Recipe: Apricot, Lavender and Honey Cakes
This Tuesday marks the Summer Solstice or Litha in the Celtic Wheel of the Year. It is the longest day and shortest night and the beginning of many Summer baking adventures to come. To celebrate I wanted to create something that sings of Summer and came up with these apricot lavender and honey cakes. The stone fruit is given an aromatic twist with the lavender and lifted by the sweet honey.
ingredients
120g butter
2 tsp dried culinary lavender
80g brown sugar
40g caster sugar
60g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
6 apricots halved
For the glaze
40g honey
1 tsp dried culinary lavender
Method
First make the lavender honey. Add the lavender to the honey and melt together in short bursts in the microwave or in a small pan over a very low heat. Set aside to infuse.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan and grease two bun tins. Beat the butter and lavender together in a stand mixer for around 5 minutes to release the lavender oils.
Add the sugars and beat for a further few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time with a little flour then fold in the rest of the flour.
Add a tablespoon of mixture to each hole in the bun tin. Place an apricot half on top pressing down lightly.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes. While still warm remove carefully with a knife place on a wire rack and brush the top of each cake with the lavender honey. Leave to cool completely.
A Seasonal Note
Litha marks the height of the sun the moment when the natural world feels full bright and abundant. Lavender honey and ripe apricots capture that sense of warmth perfectly. These little cakes are a small way to celebrate the light savour the sweetness of the season and welcome the long golden days ahead.
