Dutch butter cake with lavender

What better way to celebrate summer than to bake something with flowers. The smell and taste of lavender really reminds me of summer. This is why I decided to make this Dutch butter cake with lavender buds in it, which is also the perfect way to start of my weekend trip to my grandparents’ house in France. Here, the lavender blooms in big bushes every year, causing the delicious smell to be inescapable. I have wanted to make a Dutch butter cake for a while now, so I considered this was the perfect time to do it. It turned out delicious!

Makes 1 cake
Action Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes resting time and 20 minutes baking time

175  g (6 oz) sugar
1 tbsp dried lavender buds + 1-2 tsp extra
200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg, beaten
250 g (8.8 oz) flour

Extra: food processor, hand mixer, buttered spring form cake tin (Ø 22-23cm/ about 9 inches) covered with parchment paper

1. In a food processor, grind the sugar with the lavender buds until the buds are crushed.

2. In a bowl, mix the lavender sugar and butter with a hand mixer. Mix in two thirds of the egg and a pinch of salt. Sift the flour into the mixture and add some extra whole lavender buds. Mix until the dough comes together. Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Press the dough onto the bottom of the cake tin and spread it out until the entire bottom is evenly covered. Brush the remaining egg over the dough. With a knife, cut a diamond shaped pattern into the top of the dough.

4. Bake the butter cake in the middle of the oven for about 18-20 minutes until it is golden brown. Do not bake it too long or it will get dry. Let it cool and take it out of the cake tin. Cut the butter cake into squares, wedges, or diamond shapes. Enjoy!

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