hot cup of tea for the perfect snack.Ingredients
For the Bundt cake:
12 oz or 340g ripe but firm plums (about 5)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup or 200g sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup or 95g plain flour
2 1/3 cups or 250g ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lavender flowers, fresh or dry
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the icing drizzle:
1/2 cup or 62g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
For decorating (optional):
2 teaspoons lavender sugar (It's so easy to make - instructions here.)
1 tablespoon toasted almond slivers
Method
Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180°C. Butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Cut your plums in half and remove the stones.
Cut them in half again. I decided to lay some plum quarters at the bottom of Bundt pan so I set aside nine of them and chopped the rest. As you will see farther on, the batter crept under some of the plums so I didn’t achieve the effect I wanted when the cake was turned out of the pan. Next time, I might just chop all of the plums. Toss the plums in a small bowl with the lemon juice and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer, beating on a medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated. By the third or fourth eggs, the batter looks a little curdy. Do not be alarmed.
Fold in ground almonds, chopped plums, vanilla, lavender flowers and salt.
If you are trying my trick of lining the bottom of your prepared Bundt with plum quarters, fit them in now. While the look I wanted didn’t turn out, it was nice to have a slice of plum on the top of each piece of cake.
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| This is a Nordic Ware Blossom Bundt pan.* |
Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, covering the top with foil if it starts to get too brown.
To make the drizzle icing, whisk together the powdered sugar with the milk and vanilla, until you make a smooth paste.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen the edges and middle with a blunt knife. Turn over on a wire cooling rack. Leave the Bundt to cool completely before drizzling the icing over the cooled cake.
Immediately sprinkle with the toasted almonds and lavender sugar, if using.
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| Each slice is topped with plum! |
Enjoy!
Many thanks to this month’s host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for this fresh and fragrant theme, as well as her behind the scenes work. Check out all the flowery Bundts we are sharing this month.
- Almond Lavender Plum Bundt from Food Lust People Love
- Chocolate Lavender Bundt from Sweet Sensations
- Eggless Gulkand Bundt Cake from Sneha's Recipe
- Elderflower Pound Cake with Lemon - Elderflower Glaze from The Queen of Scones
- Hibiscus Tea Bundt Cake from Merce´s Cake
- Karkadeh Bundt Cake with Mascarpone Lavender Filling from Katin Špajz
- Lavender & Olive Oil Bundtlettes from I Love Bundt Cakes
- Lemon & Lavender Ricotta Bundt Cakes from Living the Gourmet
- Orange Blossom Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Roses and Pistachios Bundt Cake from Nunca es demasiado dulce
- Violets Bundt Cake from Paty Co. Candy Bar
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