Lemon Cake with lavender cream topping - from the front porch, please!

It is SO nice to read, cook, eat, hang out with good friends and really - not do much else. So that's all we're doing (that and swimming with the jellyfish here and there). This somehow consumes the entire day. Here's Anna in front of the lavender bush - which we threw in the dessert today...

I came back from an afternoon walk to find cake waiting for me. It was more than half-eaten, but *SCORE* - there was some left for me! :) Rakel decided to use a left-over lemon from last night's cocktails - to make cake. This is the kind of 'use whatever is around' creative cooking that is going on around here… She also threw in some of the red currant berries from the garden for added color - not too many, just a few - all sitting on the bottom of the pan as a sort-of 'base'. They left a pretty reddish-pink color on the parchment paper afterwards...

What really surprised me was the topping. I guess Rakel had her eye on the lavender growing outside the window for a few days, and decided to put some in the whipped cream she made to plop over the cake. THAT was interesting and totally delicious. She just made a basic whipped cream, beat in some lavender (and some more currant berries) and spooned it onto the cake. This may sound unusual - but it tasted great.



Here's a quick recipe for basic lemon cake/loaf:

125 grams butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 large lemon - juiced and rind finely grated
2 eggs
1 1/2 self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350, grease a 9x5 pan. Using electric mixer, beat butter, lemon rind and 1 cup of sugar until fluffy, then slowly beat in eggs and milk. Stir/beat in flour the same way. Bake for 45-50 minutes - or until knife goes in and comes out clean!

Combine 1/3 cup lemon and remaining sugar. Pour over hot loaf while still in pan and let it cool before cutting a slice!

For Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP sugar

Pour heavy cream over sugar - beat or whip until stiff! And if you're Rakel - pick some lavender, throw a small amount in along with some currants, then beat until a pretty pink color - ready! AND DELICIOUS! :)

Rakel eating her cake. She needs another spoonful of lavender whipped cream...