Name: Lavender-Lemon Tea Cakes
Yield: Makes 2 loaf cakes
Ingredients: 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup almonds; 1 1/2 cups sugar; Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons (1/3 to 1/2 cup juice); 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 6 eggs, at room temperature; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers

Lavender flowers are decidedly old-fashioned, as is this not-too-rich tea loaf. You can usually find the flowers in a health food store that sells herbs and spices in bulk. Wrap the cakes in cellophane, tie them with purple ribbon, and attach a yellow lemon-shaped tag to the package.

Grinding the almonds in a food processor with a little of the sugar will keep them from turning into nut butter. Used blanched whole almonds or whole almonds with their natural brown skins, depending on the effect you want. Ground unblanched almonds give the cake a homey look, while blanched almonds are less noticeable, emphasizing the flecks of lavender.

Recipe notes

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