French Lavender And Vanilla Sugar For Elegant Cakes And Bakes Recipes

Steps:

• Place the lavender heads and about 2 tablespoons sugar into a food mixer, or coffee/spice blender. Pulse together for about 1 minute or until the lavender is ground, the same consistency as ground spices.
• Place the rest of the sugar into a large mixing bowl & add the ground lavender and sugar mix.
• Mix well.
• In tall jar, Kilner jars are good, pour half the lavender sugar; place the three vanilla pods in the jar, towards the outside so they may be seen,.
• Carefully add the rest of the sugar so the vanilla pods are standing up in the sugar.
• Seal and keep for about 2 weeks before using,.
• Store in a dark, dry and cool place.
• This lasts up to 1 year and the vanilla pods can be used numerous times again, after the sugar has finished.
• Use in cakes, biscuits, cookies, jams, cream desserts, ice-cream, pies and tarts, crumbles, trifles and junkets etc.

Steps:

• Place a cup of sugar in each (1 cup) jar along with 1 tablespoon lavender and divide the vanilla bean among some or all the jars.
• Alternate method:.
• I put one jar of the mix into the vita mix to grind up the lavender and powdered the sugar. (Which is nice if you don`t want lavender buds in your baking. Or to add to a cup of comforting tea.).
• Let sit overnight.
• I did open in a couple hour and the aroma was just fabulous!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 inch square pan. To blanch the almonds, pour boiling water over them to cover. Let them sit for about 5 minutes or until the peels slip off easily. Discard the peels and let the almonds air dry for a few hours. Grind the almonds with ¼ of the sugar. Cream the butter and ½ cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until the mixture is pale and fluffy, another 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla, almond extract, and lemon zest and beat just until combined. Fold in the ground almond mixture. Beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl on medium high speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Sift the cake flour and baking powder into a small bowl. Fold in ⅓ of the egg whites, then ⅓ of the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg whites and flour. Be very careful not to over-stir. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake. Remove the cake from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake and the place top side up on a cake platter. GLAZE Heat the lemon juice in a small saucepan or microwaveable dish until steaming hot. Remove from heat and add the lavender flowers until cool. Add the 1 cup of powdered sugar to make a glaze. If it is too thick, add a little water or milk until glaze consistency. Pour the glaze over the cake and let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.