Blueberry, Lavender and Lemon Marble Cake

Buying more blueberries than needed, I decided it would be a good idea to bake a cake with them. However, I didn’t want to just add them into a cake batter, but rather, have them in a sort of separate layer in the cake.

To do that, I cooked them separately into a jam-like mixture, thickened with a bit of cornstarch, and flavored with lavender and lemon.
I then mixed a cake batter, with a tangy addition of sour cream, and flavored it too with lavender and lemon.
The two mixture were then layered in the pans, and, while baking, the two layers created a beautiful marbled effect.
The cake was very tasty and moist, with wonderful lavender-lemon fragrance and a distinctive fruity layer in it. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* For best results, make sure to use culinary grade dried lavender buds. They can be found at the spice section, or online.
* Lemon oil is more concentrated than lemon extract. If you can’t find, it, use 1 tsp of lemon extract, or increase the amount of lemon zest.

Makes: 2 loaf pans
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
For the blueberries layer:
1 lbs (455 grams) fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp culinary grade dried lavender buds, lightly crushed (see notes)
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs water
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
¼ tsp lemon oil (see notes)
For the batter:
1 stick (115 grams) butter, soft
½ cup sour cream
3 L eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp culinary grade dried lavender buds, lightly crushed
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
¼ tsp lemon oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
¼ tsp salt

1. Place the blueberries, sugar, water and lavender in a medium pot. Mix and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook, mixing occasionally, for about 7-8 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon oil, and mix until smooth. Mix into the pot, and cook for 1-2 minutes, mixing, until the mixture thickens. Cool to room temperature.

2. Brush two loaf pans with a bit of butter and dust with flour. Keep in the fridge until using. Preheat the oven to 340F (170).
3. Place the butter, sour cream, eggs, sugar, lavender, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon oil and lemon juice and whisk together. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk briefly to a smooth batter.
4. Divide ¾ of the batter between the prepared pans. Divide the blueberries mixture between the pans, and top with the rest of the batter.

5. Bake for 40 minutes, until the cakes tops are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the dough part comes out almost clean. Let cool to room temperature in the pan, on a rack, before releasing.