Check out this moist, spring bake bursting with fresh blueberries and scented with lavender - provided by Rachel's Organic
What you need...
- CAKE:
175g unsalted butter, room temperature
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self raising flour, sieved
150g Rachel’s Greek Style low fat natural yogurt
150g fresh blueberries
LAVENDER SYRUP:
60g caster sugar
40ml water
3 sprigs of fresh lavender including flowers
LAVENDER & BLUEBERRY ICING:
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
750g icing sugar, sieved
75g Rachel’s fat free blueberry yogurt
Drop of milk
10g food colouring (violet food gel, we used Dr Oetker)
TO DECORATE:
Fresh Lavender or lavender sugar
instructions
-
Grease three 6” (15.2cm) round loose bottom cake tins and line with parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and continue to whisk after each addition. Add the vanilla extract followed by the flour.
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Fold in the yoghurt and blueberries ensuring good distribution. Pour the mixture into the cake tins evenly and bake until risen, golden brown and springy to touch. Insert a cake tester into the centre of each cake and if it comes out clean the cakes are cooked.
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Transfer the cakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before removing from the tins. To make the lavender syrup, take a small pan and add all the ingredients, simmer on high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
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To make the lavender and blueberry icing, beat the butter with the icing sugar until a paste is formed. Add the yoghurt and mix in. If the icing paste seems stiff, add a drop of milk. Add the food colouring and continue to beat on high speed ensuring all the colour is incorporated and the mixture is not streaky.
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To assemble take each cake, remove the parchment paper and place onto the serving plate, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of lavender syrup, allow to soak into the cake then spread a quarter of the icing onto the cake, spreading it to the edges, using a palette knife. Repeat this process with the second and third cake, layering with syrup and then icing. With the remaining icing – ice the top and sides of the cake and spread smoothly. Decorate with fresh lavender sprigs (if available) or with lavender sugar (widely available in stores such as Lakeland or major supermarkets).
Find out more about Rachel's at [url=http://www.rachelsorganic.co.uk/]http://www.rachelsorganic.co.uk/[/url]