There is no question this is an indulgent cake. But it is also thoroughly worth the indulgence. A butter rich dough filled with a simple lemon curd under a rubbly top studded with lavender. The original recipe for this which I cut from a magazine years ago is called Belgian Lemon Tea Cake, I don’t know why. This cake appears so simple and unassuming, but slice into it and there is a waft of lovely scent and a delicious soft center. This beauty makes a showstopper of a dessert after a Spring meal – a dinner or an Easter brunch.
I love to add lavender to the dough for a touch of interest, but you could leave it out. Do line your pan with parchment. Some of the filling will reach the edge of the pan and may be sticky and a bit hard to remove the cake otherwise. And do strain the curd so there are no bits of cooked egg or tough pieces of lemon zest. This is decadent on its own, but a little pillow of unsweetened whipped cream would be nice touch.
Ingredients
- For the Cake
1 ½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lavender
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
14 Tablespoons (1 ¾ cups) butter, softened
- For the Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice (from 2 large, or 3 medium lemons)
13 Tablespoons butter, softened
Directions
- For the Cake
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Put a medium bowl with a strainer over it by the stove.
- Put the sugar and lavender in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the sugar is fine and the lavender is broken up. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add the eggs and the butter, cut into small pieces, and pulse until evenly combined and crumbly, like bread crumbs. Sprinkle 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the springform pan and press into an even layer, with a little dough moving up the sides of the pan.
- For the Filling
- Put the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs in the medium saucepan set over medium low heat and stir to combine well. Add the butter, cut into small pieces, and cook, stirring constantly until the butter is melted and the curd has thickened. Do not raise the heat or let the mixture boil, and stir constantly. This should be just under the thick spreadable consistency of the spreadable curd (about 180 degrees to be precise). Pour the curd through the strainer over the bowl to remove any cooked egg or tough pieces of zest. Spread the curd over the dough in the base of the pan.
- Crumble the remaining dough in an even layer over the top of the curd, making sure you get to the sides of the pan. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes just until golden but barely wobbly in the center. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the springform, peel off the parchment sides and carefully slide onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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